HELD UP BY WEATHER

Hawera Star, Volume LIV, 25 July 1935, Page 6

HELD UP BY WEATHER

Searchers for Missing Airman Remain at Bases FLYING CONDITIONS HOPELESS THEORY AS TO ’PLANE’S FATE (By Telegrapt) —Press association ) HASTINGS, To-day. Owing to the extreme unsuitability of the weather, no further search of the hills near Whakarara was carried out to-day, either by the tramping parties or aeroplanes engaged since Monday morning in the search for Hamish Armstrong. This afternoon, however, four machines left the Hastings aerodrome to carry out flights.

Flight-Lieut. Gerrand, who is in charge of the search by air, says enough credibility attaches to reports received to warrant a search over an area which includes territory not before flown over. This morning the Last Coast Airways Dragon machine made a flight tovards the Ruahines to obtain an idea whether flying there was practicable, but conditions were so bad that all hope of doing so was abandoned for to-day. Tho pilots and tramping parties are standing by in readiness to search the hills surrounding Gardner and’ Yeomans mill at Whakarara, for whence it was reported this morning that the weather, though very bad at the moment, showed signs of improving. It was bitterly cold and wet and the snow line was much lower than usual*

According to Mr J. Cato, of Taka,pau, Whakarara sawmill hands who heard Armstrong’s aeroplane and caught a momentary glimpse of it are unshakable in fheir belief that it crashed on the Ruahines. They discredit entirely any suggestion that the machine icrossed over the ranges to the other side. Mr Cato reports that the weather along the ranges is hopelessly bad to-day. Tramping parties were waiting to g;o out again as soon as the weather cleared, but it would be foolish land dangerous to attempt any search on foot at present. No one who has not been in that country, he says, can realise with what rapidity mists develop, and even the most experienced bushmen and trampera run a grave risk of being hopelessly lost in uncertain weather. He was convinced of the worth of searching a point which his party so for has been unable to reach on account of the roughness of the country, but as soon as conditions arc favourable another attempt to penetrate to the point will be made from another direction.

Earlier messages appear on page 7