FRUITLESS SEARCH

Hokitika Guardian, 8 December 1934, Page 5

FRUITLESS SEARCH

FOR ULM’S PLANE .7T . i • SMALL HOPE IS NOW'HELD. (United Press Association—By Electric TeJegnaph+-Oopyright). ' HONOLULU, December 6. Two thousand men comprising Army, Navy and Coastguard personnel have finished the third day of the search for Ulm’s plane without success, and the weather is growing squalty to the north of Hlawaip where' the. plane probably crashed. The' navy planes and surface ships have examined the area, up :to • three hundred miles to the northward besides making a .research-of other areas. Admiral Yarnall has. ordered the surface craft tb continues the patrol all night, and twelve N-ary-' seaplanes are (ready to start out at eight a.m. tomorrow. "• A conference will be he'd at seven a.m. to-morrow of Navy officials to determine the further plaiisf The Navy fctir'men.-:' 1 estimated to-day-that the searching planes "have covered nearly 250,000 square mileSf One of the most ’ encouraging factors fis. that the weather has mostly been good since the plane went down, sand it was better to-day than at any time since - ; Bain i s now forecast, .'however." Lieut. 'Stephens, the Navy 'Meteorologist. has. placed the spot where Ulm’s plane is believed to have touched the seb as 180 miles north north-east of Honolulu. This portion, is approximately in latitude 157 west. The conclusion is based on the officials’ analysis in combating head and., cross, winds, and the flying capacity o|.. .thq .pfene. Most of the other naval agreed in ■ the position figured by Lieut. Stephens. This area-has thoroughly;,,been, search- ’ ed for the past three days. A howling wind i.-canie 0n,.; which 'approached gale proportions to-night. Tt has churned up the sea, and,,.ha*? enN dangered the aerial,.,searchers out tonight., ' -.i •

There are indications tbnt the search will now. ; be extended northward on the strength of a report from the Matson liner “Liurttine” that . UlmiA was-- probably off his vcourse to the. extent of five (hundred mile s from San Fran'isco when he was unable fo see t : m “Lur■lmeV’ searchlights, (although lie should have passed over the ship. It is believed that Ulm veered ' to the northward of . the course early : n the flight. • Ulm’ig weak radio signals, wVch •had been thought to be due to radio trouble are now attributed to Ulm’s distance from his objective, as the (Naval Radio Station at Hilo, 75 miles south and 120 miles east of Honolulu, was unable to hear his on

Tuesday. , , ' The Matson liner Lurline land Ulm’.s plane passed each other oh'’-Monday night. The Lurline was following exactly the same course that plotted by the plane, but in the opposite direction. Her officers said that hind the plane been as close to the Lurline as twenty Or thirty miles, aviators could have sighted the liner, but Ulm (had radioed that be could hot the ship. He did not send, a second message, iaft6r passing, which would have enabled the Lurline to plot his position by triangulation. Officials estimate that the plane was sixty-two miles off his course, to the north, when it settled in the water, and they placed it about one hundred miles north of K'auai Island, on a direst line with the little coral island, JNihoa.

. The belief that trim sent messages after the plane struck the water, thus indicating a safe landing in the sda, •has practically been now eliminated according to the radio .men, with the disclosure to-day that the plane carried a trailing antenna, which would have caused the radio fcj-. fail when the plane hit the : water. . A re-check of Ulm’s messages, las received by the Globe Wireless Company showed that at 9.8 a.m. on Tuesday, a message was received as follows; “Wo are just going to the. water.” ' Then there came further messages: 0.21: “We are turning into the wind.” 0.24 a.m. “Game and pick us up. The plane will float for two days.” There came from Ulm between 9.24 to 9.30 when the radio w°s silenced, a constant stream of S-O.S.

AUSTRALIA ,CHARTERS SAMPANS.

TO JOIN IN SEARCH FOR ULM

(Received this dlay at 9 a.m.) SYDNEY, December 8

The Commonwealth and New South Wales Governments have decided to charter thirty sampans at Hawaii to join in the search for Ulm. It is anticipated this will cost between £4OOO land £SOOO.

The Federal Cabinet h a d before .it a message received by the New Zealand Broadcasting 'Board’s manager (Mr (Hands), from the station Iv. C. U. Honolulu, venturing the opinion that Ulm’s plane would float for six days, and strongly recommending that the Government of be authorised to charter thirty deep-sea Japanese sampans to work under the direction of the navy, thereby doubling the prospects 'of locating .’the airmen.

Mr Hands replied .he wa s p a ssing the information on to the Australian authorities,