TASMAN FLIGHT ALMOST ENDS IN DISASTER.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LV, Issue 4492, 16 May 1935, Page 3

TASMAN FLIGHT ALMOST ENDS IN DISASTER.

SOUTHERN CROSS DAMAGED

TURNS BACK WHEN HALF WAY

ACROSS,

• Yesterday’s Jubilee mail flight from Australia to New Zealand by Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, CaptTaylor and Mr Stannage in the famous “Southern Cross” almost ended in disaster when the starboard propellor of the monoplane was damaged 450 miles from Australia, rendering one engine useless. Sir Charles Kingsford Smith, realising his desperate plight, immediately resolved to head the machine back to Sydney but, in this exciting race against time, ofttimes it seemed that the crippled “old bus” was destined to be lost. The anxiety of the crew was heightened by the fact that the other two engines showed signs of failing, causing the plane to lose speed and height. However, after an anxious time the monoplane finally made its way back to the Mascot aerodrome. The “Southern Cross” left Richmond aerodrome at 12.20 a.m. yesterday, the plane’s mails, freight, fuel and crew making a total weight of 14,000 lbs. All went well on the ’plane until 8.30 a.m. when a message was received stating that the ’plane had just lost her starboard propellor and had turned back to Sydney. From then on the radio messages provided a graphic description of the flight. They read as. follows: 9.45 a.m.: “Present position of plane making for Sydney with one propellor gone and the other outboard engine missing at times. Cargo jettisoned. Hanging on to mail, but glad if Australian Post Office gives instructions to dump. Plane unable to hear Sydney or any station. Black clouds all round. ■ If forced down the fading of a prolonged dash will indicate the fact.”

9.50 a.m.: “Nice and cheery to hear something,” (The Awarua radio station bad made contact). “Guess Sydney is getting, it O.K. VVc will stagger along like this for a way. Bill going to take sights now. That should give us fairly definite position. The wind is getting up from the west now.” Just before 10 a.m. Awarua, following a request from Sydney, instructed Sir Charles to use his own discretion as to the dumping, of the mails. Then from the Southern Cross again:

10.2 a.m.: “Wind rising and sea nasty from the south-west. Hate to go down in that. Hope they hold out. Wish we knew if there was a ship we could land alongside.” 10.19 a.m.: “The sea is getting worse and the wind blowing hard. Knocking noise in the centre motor. We are all listening to each beat of those other two motors. Guess the. ‘boss’ will take the ‘Faith’ across with the mails to-morrow if we make the Australian coast.” 10.55 a.m.: “Been up front. Smithy wants to saw a bit off the propeilor and thereby gain speed. He says a piece of the centre exnaust flew off and smashed the starboard propeilor.”

10.58 a.m.: “She still seems to be flying O.K. Holding - 500 feet at just below full revolutions. Making very poor, headway against this foul head-wind and with only two motors. That port motor keeps spitting and every time it does I feel like . If she quits we go straight down. Smithy would drop her in and we should be able to float O.K. Should probably cut adrift one wing.” 11.6 a.m.: “Going down, I think. Stand by.” ' 11.7 a.m.: “Right. Picked up again.” 11.13 a.m.: “Smithy says.please hold this wave. He expects port motor to go any moment. Bad.” 11.21 a.m.: “Smithy we will hang on in the meantime. We have had to dump all the cargo. Smithy says could you please spare a boat to come out on our course with plenty of smoke. Port engine dropped a cylinder now. Smith says also tell them that he is frightfully sorry about it all. We are averaging 500 feet high. Perhaps someone might fly the ‘Faith’ or one of the new England Avro tens to locate us.”

11.30 a.m.: “If ‘Fiscus’ could make a big smoke we may see him.” 11.34 a.m.: “Smithy says could you get a message to all our wives and tell them not to worry. We are not in the water yet.” 12.3 p.m.: “Still up.”

12.45 p.m.: “Estimated position at 0014 G.M.T., lat. 346 deg. S., long. 156 deg. 18min. E. (Distance from land 250 miles; Course 177 magnetic. Probably strike coast north of Sydney as not heading into wind to allow for drift.”

12.29 p.m.: “Smithy asks if one of the battleships or one of the Union ships with direction-finding apparatus could take a bearing of ns. There might be a chap with direction finding on his way out.” 12.39 p.m.: “See much better now. Wind still head-os, but not so strong.”

12.46 p.m.: “Things look much brighter now as the petrol load gets less and less. She can he throttled back a bit to save the motors. The port motor seems to be hanging on O.K. now. If we carry on like this we shall probably strike the coast about Port Stephens.” 1.20 p.m.: “This flying ten feet from water with these motors will turn me grey.” 1.43 p.m.: “Port motor only last quarter hour. Please stand by for exact position. Going, going, going (stops sending).” 1.4 f) p.m.: “She’s going, going fast.” 1.47 p.m.: “Wait second. Going

down, down, any minute now."

1.48 p.m.: (Position given). 1.55 p.m.: “Bill is trying to gel oil out of other engine.” 2.5 p.m.: “We are going in any minute now. Hope the ‘Sussex’ finds us.”

At 2.7 p.m. the radio stations lost touch with the Southern Cross, and understood that the Faith in Australia was about to leave in search. Later messages, however, indicated that the plane was still limping along, and. before 4 p.m. the staccato narrative was resumed and completed on a new note of optimism: 3.46 p.m.: “Plane in touch with Sydney. Faith in Australia just taking off. Estimated Southern Cross approximately 60 miles from coast.”

4.46 p.m.: “Southern Cross sighted land.”

5.30 p.m.: “Southern Cross off Botany now. Will be in in ten minutes.”

5.52 p.m.: “Southern Cross landed at Mascot.”

iSir Charles made a good landing and a huge crowd which had assembled, cheered madly. Smithy emerged from the ’plane .like a man from the dead. A friend exclaimed: “Good work Smithy,” but Sir Charles first stared blankly at him. Indeed, all the airmen showed on their faces the strain of the nightmare battle. Lady Smith, who was among the waiting crowd, bore up well under the terrific strain. Examination disclosed that the starboard propellor was not lost altogether, but five or six inches of the vital part were splintered. Sir Charles, escorted on the arms of his friends, was escorted through the surging crowd and placed under the care of Dr. Banks, who refused to allow interviews. An official report was issued that he was temporarily deaf and exhausted. Captain P l . G. Taylor, navigator, and Mr J. W. Stannage, radio operator, also received an ovation when they emerged from the plane.

The Southern Cross was flown for five hours, fully loaded until the other engipe began to cut out owing to the oil pressure in the port engine failing. Captain Taylor then climbed through the cabin port to the disabled starboard engine, carrying with him, a suitcase, and a thermos flask. He baled oil out of the engine into the suitcase and climbed back into the cockpit which necessitated changing places with Sir Charles within the confined space. He then clambered: out to the spluttering port engine, still caitying the suitcase, and poured the oil into this engine, which saved the situation. The crew may well owe their lives to Captain Taylor. About, half of the Southern Cross’s petrol had to be jettisoned, along with all cargo. Ho attempt was made to jettison mails until the position was desperate. This course had to be followed, with the result that whereas 21 bags of mail were taken from Richmond, only seven small bags were brought back. It was extremely galling to Sir Charles to have to do this. There were times when the plane was so perilously close to the water that the greatest difficulty was experienced in getting it to rise again. It was impossible to obtain intervews prior to the crew going to bed, but it can be stated that there were occasions when the Southern Cross might have had. to descend on to the water. Both engines were intermittently spluttering and making ominous noises as though threatening the worst. Also there were many tense moments when the crew completely despaired of getting back safely. The freight dumped into the sea weighed about 200 pounds, and included a case of stout, a box of hats, other merchandise and a quantity of newspapers. Postal officials stated that of the 21 bags of mails, 14 were jettisoned, including seven from Sydney, comprising 17,000 letters, including the New Zealand ones, four bags from Melbourne and one each from Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while seven were brought back intact, comprising three from Brisbane, two from Melbourne, one each from Adelaide and Launceston. There were 800 registered articles in the mail, most of which are believed to have been lost, which will be the liability of the Post Office, but the Post Office is under no liability for unregistered, letters and articles. It is believed the official letters and letters addressed to his Majesty have been saved.

Smithy told his friends before retiring that the end of the exhaust pipe of the centre engine started to crack about 7 a.m.

“We watched it cracking and then it went. It flew into the starboard propellor and the impact smashed the end off. If we had not switched the engine off immediately the vibration from the damaged unbalanced blade would have shaken the engine from the wing.” Smithy paid a tribute to Captain Taylor’s pluck. He said: “No other man in the world would or could have done what he did.”

Aviators opine that Taylor must have had to face a gale of 100 miles an hour, sufficient to wreck buildings, when he crawled out to the port engine.