KINGSFORD SMITH STILL MISSING.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LV, Issue 4573, 16 November 1935, Page 2

KINGSFORD SMITH STILL MISSING.

Singapore, November 14,

The Royal Air Force is continuing its search for Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and a squadron of Vilde Beestes has left Singapore, for a most intensive search of the jungle, islands and coast again. The flying-boats are continuing wide sweeps of the Bay of Bengal. A Penang message states that Melrose, the Australian aviator, arrived by train and was furnished with spares by the flying club. He took off flying a club plane for Victoria Point this morning. Melrose on Tuesday left Victoria Point for Mergui, but after one hour’s flying, engine trouble forced him to land on the beach. It was high tide and the plane entered the water. The propellor was damaged, hutcan easily be repaired.

Sydney, November 15

‘Captain P. G. Taylor and a copilot, Mr Harry Purvis, with Mr. John Stannage as radio operator, took off for Singapore at 2.30 p.m. in the teeth of a howling northeaster, which will retard progress’. Captain Taylor described flying conditions as being very bad, and he may not get beyond Narroinine to-day. He hopes to reach Darwin on Sunday and Singapore on Tuesday. ' Their twin-engined Gannet machine had. been completely tested and is equipped with hand flares, a Verey light pistol, rubber rafts, medicine chest, telescope binoculars and emergency rations. -CRAFT SIGHTED ON WEST COAST OF SIAM. Singapore, November 15. The Royal Air Force has received a message from Mr E. L. Miles, the European manager of a tin mine at Talkuata, ten miles inland on the west coast of Siam, that he has received definite information that a three-propellor aeroplane was seen flying near Takuata at 7.30 a.m. on November Bth. A squadron of bombers and two flying-boats are proceeding to that area, which they will thoi'oughly search to-morrow. lit is opined that the aeroplane must be Kingsford Smith’s, as all others in that area at that time have been accounted for. JEAN BATTEN OVERDUE. Rio Do Janeiro, Nov. 14. Early to-night Miss Jean Batten, the New Zealand airwoman, was several hours overdue in her flight from Natal. Considerable anxiety is felt, as storms are reported 400 miles northward, approximately in her course.

She was reported several times sighted since she left Natal, the last time being- at 2.10 p.m., New York time, over Victoria. The British Embassy is makingpreparations to institute an aerial search.

A United Press dispatch from Sao Paulo relayed an unconfirmed report from a nearby village that a craft, which at the time was believed to be Miss Batten’s, crashed in the darkness. It contained no word of the extent of the damage or the condition of the pilot. The report, if true, would have meant that she overflew Rio southward by many miles. A later report, however, disclosed that the ’plane was not Miss Batten’s. By a coincidence, a private craft crashed in that area, but the pilot was not injured. Meanwhile Miss Batten is still missing and an extensive search will be pressed at dawn. Pan-American Airways are sending several ’planes to search between here and Victoria.

A great throng which had gathered at the local airport dispersed in disappointment at nightfall.

Oamaru, Last Night,

The Prime Minister (Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) has sent, on behalf of the citizens of the Dominion, a cablegram to Miss Jean Batten congratulating her on her splendid achievement.