WILKINS SAFE

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 109, 8 April 1926, Page 7

WILKINS SAFE

FUEL SUPPLIES SHORT. DESCENT ON YUKON RIVER. EIGHT HOURS IN THE AIR. (Uy Electric Telegraph.—Copyright.) VANCOUVER, April 6. Captain Wilkins lias returned to Fairbanks, completing the round trip to Point Barrow. A wireless message from Fairbanks states that the tension was relieved when the Government received a message that a strange aeroplane had been sighted oyer Circle City, 150 miles north-west of Fairbanks. A few minutes later a message came that the machine had descended on the Yukon river opposite the town. Wilkins and Nielson had to beassisted from the machine, as they were numb with cold and fatigue. They were eight hours in the air, coming since early morning from Point Barrow against head winds and fighting squally weather all the way. Wilkins said they had had a successful trip, landing their supplies, but on the prottracted return trip they ran out of gasolene and oil. That was why they descended at Circle City.—Sydney Sun cable. s EXPLORER’S STORY. NO EVIDENCE OF LAND. Received April 8, 11.15 a.m. VANCOUVER, 'April 7. Captain Wilkins’s story of the farthest north Alaska flight reads like a novel. On leaving Fairbanks on Wednesday a week ago tho motor worked liko a charm. Within fivo hours the flyers found themselves over tho village of Point Barrow.

“Tilings wero then going so well with us,” continued Captain Wilkins, “that wo decided to keep on going north. During the next three hours wo accomplished 75 miles seaward into that Great Unknown. We reached 73 degrees, -30 minutes north, flying at 7000 feet elevation. Visibility was good and from that height wo could see many miles in every direction. Leaving Point Barrow wc crossed a broad expanse of fairly smooth ice. Then we traversed a rough, hummocky area that stretched as far as tho eye could reach, in every direction, broken by leads of open water oil 'all sides. We saw no evidence of land. The return was delayed by the bad weather.”— Sydney Sim cable.