No Trace of Sempill Plane

Manawatu Times, Volume 61, Issue 239, 9 October 1936, Page 7

No Trace of Sempill Plane

EITHER ON LAND OR SEA SJalted Press Association —Sy Electric Telegrapn. —Copyrlgtit. Received Thursday, 9 p.m. KOEPANG, Oct, 8. Tiiere is no trace of Lord Sempill’s Croydon Monospar m the ■whole of the Timor. The Government boat Merel is on a search in the Timor Sea. Two Dutch seaplanes from Sourahaya are taking part in the search.

Faint S.O.S. Messages

POSITION GIVEN ON TIMOR ISLAND. DARWIN, Oct. 8. After fourteen hours of grave anxiety for the safety of tho crew of Lord Sempill's monospar, feeble S.O.S. messages were received between nine and ten o'clock last night, Darwin time. They were so faint, that were they messages, it was difficult to make anything of them, except that they were S.O.S. signals of bearings taken on the directional wireless apparatus at the Royal Air Force station at Darwin. It gave their position • as on thcTimor Island, about 60 to 70 miles from Koepang . It is assumed that the ’plane was sending from a beach and the crew were generating power by hand. The word of “batteries” was heard in one message and it L believed that the 'plane’s batteries are failing. Weak messages were still being received at midnight.

Offer of Assistance

SINGAPORE, October 7. The Air Force here have communicated with Batavia, Sourabaya and Koepang offering aid, if necessary, in the search for Sempill’s monospar.