ATLANTIC TRAGEDY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 23 January 1939, Page 8

ATLANTIC TRAGEDY

LOSS OF AIRLINER

FORCED DOWN ON ROUGH SEA TEN .SURVIVORS PICKED UP [U.P.A.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright NEW YORK, 21st January. Black storm-tossed seas, streaked by flares from searching steamships and aircraft to-night, concealed the fate of Imperial Airways’ Bermuda-bound Empire flying-boat Cavalier, which landed in the Atlantic midway between New York and Bermuda this afternoon.

With eight passengers and a crew of five aboard, the Cavalier was forced down by bad weather and engine failure, caused by ice accumulation, at 1.13 p.m. One minute after leporting a safe landing, her radio operator ended the starkly dramatic story of the fight to keep the plane aloft with one ominous word, “Sinking.”

A number of aircraft, eight coastguard cutters, 12 steamships, two British destroyers, an American gunboat, and the Vincent Astors’ yacht Nourmahl, raced to the rescue. One aeroplane and a steamship reached the ship at nightfall, but could not find the machine or any survivors.

It is feared that the hull of the plane was damaged while landing on the rough sea, but Imperial Airways officials believe that, as the sea is now moderating, the survivors may ride out the night. The Cavalier’s seats are designed for conversion into liferafts. A navy blimp, carrying liferafts, jackets and flares, is leaving Lakehurst at midnight, and nine army “flying fortress” bombers, similarly equipped, are taking off before dawn to comb the area. Pilots who were out to-night report hazardous conditions with ice forming on the wings. PATH TO DISASTER The Cavalier’s path to disaster was recorded in the following terse messages by radio:—l2.23 p.m., “Running into bad weather; may have to land”; 12.37 p.m., “Still in bad weather”; 12.57 p.m., “All engines failing. Ice. Altitude 1500 feet. Forced landing in a few minutes”; 1.7 p m., “Still have two motors going; trying to get others started”; 1.11 p.m., “Landing now”; 1.12 p.m., “Landed okay. Switch off. Stand by”; 1.30 p.m., “Sinking.” Nothing further was heard. It is presumed that ice in the carburettors caused the engine failure.

The Cavalier had been engaged in the New York-Bermuda service since 1937. Her veteran captain, M. Rowland Anderson,. flew in the London-Australia service till April. Others in the allBritish crew were: Neil Richardson, first officer, Patrick Chapman, radio officer, and Robert Spence and David Williams, stewards.

Of the eight passengers five were men and three women. Five were Americans and three Bermudans. The Americans included the wealthy head of the New York Auction Company. Mr J. Gordon Noakes, and his wife. He was recently honoured by a transcontinental airline for having travelled 100,000 miles in its planes. His wife was making her first flight. THRILLING RESCUE FOLLOWS TERRIBLE SUFFERINGS Wireless messages early this morning from the steamer Baytown and other vessels describe a thrilling rescue and the terrible sufferings of the survivors of the Cavalier. The Baytown is returning with ten survivors, who are in a bad way owing to cold and exposure. Other steamers are standing by with searchlights seeking the three other passengers. Searching the turbulent seas by searchlight, the Standard Oil tanker Esso Baytown, shortly before midnight, picked up 10 survivors of the 13 aboard the Imperial Airways flying-boat Cavalier, which made a forced landing on the sea midway between New York and Bermuda. They had clung to rubber lifebelts for 10 hours. The other three weakened and are believed to have been drowned.

The survivors indicate that the plane sank 10 minutes after landing. The master of the Esso Baytown radioed that, when the tanker reached the position indicated in the 5.0.5., voices were heard calling from the darkness to the east. A boat was launched which got the survivors aboard. They are suffering severely from exposure and shock.

The tanker made an urgent call for medical aid and the American gunboat Erie arrived at 1.0 a.m. and vainly tried for three hours to get a doctor abroard. The coastguard cutter Champlain finally succeeded in transferring her pharmacist’s mate.

Those feared drowned are Mr Noakes. the wealthy head of the New York Auction Company, Mr Donald Miller, of Nebraska, and one of the stewards, Mr Robert Spence. The survivors stated that they let go their hold of the lifebelts. Mr Noakes and Mr Miller were both travelling with their wives. The tanker is heading for port at full speed.