SEARCH PARTIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21906, 15 September 1934, Page 12

SEARCH PARTIES

OBGANISET) EFFORTS START MADE AT DAWN ASSISTANCE FROM AIR CAREFULLY PLANNED WORK [BV TELEGRAPH —OWN CORRESPONDENT] NEW PLYMOUTH, Friday The search for the missing aeroplane ZK ABS was the most extensive and thorough ever organised in Taranaki. More than 100 members of the Alpine Club, Aero Club and settlers co-oper-ated in the search from the ground, two aeroplanes flew overhead, and the radio emergency corps kept headquarters at New Plymouth in touch with the searchers. The early organising was done by Mr. L. W. Lovell, club captain of the Alpine Club, but once the parties entered the bush experienced bushmen and trappers took charge and it was due to their expert guidance that success soon crowned the efforts of the searchers. The excellence of the arrangements made last night was borne out this morning when 10 young men assembled at 3 o'clock all fully equipped for a long and arduous search. Transport was abundant, there being over 20 cars. Dr. H. P. Gray and Dr. Thorne joined the main party with an adequate store of medical supplies. Waiting for Daylight A small party of five members of the Alpine Club and five experienced bushmen set off for the top of Kent Road, the western end of the area in which the aeroplane was believed to have crashed. They waited there until daylight at the edge of the standing bush. The main body, transported in a procession of cars, left at the hour for Mr. T. Burrows' trapping camp above Kaimiro. The edge of the bush was reached shortly before dawn. By ; 6 o'clock Mr. Burrows' camp was | reached, and here there was another pause for consultation. It was decided that the main body should not split up into small parties until the area indicated by Mr. Burrows as the locality in which the machine had fallen had been investigated thoroughly. The searchers then resumed their climb. Two Moth planes, one from Hawera, and one from Wanganui, the latter piloted by Captain Gibbons, arrived at New Plymouth very early, having left their destinations at the first streak of dawn. The ZK ACH was brought from Hawera by Mr. Brian Haybittle, the Hawera Aero Club pilot, and arrived first. Captain Gibbons then took Mr. Haybittle as passenger, while Flying Officer Keith, the New Plymouth pilot, who was in charge of the other machine, had as passenger a surveying engineer with maps. Daring Feats by Pilots The two pilots found visibility good an hour or so after dawn, when the sun had dispersed the morning mists, but after that time the clouds began to creep down the slopes of the monn- ; tain and on to the ranges, causing the I machines to fly low. Every valley and ridge from the first ' range peak west of the mountain to ! the eastern side of the mountain was ! explored by the aeroplanes, the pilots ! taking their craft perilously close to | frowning bluffs at times. Back and for- { ward they travelled, examining every j locality that the lost aeroplane * might ! have been in. Each trip east and west j was a daring and brilliant piece of fly- : in e- | Included in the arrangements was. a ! system of signals by which essential j messages could be passed on to other | searching parties and to the aeroplanes overhead. Work of Radio Corps Assistance was given by the Lands and Survey Department, which placed maps of the mountain and the surrounding locality at the disposal of the club and search parties. The New Plymouth Radio Emergency Corps, as soon as word of the crash was received, set its organisation in motion for helping in the search. A base was established at New Plymouth with Mr. F. Huggard in charge, and a zone station was established at the North Egmont Hostel in the charge of Mr. W. Ward, while a portable transmitting and receiving set was sent with the main search party in charge of Messrs. Ambury and Girling. Telephone bases were established at the Kaimiro Dairy Company's factory and at the Carrington Road mill. Two additional large parties were also organised, one to go into the bush by Carrington Road and one from Mangorei Road. The latter was led by Mr. King, chief draughtsman of the Lands and Survey Department, and had Dr. D. E. Brown as a member. Both were to work in directions that would bring them into contact with the main party. Fourteen senior boys from the high school also accompanied one party. TWO POPULAR MEN CAREER OF THE PILOT [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] NEW PLYMOUTH, Friday Both victims of the air crash were very well known and popular in New Plymouth. Both were single, but Mr. J. A. Austin was to have been married shortly. Mr. S. W. Green, who was 30 years of age, was one of the New Plymouth Aero Club's and careful pilots. He came to New Zealand some years ago with a group of English public school boys to learn farming under the Chamber of Commerce scheme, but after a period of farming he studied electrical engineering and was for a time employed in the New Plymouth Borough Council's electricity department. His father is an Anglican minister in Norfolk. Six years ago Mr. Green returned to England and flew with tho Norfolk J Aero Club. Returning to New Zealand he continued with the New Plymouth 1 Aero Club. He held the rank of flyingofficer in No. 2 Bombing Squadron (Wellington) of the territorial reservo and annually undertook 10 days' refresher course aT the Wigram Aerodrome, Christchurch, for which he was due in a few days. His interest in aviation was indicated by the fact that he recently presented a trophy for a landing competition to the club. Mr. Austin, who was aged 37, lived with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. Austin, New Plymouth. He was born at Petone.