THE LOST AIRMEN

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21982, 13 December 1934, Page 12

THE LOST AIRMEN

It has now reached the point where Mr. C. T. P. Ulm and his companions must be described as lost, not as missing. The American authorities, both naval and military, have abandoned further search as hopeless. As long as they thought there was any chance of finding the ;stricken aeroplane and its crew, they continued to comb the near by seas with unflagging zeal and energy. Indeed, they pursued the search for a considerable time after they believed the last real chance of rescue had disappeared. Therefore, when they have reached the point of abandoning it, there are, unfortunately, no grounds for anybody else to continue hoping. The Pacific is a mighty ocean, the islands for which the airmen shaped their course are tiny dots on its vast expanse ; the last message left only guesswork to determine where the aeroplane came down upon the sea. These things being so, the search, close and systematic as it was, could be no more than blind. It has failed. The three who manned the aeroplane must be added to the list of those who have given their lives in the work of spreading air travel further and still further. This flight was no casual venture, no haphazard undertaking. It had a serious purpose, and careful preparation was made for it. The possibilities of regular services across the Pacific were to be tested, and the route was selected with that end in view. Auckland has missed being a stage in this experimental flight. There is tragedy in the loss of the gallant crew gone to its account. It is not a tragedy of recklessness nor of ignorance essaying what skill and experience would not attempt. The airmen had these qualities an plenty. They counted the risks before they began the venture. The way to regularised navigation of the seas, with ocean-going ships running timetable, is bestrewn with the wrecks of the past. For the air navigation that one day will be achieved the price must be paid. These three whose lives must be written down to the account, failed in what they attempted, but to them belongs the honour of having tried, gallantly and splendidly.