NATIVE'S STORY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22935, 13 January 1938, Page 13

NATIVE'S STORY

SAW CLIPPER IN SMOKE STATEMENT DISCOUNTED PROBABLY DUMPED PETROL By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Eeceived January 12, 5.5 p.m.) NEW YORK, Jan. 12 A cablegram from Pago Pago quoted a native as saying he had seen the Clipper flying off the western end of Tutuila in a quantity of smoke. A search was started immediately. The steamer Avocet stationed at the "United States Naval Station at Pago Pago, sent out an aeroplane to search the route which is was believed Captain Musick would follow. The Honolulu wireless station KGMB offered facilities to broadcast messages to the missing machine. Officials of Pan American Airways expressed the opinion that it was possible that Captain Musick, after reporting the leak, landed on the water to the leeward of some South Pacific island. Experts believed the mountain ranges might interfere with reception from the Clipper's radio and hoped that night would bring more favourable radio conditions. They attached no significance to the native seeing smoke.

The experts said Captain Musick probably was dumping petrol preparatory to attempting a landing, and the native mistook the spraying liquid for smoke.

It was recalled that a similar dumping before landing on Pearl Harbour caused many people to believe that another Pan American aeroplane was on fire.

The U.S.S. Avocet, a seaplane tender attached to the United States Navy Air Arm at Pago Pago, was built at the end of the war, and is constructed to carry a seaplane on her after-deck. She has a displacement of 840 tons and a designed speed of 14 knots. The Avocet was used as a transport for the American scientific expedition which observed the total eclipse of the sun at Canton Island last June.

MEAGRE NEWS I THE AUCKLAND BASE RADIO COMMUNICATIONS NO ATTEMPT TO WORK CLIPPER Onlv very meagre news concerning the movements of the Samoan Clipper was received*by officials of Pan Ameiican Airways in Auckland yesterday through their normal service channels. The departure of the flving-boat from Pago Pago in the early m'orning was notified in the usual routine manner, but in the normal course of events no attempt would have been made to work the Clipper from Auckland until she had covered about half the journey from Pago Pago. At no stage yesterday was the Auckland station of Pan American Airways in two-way radio communication with the Clipper. It was known in Auckland yesterdav morning that the flying-boat had been forced to turn back and it was assumed that a mechanical defect was responsible, as the weather on the route was known to be fair. Lfiorts were made by the company's radio operator, M.. A. L. Charman, to raise Pmro Pago, but they were unsuccessful a!id finally Mr. Harold Gatty, special representative of the company W L Zealand, cabled the San FranCisco Office asking for information. The following cablegram was received at 3.40 vesterday afternoon by Mr. Gatty from San Francisco:— Ship returned toward Samoa because of oil leak in one engine. Landing was not reported at Pago Pago and nothing . bcc n heard of ship for several hours Assume she landed either Tongan Group or Western Samoa. Instigation is being made Further information expected shortly. A continuous watch was maintained at the company's radio statxon at St Helier's 13ay but it was not until late last night that communication was still missing.