TERRORS OF THE DESERT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20707, 3 May 1929, Page 9

TERRORS OF THE DESERT.

] NO WATER WITHIN MILES. [I ■ ' ’ • f SYDNEY, May 2. Lieutenant Eaton’s message to the Air Board was to the effect that the party reached the Kookaburra on April 29. Mr Hitchcock’s body was found under the wing. The probable date of his death was April 12 or 13. The party buried Mr Hitchcock’s body on the afternoon that they arrived. After a search lasting an hour and a-half Lieutenant Anderson’s body was found and buried. The forced landing, was due to cylin-. der trouble.. A runway was cleared, but no take off was attempted until April 11 owing to increased debility due to thirst, dust, and flies. On leaving Alice Springs, Lieutenant Anderson followed the telegraph line for 100 miles, but, owing to.. cross winds and an inaccurate compass, he then had to steer by the sun on account of the featureless desert. The short, rough diary containing this information was written on the fabric of the rudder, dated April 10. Apparently ’Mr Hjtchcick died first, and Lieutenant Anderson left the machine with an - air cushion and two bottles of petrol to seek water, ■ but' he had proceeded for only half a mile in a circular course before his death occurred. A small hole was dug beside the - machine in the hope of finding water, and the alcohol from the compass *had been drunk. Two packets of biscuits still remained in the plane, which was damaged during the' landing, ‘ the under-carriage being strained, the_ fuselage and three-ply on' the side split, and the fabric of the plane tom. One tyre was flat.'-- .- Approximately 20 gallons of petrol lemained, and the oil sump was full. ■Lieutenant Eaton added that he removed the piece of fabric with the -diary on it. The nearest water from Lieutenant Anderson’s plane is a small mud pool, which is fast drying up; 45 miles northwest, - • The first attempt by the land party to reach the plane on April 27 was unsuccessful owing to its being unable to locate it. The horses went .without water for 45 hours. The country covered was very bad. He says that a speciallyequipped party with two ode-ton trucks could possibly get through to the Kookaburra by following the tracks of the party. , . Lieutenant Eaton concluded: “The wreaths dropped from the air earlier were placed on the graves.” BODIES TO BE EXHUMED. BURIAL AT WAVE HILL. SYDNEY,'May 2. (Received May ; 2. at 11 p.m.) The Prime Minister announced that the Government intended to adhere to its original intention of bringing the bodies of Lieutenant Anderson and Mr Hitchcock back to civilisation overland, and a party is being sent from Darwin with two caskets, borne by camels* to the scene. The bodies will be exhumed and taken to Wave Hill, where they will be given suitable burial. Headstones will also he erected. It is further in : . tended to • erect a memorial at Alice bprxngs Aerodrome, whence the gallant -fellows took off on the final stage of their ill-fated flight. -The four Air Force planes are remaining at their bases with the object of cooperating with the overlana party The commodore chief of the Air Force said that the tragic aspect of the matter was ttat after Lieutenant Anderson and Mr Hitchcock had repaired the engine they were apparently overtaken by thirst before they could get the plane again into the air. f9nnnn GoVe n? ment I L ad alread y spent *20,000 on the search operations.