A CLOSE CALL

Southland Times, Issue 20661, 17 April 1929, Page 5

A CLOSE CALL

Stranded Men

SPECTBE OF COMPLETE STARVATION

FOOD SUPPLY CUT OFF ASTONISHING REVELATIONS (United Press Assn. —By Telegraph—Copyright) (Copyright to the Sydney Sun.) (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) Sydney, April 16. In a further despatch Flight-Lieutenant Ulm says: The hour the Canberra flew over Coffee Royal was one of the most- memorable'in our lives, for without exaggeration we were just on the point of complete starvation and utterly’ exhausted. Spring tides had covered the mud flats to the south, completely cutting off the main food supply of mud snails. A few adjacent waterholes in the foot hills were dried up, and we were far too weak to climb to our best water supply half-way up Darlinghurst Hill, and even this was fast drying up. We had a supply of beanweeds handy, but the sun was fast drying even them Our faces, arms and legs were lacerated by grass and bramble cuts, and flies were poisoning these sores rapidly. Painful death by starvation and thirst was not more than thri'e or four days away. "Some Steady Eating.” It can be realized, in view of the condition we were in and the awful twelve days we had been through, that we were literally’ almost insane with excitement on that memorable Friday morning. Before Ijes Holden flew away he dropped a note saying that he would probably return the following day’ with more food. We then settled down to some steady eating. To me several outstanding features ot this experience arc left. One is the knowledge how much abuse the human frame will stand up to without breaking down altogether, and here 1 pay tribute to my comrades' wonderful efforts. None of us are by any means physically perfect; three of us nominally weigh about ten and a-half stone each, yet at the end of twleve days of almost total starvation one (Litchfield) is still capable of hard physical work under the most trying conditions, though even he could not have lasted more than another two days. Smithy, the smallest of stature and the lightest of us all, caved in only on the night of the eleventh day. Prior to ths he certainly worked most strenuously of ail. His energy is truly astounding. Cheerful McWilliams. Mac and I are practically on a level. We lasted well up to the ninth day, but thereafter were physically incapable of further real hard work. If we have to go through such trying times again Smithy and I could desire no better comrades than Litch and Mac. They were splendid. Mac is a born humorist; he is always cheerful and kept us amused all the time. Some people say that a mouth organ is not worthy of the name of musical instrument; well, they have not heard Mac play one. When things looked blackest he would strike up a lively tune and brighten us all up greatly. Radio was our greatest boon. Every night after Mac got our emergency aerial fixed up we received Sydney Press news about the search for us. It was heartbreaking sometimes to note how far away the searchers were. If we had had the means to turn our generators Mac would have told the searchers on the second night where to find us. —Australian Press Association.

£20.000 DAMAGES CLAIMED.

STATEMENTS IN NEWSPAPER.

(Rec. 9.45 p.m.)

Sydney, April 16

Writs claiming £20.000 clamaces to-day were issued on behalf of Squadron-Leader Kingsford Smith and Flight-Lieutenant Ulm against Smith’s Newspapers Ltd owing to publication in the Daily Guardian yesterday and to-day of statements and comments reflecting upon the Southern Cross's flight and the landing.—Australian Press Association.

NO INQUIRY EXPECTED,

Sydney, April 16

The. Air Accidents Investigation Committee, which was created by the Federal Government in 1927 to inquire into reasons for all forced landings, has stated that it does not intend to hold any inquiry regarding the Southern Cross unless directed to do so by the Federal Government.— Australian Press Association.

McWilliams to visit home.

(Per United Press Association.)

Auckland, April 16

Private advice has been received from Mr. T. H. McWilliams, wireless operator of the Southern Cross, that he intends to return to the Dominion for about a week while the monoplane is refitted in Sydney, (states the correspondent of the Dunedin Star.)