SOUTHERN CROSS

Southland Times, Issue 20663, 19 April 1929, Page 7

SOUTHERN CROSS

ARRIVAL AT DERBY

SUCCESSFUL TAKE-OFF YESTERDAY

CREW REPORTED WELL

(United Tress Assn.—By Telegraph—Copyright.) (Rec. 11.50 p.m.) Sydney, April IS.

Tho Southern Cross landed at Derby at 3.15 to-day. All are well. Captain Heath in a Bristol tourer flew to the Southern Cross with 90 gallons of petrol and foodstuffs.

The crew of the Southern Cross are all eager to take part in the search for Captain Anderson and Mr Hitchcock. —Australian Prees Association.

A WIRELESS PUZZLE.

WHY COULD AIRMEN NOT SEND?

Auckland, April 18

“Sparks” writes in the following strain to the Auckland Star: “In all my experience as an operator attached to the flying corps in Mesopotamia, I never saw a bus with more than one aerial for transmitting and receiving. This aerial consists of a long wire with a weight attached, which is lowered through the bottom of the bus when she has gained altitude. A changeover switch is all that as necessary for first using this for transmitting and then for receiving. So far as I know the Southern Cross is no exception. How was it, then, that, whilst flying from Sydney to Wyndham, they could not receive the urgent messages sent out for their return, owing to ‘having lost their receiving aerial’ (as the cable put it); and yet, up to the moment they made the forced landing, they were transmitting messages? If, on the other hand, the Southern Cross uses two aerials, why was it they could not use some spare wire, with a spanner or other weight attacher, for a receiving aerial? They had this spare wire, for as soon as they landed they were able to improvise a receiving aerial ‘out of some spare wire from the aileron to a king post,’” states the correspondent of the Dunedin Star.

THE MYSTERIOUS NORTH-

WEST SIR GEORGE GREY’S EXPLORATION. SEVERELY WOUNDED BY BLACKS. Auckland, April 17. The people of New Zealand have reason to attach more than a sentimental interest to the discovery and rescue of the Southern Cross monoplane in North-west Australia, where Sir George Grey (then a lieutenant and later a captain) spent two hazardous years in exploration before embarking upon his great career in the public life of Australia and subsequently of New Zealand, (reports the correspondent of the Otago Daily Times). As a matter of fact, the eminent statesman and colonizer actually named a good deal of the wild, irregular north-west coast, including prominent features of the very region where Squad-ron-Leader Kingsford-Smith and his men made a forced landing. It was in the vicinity of the Glenelg River (called after the Secretary of State for the Colonies, Lord Glenelg) that Sir George Grey was severely wounded by blacks.

Reference to this incident was made today by Mr. R. F. Moore, consulting engineer, of Auckland, who has a vivid recollection of what he terms the "mysterious” north-west, which he visited in 1900 as the leader of an expedition exploring for minerals on behalf of a Melbourne syndicate directed by Mr. James Grice. The party, comprising six white men and four blacks, chartered a 14-ton lugger at Broome and sailing up the coast into bays, gulfs, and sounds, made various inland deours in the nature of research and surveys. They went up Brecknock Harbour, and also where the Port George mission is located. At. that time, however, the site was occupied by the home of a Mr. Bradshaw, who was running a sheep station with pome difficulty. "Between the mission and where I believe the airmen have been found is all very rough country,” remarked Mr. Moore. "It is covered with pindan and low, stunted gum. but there is not a great deal of the scrub-like mulga. I doubt whether it would have been possible for KingsfordSmith and his men in their condition to have walked to the mission. I think they would have perished in an attempt. They were wise to stand by the plane and wait, for help. Although game, kangaroos and wallaby, are plentiful, they are fairly difficult to catch, because there is not much cover for stalking. I am surprised that the men were found alive. They were probably saved by having handy a supply of fresh water. If they had landed further north or east they would not have been found alive. They were just on the fringe of the worst part, of all Australia, and were lucky to strike a patch of flat country, probably one of the river swamps.” Sir George Grey, under the aegis of the Royal Geographical Society and with the full co-operation of the British Government, went to the north-west in 1837. H.M.S. Beagle was placeci at his disposal, and he carried out a survey of the coast of Dampiers Archipelago and the Cambridge Gulf. In the rugged area between the Prince Regent and Glenelg Rivers (where swamps and marshy places were also found) Sir George and his party were attacked by a large number of natives and almost ambushed. The fact that Sir George shot the chief saved the expedition. He was very worried about having to kill a native, because he did not believe in taking life. At the time Sir George was suffering severely from three spear wounds. A fortnight later he was well enough to be carried by stretcher to the coast. The rate of progress was two miles a day. Sir George took a great delight in introducing all sorts of vegetable seeds, plants trees, and cotton, and he pictured the time when Western Australia would be well populated. Subsequently he made another expedition to the northwest. They had a terrible time, suffering starvation (food supplies being submerged on the coast bytides), hardship, and perils, but throughout Sir George showed the great courage which stamped him as a born leader of men. He was soon honoured by being appointed Resident at King George Sound, and in 1841 he became Governor of South Australia at the age of 28 years, the youngest man ever appointed in the Empire to such a post.