ORDEAL IN DESERT

Southland Times, Issue 21219, 21 October 1930, Page 7

ORDEAL IN DESERT

MRS VICTOR BRUCE AN EXPERIENCE WITH TRIBESMEN SAFE ARRIVAL AT JASK ' (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 5.5 p.m.) Rugby, October 19. Details have reached England of the experiences of Mrs Victor Bruce, the Englishwoman who recently set out in a singleseater machine on a flight to Japan. She made good progress until after leaving Bushire. She encountered a violent sandstorm and attempted to land on what seemed hard sand, but sank into it and overturned. Baluchi tribesmen appeared on the scene and seemed hostile, but she made friends with them by interesting them in an alarm clock and by dancing and singing to them. . . After some nights in the desert, living on water and dates given to her by the tribesmen, she persuaded the chief to send a message to Jask, 40 miles distant, and three Englishmen went to her assistance. They mended the machine and Mrs Bruce flew into Jask with one of,them, Wilson, an Imperial Airways engineer.

This is the first news of Mrs Bruce since October 8, when it was reported that she had sent a message reading: “Crashed. Please help,” by. Persian tribesmen to the cable office at Jask. It was stated that her machine was damaged, but that the flyer was unhurt. A rescue party left Jask in a sailing vessel to render assistance.