Forced to Eat Snails and Weed

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 638, 15 April 1929, Page 1

Forced to Eat Snails and Weed

LIEUTENANT ulm tells thrilling story

Plane Passed Close, But Did Not See Them

TALE OF DASHED HOPES AND TENACIOUS COURAGE

CNAILfe, thm gruel, and a bean-like weed were what Squadron-Leader Kingsc ford Smith and bis companions were eating when the airplane Canberra found them. It found them only just in time, for they were desperately weakened by their privations. . Flight-Lieutenant L Ini's diary of the time when they were lost makes thrilling reading. Hope rose high when once an airplane passed within four miles, but it went on its unseeing way. The castawavs cursed the pilot in their despair. It was all a, nightmare experience; and it is little wonder that the airmen wept for joy when relief came. a*. Lieutenant llms story of the whole dreadful adventure is given below. &U telegraph—Press Associaion — Copyright. (.Flight-Lieutenant Vim’s Copyright throughout the 'World. )

J!ec<. 9 a.tn. SYDNEY, To-day. Flight-Lieutenant C. T. P. Dim's account of the flight of the Southern Croat tells a thrilling story of the adventure. Extracts from the log, after covering the early hours of the journey, which are already known, describe running into rain on Sunday, March 31, at 3.45 a.m. This rain continued ol and on for the next two hours. The log says:— When dawn was breaking at 7.50 a.m. it was wet and cold and we did sot know if the coast was reached, us thick clouds were below, but we ail thought so. At 6a m. we seemed to be approaching Wyndham. At 9.15 a.m. the log states: The last hour has been spent at about 50ft in thick rain, with very low clouds along a very broken coast-line. Looking for Wyndham at 10.30 a.m. we thought we iiad found the entrance. An hour later the log says: Nothing to report. The log continues: 11.30 a.m.—We have been idst in a rainstorm for tight hours. .Voon.—On the coast at the mouth of a river. Clouds all about us. 13.20 p.m.—Just passed some rapids aod are heading west. Getting over the coast again. 1.50 p.m.—We have about 1J hours’ Hi 2.10 p.m.—We passed over a mission and threw down a note and a chap gave us a direction. All hands are tired. We have been in the air 2J hours. FORCED LANDING BY MANGROVE SWAMP 2.44 p.m.—We have been hopelessly lost in a rainstorm for 10 hours. We ate now going to make a forced landing at a place we believe to he 150 utiles from Wyndham in rotten country. 3.20 p.m.—Have made a forced land:ng. The rain had forced us right -.cffn to the hill-tops, and we were unable to locate the mission, so eventually we landed at the edge of a mangrove swamp. * Smithy mads a wonderful effort. The Southern Cross is not damaged, but the only food on board is seven sandwiches, all about to putrefy. . e have lit a fire. All are tired out “t er about 281 hours in the air. Mac n fged a long-wave aerial to the a- eron from a king-post, and listened

We are all very deaf, but we heard erth call Darwin about us. Before “Mk we trudged through ab two »sa a-half miles of bad s wan. T grass an adjacent hill top, but saw nothng. so we returned to the bus before Writ.

,■''as Very heavy going. Smithy u Litchfield got in five or six hours’ bS flrst ni Sht- Mac and I had - fly an hour. The mosquitoes and 1 8 “take sleep impossible. *® NOAY . April 1: Smithy and I nmvi , practicall y the whole day im- , 181n k a belt drive for the radio We had no tools and the *ere awful. In the evening we ont'h in again - Our food has given ar» wc have plenty of water. We 4." ~V er y weak. Mac and I arc the t, because we have had no sleep, s got Sydney on the radio. They * launch left Wyndham to search , r y s dale River, and an airplane is iTl® ?° rby on UlB search. iW i.- 3 flxed our position as silo* 20 miles from Derby, and ISO ■tonrmi*®* 1 £rom Wyndham. The uoplane is our main hopc bud „l urne< l 4° about 5.20 p.m. After self ysica l work by Smithy and myhid j® tryin ß to turn on the radio, we It i,' ® n °ugh to get out a message. “°ubtful if it did any good. Witless search made for s OYSTERS C; tby aQd Litch - had less than an aj|j 3lee P- Mac had half-an-hour, ir e fz" 8 ®“ none. Our mosquito bites *eat e . an d all of us are much "Cafo n " e have named this place g Royal." f nr and 1 searched the swamp a smLn t' but found none. We saw ieo a * AnKaro ° on Sunday, but have Jin,] ot “ lD k since. We turned the Ghti„ e ., round ’ n fire afternoon to *“4lUly dryer ground w DAY * APRIL 2: All of u? are •rtion »■ ea ' cer Ibis morning. Any exS mil . lres us altogether. 'op , 0 y and Litch. went to the hill«s, bt a Are. Mac and 1 have \V e e neai ' the Southern Cross, k 1 sta Y here to-night and liaten- £**“ « 9.40 a.m. kctt h« olnlne of an airplane was our £*• but it haft aofc sighted us.

We feel we can last a week if the flies and mosquitoes do not devour us, but the main thing is that the Southern Cross is not damaged and we can take off in a few days if there is no more rain. We may see the mission again. We would be able to stay for about 15 minutes only, but we would be able to send a radio message on short-wave from the air, though another landing here will be perilous. Even writing is an effort. Smithy and Litch. returned from the hili-top at noon. Could not stick the heat without protection. We got Sydney at night, but though we are reported missing in the Press there is no direct message to us. A thunder shower just before sundown, another at 1.30 a.m. All of us have had about three hours’ sleep. NEW ZEALANDER JOKES AMD PLAYS Mac is a scream, making jokes and sometimes playing the mouth-organ. Food is all we need. We are weak for lack of it and for sleep. We tried to shoot birds with an automatic, but had no success WEDNESDAY, APRIL 3: All of us are weaker now, but mentally alert. I feel gone in the legs and arms. We corrected our longitude position, collected wood, and kept the fire burning all morning. We had gruel for lunch, and feel slightly better. The flies are unbearable, and the mosquitoes damnable. There was another small shower about 2 p.m. Flies hamper the work. For instance, when taking • a shot, Litchfield uses the sextant, with Mac swishing him while Smithy and I read the chronometer and swish each other. Then one or other swishes Litch while he works up his sights, which confirm our latitude. All of us are cheerful, but hungry. Litch. and I tried stalking doves, but with no success. A small dove is hard to hit with an automatic. Mac got La Perouse on the radio, reporting that the Canberra was leaving to look for us. He then got Broome, who sent us a message to light a triangle of fires 500 yards apart. This is impossible in our weakened condition. I wonder where the Airways plane with Captain Chateau is. 2FC Sydney reported that he flew to Drysdale, and will search again to-morrow. We feel chirpy to-night, but damned hungry. THURSDAY, APRIL 4: At daylight we made an awful march up the Darlinghurst Hill to light a fire, then stoking in half-hour shifts. The heat is unmerciful. We are really s t al y* ing, keeping alive on one and a-half cups of gruel a day. GNAWING PAINS BESET HUNGRY _ MEN Mac is nearly out to it to-day. but is still working. All are feeling gnawing hunger pains. Smithy's super energy is wonderful, but even his strength is failing. The flies take half our energy in the daytime, and sleep is impossible owing to the mosquitoes at night.

FRIDAY, APRIL 5: We decided to cross the mud pan and light a fire there as no one is capable of climbing the hill. All of us slept better last night, but all are weaker. The sky is cloudless and the heat terrible. We found some mud-snails in a mangrove swamp, which we ate. It was awful food; but we feel stronger. Smith'’ and I had a shot at cutting a tree 'down. Our tods were two screwdrivers, and we used rocks for hammers, but we had to give it up. When we return to the shade of the wing we all just collapse. AIRPLANE PASSES WITHIN four miles SATURDAY, APRIL 6: Our worst dav A plane passed within four miles of us, this after nßarly ourselves marching up the hill and keeping the fire alight. Just after we returned from Darlinghurst Hill and hid lit the Cafe Royal fire, Smithy heard the plane. All of ns worked furiously, stoking up a big smoke file. He passed us not more than five miles away at 3.50 p.m. This decided us to have a tree down to jack up a wheel tn work the radio generator. Smith and I worked without rest for down, but it knocked us up. That plane passing was terribly disappointing, and we cursed the pilot. SUNDAY, APRIL 7: W a got

wheel jacked up by noon. This has been Smithy’s big day. He excelled himself. He never stopped working, making a friction wheel on which to run the genertor and finished it with a penknife only In the blazing sun, tormented by flies. Then Smithy rigged an engine-starter handle in the outer end of the axle, making wooden bearings with the knife.

We took off the generator. Mac spent an hour wiring it up. Smithy mounted his little wooden drive on the generator, and we had a practice run, with Mac in the cabin at the set, Smithy and Litch turning the 44-inch wheel, and myself holding the generator on the wheel, making a friction drive. We generated nearly one and a-half amperes. Loud cheers came from old Mac. He says we can transmit, but the trouble is that we can’t keep it running for more than 10 seconds at a time, so we worked for hours to-night winding the wheel, while Mac sent S.O.S. and other signals. Our best hope is that someone picked us up and reported to La Perouse, which we receive excellently here. MONDAY, APRIL 8: We all had a good sleep last night, as it came up cold, and drove the mosquitoes away. MEAL OF SNAILS FROM A MUDFLAT Smithy and I got 200 snails on a mud-flat to the south. We had half for lunch last night. Mac heard all the stations again; but there was no news for us. Smithy is knocked out, but most of our heavy work is done, and we are all resting. Then come more strengthsucking efforts at turning the generator. Each turns it from 10 to 15

seconds, then we all rest a quarter of an hour. Our tobacco ran out to-day. We tried to smoke leaves, but it was awful. TUESDAY, APRIL 9.—This was the day of greatest hardship yet. A plane passed us twice this morning, the second time within four miles at a height of 4,000 feet. The day is clear and cloudless. We are discussing the possibility ol building a raft and taking it to what we believe is the Glenelg River, three miles south, and drifting down to the coast with the tide, but the lack of water to drink is dangerous. We ate more snails to-day, but we | are all failing, though Smithy and Litch have more energy than Mac and I. On the radio to-night we heard of Holden, Anderson, Chater, Heath and Woods’s activities—also that anorigines are searching. We wish they would come down here. We pray that La Perouse will send out the exact position of the Port George Mission, then we would try to walk there. Only two and a-half tins of gruel are left, and 22 matches. Worst of all, the water-hole is drying up. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10: We have been 10 days lost; but we are still alive. Mac and I tried to walk to a new hill called Disappointment Hill,

because the planes passed there, but we broke down after a mile and ahalf, too weak to move. We lit a fire, and Smithy and j.iitch joined us with snails and water. We discovered a tiny long bean weed and cooked and ate some. We don’t like them, but there is some nourishment in them. Coming back, Mac and I were cut off by tidal waters and had to make a detour of an extra mile through a mangrove swamp. I collapsed five times and staggered to Cafe Royal a beaten man. For the past few days we have all been getting mental mirages of wonderful dishes of food. This may sound childish, but it is true. Heat, flies, mosquitoes—we light fires, pull down trees and pull up grass for smoke, walk for water, eat a few snails, drink water and a very thin cup of gruel, listen to ■ the radio, and then lie down to be eaten by mosquitoes. That is our day. When will it end? Smithy found a new water-hole, but high tides make it impossible to get snails. We saw emu and dingo tracks, but we can’t shoot them with a .22 automatic. We discussed making a raft out of the two wing tanks, but there were too many difficulties fti the way. After being passed by three planes we are hopeless of their finding us, and hope that they send abos out. THURSDAY, APRIL 11: Smithy and Ditch, went to Darlinghurst Hill, where they will start a fire and stay the night, while Mac and I keep the fire going here. A pair of planes passed northward at 9 a.m. One passed southward at 2 p.m., from 10 to 12 miles oil each time. Smithy collapsed on Darlinghurst, so Litch. did the bulk of the work. He is splendid, and looks good for a few days yet. Our radio tells us that planes searched the Roe River and the Avon Valley north of us. That is disappointing. We hoped they would search south of the Regent River. THRILLING STORY OF SUCCOUR GIVEN FRIDAY, APRIL 12: Smithy and T .itch. —staved the night at Darling-

hurst. Mac and I couldn’t sleep down here. We are on the last of the gruel and are taking almost pure hot water. 9.50 a.m.: We are saved! Holden’s plane Canberra appears from the south-east. 10 a.m.: The Canberra came low down over the Southern Cross and circled for well over an hour, dropping four packs of rations. God, it is all too wonderful! Food! Smithy and Litch. rushed down from Darlinghurst with tears in their eyes and whoops of joy. We are all in: but, gee! the old Southern Cross is in one piece, and eventually we will fly out. We just tore open two tins of bully beef and ate it like animals. Holden returned to Wyndham, dropping a message that he would come again with more food. God bless him. God bless everybody. Litch. and Mac refuse to leave us, though we had intended that they should go out in the rescue planes, so we have had to agree to their mutinous request, and all will leave together in the Southern Cross. SATURDAY, APRIL 13: All hands greet the day rejoicing, knowing that we will again make contact with our fellows. The Canberra arrives with food, and Heath’s plane lands.