MOIR AND OWEN LOST

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 667, 20 May 1929, Page 1

MOIR AND OWEN LOST

Another Air Tragedy Feared FINAL STAGE OF LONG FLIGHT Hop Over Sea from Bima. to Darwin ( 7 fitted P.A. — By Telegraph — Copyright) SYDNEY, Sunday. NO more word has come of the Australian airmen, FlyingOfficer J. Moir and Flying-Officer H. Owen, who are missing on the last stage of their flight from England to s Australia.

' On Saturday they left Bima, Dutch East Indies, for Darwin, a total distanre of 900 miles, but have not jance ....... coached their destination. j-eacne . When the flyers had not arrived at Darwin at 11.30 p.m. on Saturday, < T rave anxiety began to be felt for their * - v Sa in a message sent from Bima at an parlv hour yesterday morning Moir iE “We left Sourabaya, Java, at 7 a.m. im Friday and landed at Bima at 1 pm. It was the first actual day of fine

weather. The Dutch authorities and the British Consul were in touch with Kupang, on the island of Timor, 350 miles from Bima, about our landing there, but we were informed that the landing ground was impossible. Therefore we must go to Darwin direct from here. “We will leave at 5 a.m. and expect to make the crossing of the Timor Sea in 13 hours. Our speed has been cut down considerably, as we have had to fly through rain practically from Akyab to Batavia. “Thti rain spoiled one propeller of our machine, and we are now using a *pare one, which has a smaller pitch. Consequently we are cruising at least 10 miles an hour slower than our normal cruising speed.” A message from Batavia *sent at 11.5 a.m. yesterday stated that the airmen had left Bima for Australia early in the morning. At midnight a telegram from Darwin reported that the airplane was seen over Kupang at 11 a.m. yesterday. Since then it has not been reported. The failure of the flyers to arrive is now causing alarm. They were warned by the aviation authorities not to attempt a night landing at Darwin, but apparently they#took no heed of that Warning. Numerous people assembled at the landing ground at Darwin and waited patiently until midnight. The sky was clear and there was a bright moon. Flares were lighted and there was an L-shaped series of bonfires along ihe waterfront. Kvery precaution w : as taken for the flyers’ safety, but there was no sign of them. It Is considered to be quite possible that the airmen decided to land at Atamboca, Timor Island — where the late Sir Ross Smith and bis brother, Sir Keith Smith, landed in December, 1919. Neither at the cable offices nor the telegraph offices has one word been received about the airmen. Growing concern for their safety is felt in all the capital cities of Australia. The Defence Department has been in touch with Darwin all day, but without result. Sir Keith Smith, who is closely identified w ith the flight, has had no advice as to the aviators’ whereabouts. The aviation authorities state that naval men confirm the news that the hissing biplane was seen over Kupang a t 11.30 a.m. on Saturday. They say Jt disappeared out to sea, headed for Darwin. There is little doubt that the airmen then were bent on completing the last stage of the flight before dusk.

Captain Grosvenor, aide-de-camp to Ihe Governor of South Australia, Sir Alexander Hore-Ruthven, today searched in his airplane 400 miles

, along the coast on either side of Dar- ] win - He went a considerable distance I A se a without seeing any sign of the missing men. _ . . .. Captain Grosveuor, who is flying around Australia in leisurely "ops" happened to be visiting Darwin. He had announced on Friday that he intended to fly out £o meet Moir and Owen and escort them to thir objec~lve* m^ nds to explore the coastline to Wyndham tomorrow to look for Moir and Owen. Late this evening there was still no news of the Ayers.

PILOT BRAIN IS SAFE

HEADWINDS DELAYED THE PLANE LANDED AT NEWCASTLE Heed. 10.5 a.m. SYDNEY, Today. Pilot Brain, who was reported missing, landed safely at Newcastle. His passenger was Mr. W. Swanton, whose

w r ife died 'suddenly at Melbourne, and who was attempting to catch the express for Melbourne, hut head winds delayed the plane and Pilot Brain decided to stop at Newcastle. Fears were felt that the plane had crashed in the bush. He was flying from Brisbane to Sydney. It was Pilot Brain who found the Kookaburra in the desert. He is employed by the Queensland and Northern Territory Aviation Service.