AIR LINER LOST IN STORM

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 805, 28 October 1929, Page 1

AIR LINER LOST IN STORM

Tragic Efforts At Rescue TUG-BOATS’ HAWSERS BREAK Seven Perish In Sight Of Help (United P.A.—By Telegraph — Copyright) Received 11.30 a.m. LONDON, Sunday. IMPERIAL AIRWAYS officially announce the loss of the Indian mail flying-boat, City of Rome, during a gale in the Gulf of Genoa. Four passengers and three of the crew were drowned,

A Genoa message says it is learned that the tug Famiglia on Saturday evening found the Indian air-liner safely riding on the waves off Speizia. All was well aboard. The tug took the airplane in tow, but owing to a rough sea, the rope broke. The Famiglia left the plane and rushed to the shore to get help. A destroyer went out and searched for hours fruitlessly. Today, seven Italian planes cooperated with a number of destroyers in combing the seas, but there was no trace of the air-liner, from which wireless signals had ceased. Anxiety increased hourly. Tonight, a destroyer reported that it was coming ashore with the body of Captain Birt, commander of the airliner. There is no news of the rest of the crew or the passengers. The seaplane was on its way to Britain from India. First reports from Leghorn said that a wireless S.O.S. call was picked up there from a British seaplane. In response tugs were sent out. After a long search in a rough sea the crews of the tugs failed to find a trace of the machine. (Reed. 12.20 p.m. Imperial Airways state that the occupants of the City of Rome were: Pilot Birt. Flight-Engineer Pembroke. Wireless Operator Stone Mr. Turney. Mr. Ritchie. Mr. Robinson. Miss Bromford. The City of Rome was an all-metal flying-boat driven by three engines and developing 1,500 horse-power. It was similar to the machine in which Sir Alan Cobham flew round Africa. The air-liner, which was used for the stage from Alexandria to Genoa, ran into terrific weather at Leghorn, with wind blowing at 68 miles an hour. The machine was forced down ten miles off Spezia.

Received 1.4 p.m. Imperial Airways state that the City of Rome’s wireless man sent out the S.O.S. before the machine was forced down. The Italian tug Famiglia, from Genoa, managed to get three ropes to the City of Rome, and towed her for 90 minutes, but the seas were so terrific that all three cables snapped. The City of Rome was riding well when the Famiglia went to Spezia, where the captain boarded a destroyer and went back. He failed to locate the air-liner, as did the aircraft, tugs, and destroyers from Genoa, Spezia, Viareggio and Leghorn, which set out to search at dawn. A Genoa destroyer brought in a second body, which at present is not identified.

SCANTY INFORMATION

PLANES AND TORPEDO-BOATS SEARCHING British Official Wireless Reed. 11 a.m. RUGBY, Saturday. Only scanty information is so far available regarding the fate of the Imperial Airways liner, lettered C.A.A.D.N., homeward hound from India, which is missing. Reports from Leghorn last night stated that an English hydroplane came down in the sea near Spezia, and signalled an S.O.S. It is feared that this is the C.A.A.D.N. Later reports stated that tug-boats sighted the air-liner, and took her in tow, but the hawsers broke owing to the high seas, and the air-liner was lost sight of. Airplanes and torpedoboats which were sent out by the local naval command are reported to be searching for the air-liner.