DISASTER FEARED

Taranaki Daily News, 28 December 1923, Page 5

DISASTER FEARED

THE MISSING AIRSHIP. STRIKES A VIOLENT GALE. NO FURTHER NEWS OF HER. LITTLE HOPE FOR CREW. Ev Telegraph—Press Assn.—Copyright Received Dec. 27, 8.25 p.m. London, Dec. 27. The Paris correspondent of the Daily Teiegraph states the last occasion on which the missing dirigible Dixmude communicated with any land station was on Saturday afternoon, when, unfortunately, no sooner had the Medenine station, near the Gulf of Gebes, heard the airship’s appeal for help than the mast supporting the aerial was snapped by wind and further conversation was impossible. The Dixmude was then drifting out over the Gulf of Gebes. She had been battling for over fifty hours against a violent gale. If the Dixmude is still in the air she will have been flying for eight days, which will be a world’s duration record, but it is considered that the Dixmude can be no longer flying. H she came down in the Mediterranean there is little hope. Many cling to the belief that the crew landed in the desert and may be marching to the nearest military post or settlement. The Central News Agency says French, British and Italian warships are searching, while in South Algeria cavalry patrols and aeroplanes are exploring a wide area. The Daily Telegraph’s aviation correspondent says the lesson of this misadventure is that until there are harbours or mooring masts at small intervals over the region of airship travel airships must carry a big margin of fuel over and above the quantity necessary for a voyage. Absolutely perfect weather forecasts For all regions, with reliable information about the wind at various altitudes, would make possible a reduction of that margin, tut such forecasts are no. yet always available, h « for this reason if none other that the British airship programme, providing at first for one big airship and neglecting opportunities for acquiring experience during a long period before that ship is ready, is open to grave criticism. ANXIETY IN BRITAIN. WORST FEARS AROUSED OBJECT OF VOYAGE. DESTINATION REACHED. Received Dec. 27, 8.25 pm. London, Dec. 27. The disappearance of the airship Dixmudej following the dramatic cessation of wireless communication, is attracting the widest attention and the deepest anxiety. Interest in airship potentialities has been greatly increased lately, owing to a discussion of the possibilities of airship services to the Dominions. The newspapers give prominence to lenrdespatches from their Paris correspondents detailing the latest report and apecw-auons of their aviation correspondents. They show the keenest desire to learn any lessons obtainable from the mishap. The worst fears are aroused by the discovery that some later optimistic reports were groundless, and the fact that the French Ministry of Marine has issued a full list of those aboard, after refusing a list for several days. These inchide five officers of {he French naval general staff, eight other naval officers. Dr. Pelwisseur and thirty-six rank and file. The Dixmude left the aerodrome near Toulon at six o’clock in the morning of the eighteenth, with the intention of making a seventy-two hours’ non-stop voyage across the Mediterranean to Sales, in South Algeria, and back. She reached her destination a&d was signalled on Thursday morning, on her return voyage, about fifty mile* south of Biskra, travelling in the direction of Algiers. The commander, hearing news of bad weather, bore east>ards towards the Tunisian border.