NEWS OF MISSING AIRMEN.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18618, 14 July 1930, Page 8

NEWS OF MISSING AIRMEN.

Evidence Of Disaster. MATTHEWS REPORTS ALONE. United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph —Copyright (Received July 13, 7.30 pjn.) RANGOON, July 12. A message from Prome states that Matthews has arrived there, and that Hook has been left dying. His condition is believed to be hopeless. Details are lacking. LOST IN DANGEROUS REGION. EXTENSIVE SEARCH ORGANISED. On July 6, an intensive search w am organised for James Matthews and Eric Hook, who are flying to Australia, and was being made along the coastline between Kyaukpyu, 80 miles south of Akyab, and Bassein, 200 miles further south. The airmen were last seen over Kyaukpyu, heading out to sea. It was feared that they had fallen into the sea, as the weather at the time was stormy, and visibility was poor. Vessels in the vicinity were asked to» keep a sharp look-out for any trace of the missing airmen. The region between Akyab and Rangoon is where Sir Alan Cobham and Miss Amy Johnson met the most terrible weather, the former being forced to land on the sea, and Miss Johnson having to turn back in order to obtain sufficient altitude to cross the mountains into which she narrowly escaped crashing.

Details of Flight. James Matthews, formerly Bert Hinkler’s mechanic, and a wealthy young man named Eric Hook, left *■ Lympne secretly at dawn on June 21 in an attempt to break Hinkler’s record flight to Australia. They only arrived at Lympne on the previous night and arranged to leave at dawn in their Moth aeroplane named Dryasel. They heavy petrol load made taking off difficult. Both men hold pilot’s certificates, but their actual flying experience is not extensive. The machine is not fitted with wireless. Apparently they did not realise the necessity for reporting their identity at foreign aerodromes and there was little news of their movements over Europe. Their route appears to have been as follow's— June 20: Lympne to Lyons. June 21: To Marseilles and Pisa. June 22: To Catania. June 23: To Heliopolis. June 24: To Jaza. June 25: To Baghdad June 26: To Jask. June 27: To Karachi (equalling Hinkler’s time). June 28 To Allahabad. June 29: To Calcutta .returned for repairs. June 30: To Calcutta. July 1: To Rangoon* July 2: To Akyab. July 3: To Rangoon. On this stage of the journey the airmen went missing. The Government at Rangoon received a message that they had crashed twelve miles from Taungup. half way between Akyab and Rangoon. No details were available, but the Government at once instructed the local administrative officers to conduct a search. The weather was reported to be very rough in that district, where heavy and continuous rain w T as falling, owing to the monsoon. Recent storms and earthquakes had interrupted communications between Akyab _ and Rangoon, but fortunately, these had been restored just before the crash occurred, with the result that immediate efforts to rescue the aviators were possible. ;** Details of the flight have been very meagre, and the nature of the engine trouble experienced between Allahabad and Calcutta has not been • explained. Apparently the flight from Jask to Karachi was difficult owing to the storms off the desert. The .easterly monsoon is in progress at this time of year, and, blowing right in the faces of the aviators, would make the journey in the vicinity of Persia and India very arduous.