A REGRETTABLE INCIDENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16324, 13 January 1921, Page 7

A REGRETTABLE INCIDENT.

AIRMEN’S HARDSHIPS. FARRELL DENIES HINTON’S STORY. Telegraph—Press. Association—Copyright. Australian and X.Z. Cable Association. (Received January 13. 9.5 a.m.) OTTAWA, January 12. Following on the arrival m the U nitetj. Staves of rite airmen at Maltice ;si regrettable incident occurred. Lieu- . tenafi.. Hinton, who sent a letter to .New stating that one of the airsnen, Lieutenant Farrell, offered to dio in order that his body should be used fto food the others, was viciously attacked by Farrell, who claimed that the incident never occurred. Hinton’s ! face was bruised. The three airmen, i though apparently physically fit, had I been suffering grievous mental tortures i and serious bickerings throughout the •journey. Farrell alleged that safe- landings could have been made, but the . others carelessly desired to take a chance and drift as far as possible. The Mattiee incident is arousing most intense interest. (A previous message stated that word indescribable hardships suffered by three naval airmen, who left New York in a balloon on December 13, had just been revealed in a letter f*bceived by the wife of one of the nirmen. The letter stated that they w«*re driven by a g3le and landed at Moose Factory, James Bay,, on December 21, with little clothing, eyery possession being thrown out of the balloon in order to keep it up. One of them iiskid his comrades to kill him and eat him and rescue themselves. Finally, hearing a dug bark, they landed in the I wilderness, where Indian trappers rescued them.>