BEGGED FOR BEACON.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20480, 5 December 1934, Page 1

BEGGED FOR BEACON.

Ulm Was Badly Off His Course. (Received December 5. 11.30 a.m.) SAN FRANCISCO, December 4. In a message picked up by the “Globe” wireless station at Honolulu Ulm was begging for “ the beacon,” presumably the radio beacon, to guide him to Honolulu. “We not want to have to give an 5.0.5.,” said one message. The Honolulu station commented that the last message from the plane said that Ulm was lost and that he kept asking for the beacon. NRUI (not identified, but presumably the radio beacon station) said that the beacon had been on since midnight. Other delayed messages from the plane said that it was flying at 12,000 feet altitude, and the weather was “ not very good.” San Francisco navigators stated that the radio beacon sends its signals on a directional beam and Ulm would be unable to receive them because he was badly off his course. At the take off Ulm carried 605 gallons of gasoline (American measure) which would last for slightly more than twenty hours.

SEARCH ORDERED.

(Received December 5, 12.30 p.m.) HONOLULU, December 4. Announcing his belief that Ulm was off his course, Commander John S. Bayliss, of the coastguard cutter Itasca, ordered that ship to search for the plane at 7.30 a.m. Bayliss was in such a hurry to depart that he hung up the telephone while an interviewer was trying to ascertain why he was convinced that the plane was lost.