VEIL OF SILENCE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 72, Issue 82, 6 April 1929, Page 7

VEIL OF SILENCE

THE SOUTHERN CROSS SEARCH PROVES FRUITLESS A dismal picture of the conditions prevailing in the aiea thougnt to hoiii tne secret of tne missing airmen of the {Soutuern cross, is painted by an aviator laminar witn tne country. Safe landing is impossible and alligators, snakes and wild natives abound, [ Australian press Assn, j Received April 5, lu p.m. riYDNEI, April 5. Three West Australian Airways ’planes were searching fur the Bouifieri! Cross to-day. Airman Uitchcjek, who is well acquainted with the country wliere Major Kingsford buiith and Captain Ulm are supposed to be foccA'i down, says it is impossible to find Pending places in the huge area, consisting oi a series of razor-back ridgo. The waler in tlie valleys is infested with alligators, and the scrub is full ox snakes and w ild blacks. The air liner Canberra hailed to refuel, and may not get beyond Atenindie to-night, as Holden reporie-l visibility aloft bad. The Sydney relief fund for the Southern Cross search will be devo id to the provision of oil supplies lor the searchers. New Zealand aid W’lJ be inivited. A Melbourne message states that the Lord Mayor declines to inaugurate a Southern Cross relief fund saying that the matter is one for the Government’s attention. Official opinion discounts the value of the supposed signals from Air 1. H. AlcWilliam picked up by the wi.elos senthusiast, Gcroga, at Heidelberg, though other listeners-in heard faint signals they were unable to account for. Captain Wackett’s Widgeon attempted to start this morning from Richmond, but returned to the aerodrome after reaching 1000 feet altitude. It is unlikely to participate Id the search. The Canberra wirelessed that visibility was poor. A gale at Goulburn delayed the <L'pasture of the Matheson Aloth fr.i.n there urril to-morrow. Aeroplanes are to-day continuing to search the Drysdale and Fort Georg l areas. Pilot Woods yesterday siw smoke which pioved to emanate from travelling parties of natives. A Wyndham message states that the weather conditions are improving and the landing ground is drying quickly. An aeroplane left yesterday afternoon to explore both sides of Cambridge Gulf and go as far inland as practicable. The Forrest River and Drysdale missions have been asked to send out natives to inquire of natives in the Drysdale and Fort George country c-f the Southern Cross. MISSION STATION REPORT INFORMATION FROM DRYSDALE.

[Australian Prcsa Aaen.l Received April 6, 1 a.m. ►SYDNEY, April 5.

Two ’planes from Wyndham scoured the Drysdale district to-day and communicated with the monks at the .Mission, who stated that the Southern Cross passed over the station at 11 a.m. {Sunday morning and dropped a note. At 11.30 a.m. or 2.30 p.m. Sydney time. Captain Ulm radioed that they would have to make a forced landing. The ’plane signals were heard another 45 minutes and then there was silence. From this it is deducted by radia aviation experts that the Southern Cross must have been forced down somewhere within a radius of 50 miles of the Drysdale mission station. Radio men at various centres are listening to-night in an endeavour to trace mysterious signals reported to George and others.