AUSTRALIA’S AIR MAIL.

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18309, 21 April 1931, Page 7

AUSTRALIA’S AIR MAIL.

REPLACING CITY OF CAIRO. SOUTHERN CROSS REQUISITIONED. AIR COMMODORE SMITH LEAVES. United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright. SYDNEY, April 20. A message from Batavia states that the aeroplane City of Cairo crashed four kilometres from Koepang, owing to lack of benzine. It landed on its wheels, and the side engines were damaged and cannot be repaired there. Air-Conunodoro Kingsl'ord Smith will leave to-morrow in the Southern Cross to pick up the mail at Timor. He expects Lo he back in Darwin with the mail next Saturday. His co-pilot is Mr O. Allan. it is likely that the Southern Cross will Lake the outgoing air mail to Timor for transference to the second Imperial Airways machine which is en route to Australia. In the neighbourhood of the scene of the crash there is heavily-timbered country, in which a large aeroplane would And the greatest difficulty in landing. Some of the ground prepared for aviation is only fit for light craft. A message from Koepang says the pilots in an interview .said that from Soemba Island to Koepang they were flying against head winds and were obliged to reduce .speed from 80 to 70 miles an hour. When near Koepang they found that the petrol was running short, so they beaded l'or a place three miles from the town, which looked -like a grass Held, but unfortunately under the grass were sharp stones and rocks, which caused the smash. The local agents for Imperial Airways have received instructions from London that the Southern Cross is to he ongaged to bring the mails across the Timor Sea to Darwin, where the Queensland and Northern Territory Company's machine will connect with it.