The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-01-18
BIRDS EYE VIEW
OF DESERT SANDS
Uncle Sans, Three Army
Aviators Will Again Spread
Wing in Search Of
Missing Men.
STORM DELAYS WORK
Man Hunt 10 Most Thorough With
Every Effort Being Made to
Locate Blshop and
Robertson.
STORM DELAYS WORK

UNITED Press Leased Wire service.l
CALEX1CO. Calf. Jan. 18.-No
search for Lieutenant Colonel Bishop
and Lieutenant Robertson will be made
today by aviators. unless there is q
decided change In the weather. A
driving rain falling all last night, early
today cleared. only to be followed by
|a strong cold wind, and late this fore
noon rain again began to fall.
As result orders were issued to
the aviators to remain at the Black
Butte supply base. This caused much
disappointment to the men who were
ready to brave the elements, but they
realize an attempt to search under
such conditions would be hazardous.
II the weather clears today the
aviators will undoubtedly ascend later
The wind is whipping across the bleak
wastes OF the Sonora desert In such
fury that aviation would be extremely
IperilOus.
The rain ana mud from last night'a
latAA haNa puk the o1t0u uA0euoA -
"a y66 666fC6 6ntlfely out q
|commission. Some Of them are stall
ed IN the mountains and their Occu
pants are using for their own preser
walton tho supplies intended to help
them carry on the hunt for the luckiesa
aviator1.
Should the aviators be able to re.
sumo flight today, they will go direct
to Sierra Major and take up the search
from the point where 1t ended last
night. This will put them on the "east
and west line" the missing aviatores
were following when seen last week.
Aviators and officers from the San
diego school say II the men continued
to fly in that direction they could not
have gone more than seventy-flve miles
before their fuel supply would be ex-
hausted. Fifty miles Of the territory
was covered yesterday.
Despite discouragfng prospects to-
day Major Barton commanding Camp
Beacon. is confident the men will be
found alive. Some officers believe to-
days rain, which is hindering the
searchers, may be a blessing for the
-aviators. II they are lost in waterless
country.
IT can understand" said Captain
Dargue one OF the pilots in the aerial
man-hunt, "how Bishop and Robert
son could disappear and nothing be
heard from them, when I looked down
on that desolate Godforsaken waste.
It was the most oppressively dreary
sight human eyes could look upon.
"As far as we could see, nothing
met our gaze but sand dunes and
ridges with no sign OF life or vegeta-
tion. The only water we saw all day
was what appeared to be small lake,
probably OF salt water.
"If they descended in such spot.
God pity them They must walk for
days without a bite to eat, not drop
to drink. before they could even find
an Indian hut or get in touch with the
world directly or Indirectly. This
rain may have been their first drinking
water"
ReprImanded " Found.
sANDIEGO. Calf, Jan. 1s.--WhAe
the suspense concerning the fate Of
Lieutenant Colonel Bishop and Lieu
tenant Robertson. lost in the wilds Of
Lower California is growing, discus
sion was rampant today as to the prob
able action Of the military authorities
in case the two are found alive.