Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-05-20
Admiralty Fears for
Braue Flyer and His
Companion.
Believes He Met With
Accident Soon After
Leaving St. Johns.

1
| LONDON. May 20.-No definite news
Of the whereabouts OF the Sopwith air.
plane, carrying Harry Hawker and
Lieut.. Commander Mackenzie Grieve,
having been received here. IT was be-
lieved in admiralty circles early this
afternoon that the daring aviators had
come to grief soon after they left tis,
shores of Newfoundland Sunday after
noon.
! According to all reports no messages
came from the biplane's wireless--not
even note of farewell-and it is be-
lieved that Hawker would have sent
some message unless he met with an ac-
cident soon after the start.
Off the Irish coast the weather is bad
today and there are no further rumors
| that the Sopwith machine fell into the
| sea within sight OF the River Shannon.
Wireless Report Denied.
According to the Daily Mail. adj
| miralty quarters in Queenstown when
questioned at 11:15 o'clock last night.
denied having received a wireless dis
patch from the Castletown station
| saying Hawker's machine had landed
| forty miles west of the mouth of the
Shannon. or any other wireless. More
| over. it was asserted. the especially
sensitive wireless plant at Ballybun-
Mon, on the northwest coast of Coun-
| ty Kerry. ireland, did not receive the
message.
The opinion held in admiralty cir
cles is that Hawker came to grief soon
after he started. 1t is pointed out
that the aviator almost certainly
would have sent a farewell message
| before getting out of radio range had
an accident not befallen him in the
meantime.
Wife Bravely Waits.
The vigil was kept last night after
dark, however. on the chance that the
aviator might arrive. Mrs Hawker
lremained at the airdrome until 3
o'clock. Her faith in her husban d's
skill had enabled her to endure the
suspense calmly. but on leaving for
home she was unable to conceal her
anxiety, although she still remained
comparatively cheerful.
In the house OF commons last night
Josiah g. Wedgwood and other mem
bers severely criticised the governs
ment fog emitting to provide rnesiss'
for assisting Hawker In his fight
Capt. Elliott declared the country
4 would hold the government had been
/ lamentably remiss and desperately
careless OF the honor of the country
| land the life of a gallant gentleman"
Praise for Americans.
| LONDON. May 19.-The start of
Harry G. Hawker across the Atlantic
| in his biplane is given precedence by
| this mornings newspapers in their
/ news columns over the achievement
! of the American naval airmen in !.
reaching the Azores, but all avail
able news regarding the American
flight is printed prominently. Some
l of the neWSn9nerS contain editorial
| comment on the Azores success. Civ
| ing the Americans ungrudging
praise. ut was a splendid perform
ance. of which any nation might we'll
| be proud" says the Daily Mail, for
! instance.
| There is likewise some rueful COM
ment by the press upon the organ
lied naval aid given the American
| airmen, which is contrasted with the
apparent indifference of the British
| Air ministry to the plans of the Brit
nh aviators. If the ministry had
| bestirred itself. says one commenta-
tor, the British might now be cele-
brating a triumph instead of con-
| graduating the Americans.
Air Ministry's Defense
| At the air ministry the action of
| the Daily Mail in Offering a prize for
the transocean flight was given Of
! fetal vindication. ii being pointed out
that the policy of the ministry
| throughout had been to foster the
enterprise of the aviation companies.
Had no prize been offered" SAID
! one official. 1.-The air ministry would
have undertaken the flight months
ago. We have airplanes. seaplanes
and men capable of making the trip.
but at the request of the aeronautical
trade the ministry stepped aside to give
the commercial firms a free hand. 1t
| is quite possible that within a few
weeks any loss of prestige will have
been more than regained."
ST. JOHNS, n. f.. May &c Ships
at sea from the American coast to
/, the British Isles swept the air in all
directions throughout the night with
wireless queries regarding the fate
of Harry G. Hawker and Commander
Mackenzie Grieve unheard from since
they set off from st. Johns in their
Sopwith biplane on Sunday afternoon
! on their unprecedented TRANSATLANTIC
air journey, but all radiograms which
had reached Cape Race up to this
morning from more than twenty YES
sells were negative.
The -Sopwith plane had not been
sighted and repetition Of its call let