New-York tribune., 1920-12-26
Lost AerOnauts
SnOwbou1ld, but
Safe, l. Theory
Expert, Sent to Ottawa to
Assist in Hunt for Bal
loonists, Confident They
Are Alive Amid the Wilds
Course in Air Is Traced
Flyers May Have Landed at
Canadian Trading Post:
Cannot Return Till Spring

Lieutenant A. ". Evans, the balloon
expert, who WAS seur to Ottawa, Can
ada. by the Navy Department to assist
in the search for the three officers
who left Rockaway naval ar station IN
the missing balloon Asses. December
13, telegraphcd yesterday to the naval
authorities that he was confident the
missing men were safe.
His telegram did not mention the
facts upon which he based the express
sion of confidence. He said that all
arrangements possible under the cir
the three men and that he is return
ing to Rockaway. He thinks that it
will be several weeks before any word
IS received from any of the three Off
GERS -LieuteNants a. L. Alocr, Walter
Hinton and Stephen A. Farrell.
The statements made by Lieutenant
Evans since his arrival in Ottawa,
coupled with reports received by the
New York Tribune, now point con-
clusively to the fact that the missing
balloon entered the lake region Of
northern Quebec on the morning of
Tuesday, December IA. before the
aeronauts were aware either of their
location or the distance the had COW
cred during the night.
Course of Balloon Traced
So far three definite reports concern
ing the balloon have been received that
bear the mark 81 authenticity. These
three reports, coming from three dit-
tereut ports u .hs * &c, concur il the
ectual course the balloon would take
IN the prevailing wind on the day it
left RoclSaway. Moreover. they show
hot Iiet. hat
Rockaway and the three points the bal-
loon made an average speed of thirty
five miles an hour. This speed, if
maintained, would take it we'll within
the lake region of the Quebec wilder
ness before dawn on Tuesday.
The conviction has nov grown in
the minds of the Canadian authori-
ties that the ba locn has probably
landed at one of the Hudson Bay
posts along the shores of James Bay,
the southern extremity of Hudson
Bay. There are two such posts in
Quebec and one in Ontario Another
post in Ontario, located on the Ab'tibi
River, that runs into the Lake of the
slme name, could also be q possible
lsrding place for the balloon
The theory now evolved IN Canada.
after a study of the weather conditions
oF Tuesday December IA, ! as led to
the belief that the Lalloon took a de-
oidedly westward turn after passing
the international boundary. This is
based upon the fact that the center
Of low pressure on that date lay over
the Lake Superior region, and the wind.
after blowing northward from New
York State, veered to the westward
in Canada, around The center of low
pressure.
Prisoners Until Spring
The three officers in {, c balloon, find
Ing themselves over snow-covered ter
ritory that b1re all the landmarks of a
wilderness. would remain il the air as
long as they possibly could. in the hope
Of finding some habitation especially
as they would not know their location.
The only possible habitat on they could
find IN this region would be the posts
of the Hudson Bay Company mentioned
above.
If they have landed at any one of
these four posts they will be compelled
to remain there until the spring opens