Evening star., 1924-08-04
CRUISER ABANDoNs PLANE.
Richmond Starts to Iceland With
Rescued Aviators.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
ABOARD L. S. S. RICHMOND, Au-
gust 4.-The Boston, the airplane pilot
ed by Lieut.. Leigh Wade in the Ameri-
can Army world flight, was, abandoned
early this morning. The plane was taken
in tow by the Richmond yesterday after
Lieut. Wade and his mechanic, Sergt.
Arthur NJ. Ogden, had been forced down
at sea by engine trouble while negoti-
ating the hop from Kirkwall, in the
Orkneys. to Iceland.
The Richmonds s effort to salvage the
wrecked plane was abandoned when the
machine, which had been gradually fill
J ing while being towed in a heavy sea,
capsized. Seeing the hopelessness of at
. tempting further to save it, the officers
cut it adrift.
The Richmond, which today is
steaming for Reykjavik, Iceland. ex-
poets to arrive at that port tomor-
row morning. Wade and Ogden will
remain on board her for the remain
der of the trip to Boston by sea
along the route of the transat tlantic
flight.
Value of Patrol Shown.
The Richmond, which has been
making four knots an hour, towing
the wrecked plane, was within five
miles of the lighthouse on Suderoe
Island, in the Faroes, when she was
Obliged to abandon the machine
AS the Richmond steamed off, the
frawler. with whale alongside, was
still standing by. Her skipper ap-
peared to be undecided whether to
follow the drifting plane or remain
with the whale, but finally concluded
to take the latter alternative.
The value of the naval patrol pro-
lection for the flyers was amply dem
onstrated in yesterdays search for
Wade and Ogden. After the patrol
ling vessels had been informed that
the flyers had made a forced landing,
the Richmond and the Billingsley con-
verged on the position indicated by
the message sent by Lieut. Smith, and
the destroyer, making 81 knots, had
ample time to reach the damaged
plane before the late darkness in
these latitudes. The Billingsley, in
fact, reached the Boston Immediately
after Wade and Ogden's machine was
found by the Grimsby trawler.
Radio StiIled to Search.
The radio was stilled. except for
official business, during the search
for the missing airmen.
Lieut.. Wade, on board the Rich
mond, was chagrined over the fate
that had brought his plane to grief
and stopped the participation of him.
self and Sergt. Ogden in the flight
when it was so near a conclusion,
but he took the disappointment we'll.
Describing his experiences, Lieut.
Wade said
TT was the first time we had
had trouble with the oil pump and
our second forced landing in the
1s,00o-mile flight. The first was on
the Japanese coast when we came
down for water.
"On yesterdays fight, when the
trouble came, we signaled Lieut.
Smith by waving that we were forced
down; also that the engine was out
of commission, requesting him to ad-
wise the patrol We expected to re-
main in the water until the Richmond
arrived. We saw a merchant vessel
at o'clock in the afternoon, but
could not attract it's attention. An
hour later the trawler which rescued
us was sighted. We had to signal
her with pistol and rifle before she
noticed u.s.
Lieut.. Wade said he and Ogden
were afraid at first to eat the sand
wiches and drink the water they had,
CONTINUED on Page 2, Column 81