Evening star., 1928-02-28
AIR DRACNET SET
FOR FLYERS LOST
ONANNAPOL|STR TRIP
% Planes and 2 BlimpS Seek
Comdr. EI|ySon and
Companions.
LIGHTHOUSE MAN GIVES
LAST WORD OF AVIATORS
Missing Machine Believed 10 Miles
From Goal When 1t
Disappeared.

I0nlur- i. u. EilNSon anu AIiS wv
companions. Lieut.. Comdr. Hugo
Schmidt and Lieut.. Roger Ransehouscn.
who have been missing since they lett
Hampton Roads at o'clock yesterday
morning for fight TO Annapolis.
report from lighthouse keeper IL
miles southeast Of Annapolis that a.
4 O'Clock yesterday morning he heard
the drone of an airplane motor tuF-
nished ray Of hope that they might
BE- alive.
Corndr. Ellvson, pioneer naval AVA
4o~ and exec,itive officer Of the aircraft
carrier Lexington. was rushing 10 lae
bedside of his daughter Mildred, ageo
IL. who is critically Ill IN the Naval
Academy Hospital at Annapolis.
The lighthouse keeper reported ne
could not determine the course the
nIane was following. TWO hours OF
Hying after leaving Hampton Roaos
would have brought the missing plane
close to Annapolis.
Search Is Extensive.
Immediately upon receipt OF this re-
rort. planes from the naval air Statlon
n Anacostia, which have been comolng
the area around Annapolis in the day
Irht hours since yesterday afternoon,
redoubled their efforts TO ferret out the
sYruhibian in the water and WOODS ABOUT
the Maryland capital Land parties also
started out for thorough searcn o.
the nearby territory.
In the meantime nearly score Of sea-
planes from the naval air station at
Hampton Roads continued their se2rch
C. the lower Chesapeake Bay area and
the numerous rivers and lnlets branch
i-g out from either side. They few url-
q! they barely had enough gasoline to
return to the base. grabbed bite 10 eat
while more fuel was being poured into
the planes and were of again
At Annapolis. the mental suffering OF
Mrs Ellyson. who has remained at the
bedside Of her daughter, was increased
vhe,, she was informed for the first time
this morning that her husband is missing
Il vas upon report from her telling OF
the serious condition of Mildred that
Comdr. Ellvson rushed out into the
black Of night in the plane TO get TO his
daughter as soon as possible. The child
Is suffering from sinus trouble, it was
said. that has affected the brain cells.
Although as the hours go By without
any word from the flyers themselves the
chances for their safety grow dim,
friends Of the commander and his COM
rarions who volunteered to carry him
On the mission of mercy still cling TO the
belief that the ship may have crashed
II an obscure section and its occupants
may be alive.
Three Solutions Advanced.
Three solutions were advanced for
the myStery-that they were forced
down shortly after taking of from
the Virginia air base and drifted out
20 SEA or crashed into the water and
disappeared or that the compass may
have failed and lack Of fuel caused z
forced landing
Advice from Norfolk today stated
that Lieut. Ransehousen was IN the
pilots cockpit when the plane took Of
from Hampton. Roads air base and that
Lieut. Corodr Schmidt was acting as
navigator. Conndr EIlySon occupied
the third or passenger cockpit. As far
sS could be learned here the amphib!an,
which was powered with 4o9-hcrse-
power Packard engine. carried no night
flying equipment other than the wing
ftp red and green navigation lights
which are of 10 assistance in deternin-
typ the condition Of the terrain below
slaolid z landing become necessary.
The route mapped out for the flyers.
EsS.F 4 Elgetk ns444ssE D-%HFfI8 IEE% h"N
ycIrts. is susceptible II confusion 10 a
blot who has lost his hearings and Is
unfamiliar With me country in general
owing " the large number o! rivers
that noy into the bay and the ragged
eastern shore of that bDcy u water.
Since the plane departed. flying
weather has been perfect. The stars
were visible and q lZ~nlle DyAth"fai
wind was bIo~in2 when ti.Fy "pk Oh
THE Wind shifted later 70 the westward
Fagt .ts yeloc!ty did not lncre&@. The
bsv was calm. Offering no difficulties
for fggced I&nd1ng, providing the
descent was ao1c
Chesapeake j. PAtroiied.
After waiting patiently DnA cary
Yesterday afternoon for some "pfc oi
sqe ryeYf. the Navy Department flashfc
sfastrsictlo,aS " planes EeTe aEd ~
uxrr,f,ya Roads W begin search i'm
yoe6!ately Prom ED&cost!a heuN. =.
W raIawaY W Il TDmlineOn and
prues, W I.it1n and Chief Petty Of'lcer
Mold to1k of III tour planes. Iilfy
tsJeft three hours and I'VE minutes Ia
tie alf DatroiilHg ihe eastern haik o!
tl4e Chesa peake sDc !ctlrhc ~ nle
station ~ csFE
JHe aeEYc53 Wa$ ffhuHlto ny bseoe
pllfSA II z o'cloek t9i& upn!HQ They
o. tise enc u lie sFC0nd palfpI HIitd
10 WITH gaasgline and anahied hll%
~ lUnch n YsA while al lhe hnarDhlIa
pilots wcge yafk at The Dsf1 thAt me
lighthouse Teipft came. and ltFb" on"
Gers 3fr.meciaiHlY Dlb}ec into tAtT TASK
with FfHsWed Enthusiasm.
The ptaU ~ htsBcn 9sk drawn up w
Pear Ecujlfai Fp'seft Z CppDiI cpin~
ynanCaHt ~ UIe tttiI naval district VAN
isesGqusTteEs ~ kpt!gir The admiral
GeKigutd fDlf EiSpea ~ SeaFch Tie cen
ser - ~ baY Ucay. fpIr ~ SGan the
eastern sLpfe II tie bay $50 nine u.
3DjIpW separate courses rzbudjHg 3,
pilirs su3sud ttDH4 tit@ Heaittu sii9fe
y he remaining one plane ~ 'tlt HsHp-
saA ItDA0S contingent WSs ~ make q
fo3r ~ alt nay lighthouses lH search
81 Information auG u Rah llls plane
fDst de4eI1fsDc ti4e iebHt from
Thomas Point I3git
II 1e TIE yIes4-Ht pisD." haId HbFJ
T1ei,agiuteut announcement. ~ carr
o.. III. seagri4 III tnt Atlantic CDaai
81 tie search sS glSt Dptij4rd is DEDip-
ru.tfye of results Ibis octan Deafft
t. 90 he carried on ~ he HostHWafd 81
Caue Charles In tie meantime al
spsflable pisnes IRON tle Naval Ab
station st hnsaptiia. ~ e bse 81
slgueG me sTens uptih~sId std east