Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-03
TRAIL
| OF MISSING PLANE
Mission Signals Searchers
That the Southern Cross
Passed Over Station.
~ the AssoeisseA Press.


SYDNEY, New south wales, April ..
One. clue came out Of ! the Wild
Australian bush today TO guide
searchers for the sirplane Southern
Gross. which vanished March 81 with
Capt. Charles Kinssford-Smith and
three companions who were on the frst
lap Of q flight to England.
The prysdale River niissiou station
this morning signaled Capt. Chateau,
Australian Royal Airforee aviator out
on searching expedition, that an air.
plane had passed over the station on
March 81 heading southwest. This was
the day on which the Southern Cross
should have passed that way.
It was the slenderest Of threads, but
was the first definite trace Of the four
flyers since they literally vanished into
the air after sending radio message
that the motors Of the plane were
failing and that they were coming down
through q binding rainstorm into, the
bush. about 100 miles east Of
Wyndhan." ~
Savage stretch Of Land.
The vast labyrinth Of the Western
Australian bush Is one Of the most
savage stretches Of country left on the
habitable part Of the earth.
Capt. Ch6teau autographed Sydney
this afternoon from Wyndhan that, he
had made Q flight over the inaccessible
Drysdaie Station and dropped messages
explaining that search Was being made
for an airpiane which Hhould have
passed over the mission on Sunday.
The mission stan was reQ1ested TO
signal whether or not such . plane had
been sighted by waving white eiseet
for "Yesp and spreading . white .sheet
on the ground for No"
air, and the signaler then walked In .
direct southwesteriy line, apparently 20
indicate that the plane had disappeared
In that direction.
Chateau's message concluded. "Ac-
eepttng these answers - being well con-
sidered, we dropped mail and an ex-
planatory letter and then returned 70
Wyndhamr
!. Soheerio" was the final word Of the
last radio message from Kipgsford-
Smith and bis comrades. But proapects
for their rescue were anything put
cheerful. Torrential rains IA New South
w At0IH tguSEU8tEl44 n1A4 AVA tAt~AA 7S~te~-
tory flooded aerodroEues and prevented
departure Of airplanes to search the
bush.
More Perilous Than Pacific Hop.
Not even In his famous e.000-nile
fight from California to Sydney, the
iirst crossing Of the Pacific Ocean, did
Capt. Kingsford- Smith face grayer
peril than in landing In the hostile.
trackless wilderness Of hills, rivers,
deserts and jungles which constitutes
the northern district OF Western Aus
tralia.
The aviators had little food when they
landed, and then were likely TO meet
with short shrift from the hostile In
habitants, unciviliZed bushmen ana
even cannibalistie pigmies.
The most disturbing feature Of their
disappearance was the possibility that
the flyers had lost their way In the
rain and were really far on their course
when they gave their position Is 100
miles east Of Wyndhera.
This indication itself was vague
enough. The immense area Inland from
explored. Airplanes. native runners and
vain for two days.
Hope Of rescue expeditions lay In the
possibility that Capt. Kingsford.Smtth
and his comrades had been able to
reach one Of the rare and isolated sta
tons scattered In the Prince Regent
and 1rysdale River areas. Unless the
ayiators have found refuge In such .
station, they may even have starved to
death, since they had almost no sup
plies.
A Western Australian Always plane.
despite the storm today, left Carnarvon
for Derby, on the north coast Of West
ern Australia. to search the bush IN
the Prince Regent River area. Wire
Wyndham has been interrupted BY the
storm.
The aviators when loae were on their
way from Sydney to Wyndharn, whence
they intended to ny to London by way
Of Singapore, Karachi, Bagdad and
Rome. On board the plane besides
Capt. Kingsford-Smith and Charles T.
o. Ulm, companions on the America
flight, were O navigator named Itch
field and q radio operator named Nc.
william.
Fear Search II Misdirected.
To add TO the general anxiety there
was the fear today that the search
which was being made for them might
be far on the right track. 1t was
feared the transforms In which the
plane had become lost forced 1t on Its
path, and that when Capt Kingsford-
Smith dispatched his final message
Sunday morning he may have been
much further than he thought from
Wyndham.
The comment Of Royal Air Force of
ficials, I'VE don't know where to look,f
seemed even more grim rs the search
entered It's third day, still going for.
ward, but with each step Of It's advance
laden with danger to the would-be res
cuers, planes, native runners and river
boats themselves.
--e--
WISCONSIN VOTES