Evening star., 1937-07-10
EARHART HOPES
REST ON SEARCH
BY PLANES TODAY
Diminishing Chances of
Aviatrix Hang on
Phoenix Hunt.
ONE ISLAND REPORTS
IT HAS HEARD NOTHING
U. S. S. Lexington Quits Hawaii
on Run to Area-Experts
Grow Pessimistic.
By the Associated Press


HONOLULU, July 10.-Three Navy
planes were ordered catapulted over
the major group of the Phoenix Islands
today in a search which naval officers
said would probably reveal whether
Amelia Earhart is still alive.
The battleship Colorado's searching
planes, shooting into the air at 1890
pm, Eastern standard time, were di-
recetd to sweep over Enderbury, Phoe-
nix, Birnie and Sydney Islands.
Shore patrols from the minesweeper
Swan were ordered to comb Canton,
largest of the Phoenix islands. while
the planes scout other possible refugees
of Miss Earhart and Fred Noonan,
navigator of her round-the-vorld
plane, missing eight days.
Refueling Rendezvous Set.
The two ships set rendezvous Is
miles south of Canton at 4:3O pm,
Eastern standard time, to refuel the
minesWeeper. The Colorados planes
may then survey Canton from the air.
If these searchers do not reveal trace
OF the missing aviators, naval officers
said there was scant hope of their
being found in the projected search by
81 planes from the aircraft carrier
Lexington, now speeding toward tropic
waters from Hawaii.
The Colorado steamed north today,
The Coast Guard cutter Itasca con-
tlnued parallel to the Equator in a
methodical search southwark
These three vessels and three planes
already in the search have covered an
area estimated at more than 100000
square miles since the aviatrix van
ished near Rowland Island July on
a fight there from New Guinea.
Hull Island Heard Nothing.
Yesterday plane from the battle
ship Colorado alighted in lagoon at
Hull Island. southernmost of the
Phoenix group, and the crew asked
inhabitants if they saw or heard a
plane about the time Miss Earhart
broadcast her fuel was nearly gone
and she could not sight land. The
AAdAOAul VI Millteo dllu HALVES COulu
give no help.
Lieut.. J. o. Lanbacht, who piloted
the plane, said he got THE impress
sion they do not know who Miss Ear
hart is.'
Some of the 200 natives on the is
land padded British resident out to
the plane. Lieut.. Lambecht said The
white man reported there was small
radio on the island, but no one had
seen or heard the Earhart plane.
The islands inhabitants are much
like castaways. gathering guano and
preparing copra. They live in grass
hutS.
Wide Hunt Yet to Be Made.
Rear Admiral o. G. Murfin, direct
ing the hunt from here, said an area
of about 265000 square miles stretch
ing in every direction from the barren
sandspit Miss Earhart missed on her
round -the-world flight would be cov-
cred before the search is called off.
Refueled at nearby Lahaina after
dash from San Diego, the Lexington
left here yesterday at 3;25 pm (8:55
pm, Eastern standard tine) for the
1,500-mile sprint to Rowland.
Naval officials here said they had
received no orders concerning the end
OF the hunt, and it was not an
nounced how long the Lexington would
remain along the Equator.
While naval officials publicly ex-
pressed hope the missing pair would
be found, many privately conceded
their chances of rescue were practically
non-existent, because a minute search
of sea and land within hundreds of
miles of Rowland has netted not clue.
Kingsford Smith Aide Pessimistic.
Another somber note was struck by
Lieut.. Comdr. Harry w. Lyon, former
navigator for the missing Australian
Capt. Charles Kingsford-Smith, who
said he saw no hope. He is familiar
with large areas of the Pacific and
once navigated Kingsford- Smiths
plane over Howland and the Phoenix
Islands.
Two Representatives in Congress yes
terday respectively criticized the fight
and the Nays conduct of the search.