The Washington times., 1937-07-06
FLARES False Alarm
Fails to DGUHU1pf Search
CONTINUED from Page u

NNOubuAuCu 1LOH 4 dBS ~
two Japanese cruisers to proceed
to Rowland and offer aid.
The Japanese cruisers were
speeding to the scene of search
from Japanese mandate islands.
The Itasca reported at 2:25
a. m. Pacific Standard Time (5:25
Eastern Standard Time) today
that the lights probably were not
flares from the lost airplane. The
Itasca's message read:
"ObjectS sighted apparently
were meteors. Rowland Island
reported observed same effect"
This message shattered high
hopes that the plane at last had
been found.
The message was also inter-
preted to mean that the Coast
Guard cutter had reached the
scene of origin of the apparent
flares and had made a thorough
search.
Since Rowland Island is at least
200 miles from the point of origin
of the flares" Coast Guard Off
Gals here declared it would have
been impossible to see flares at
such a distance.
This seemed to corroborate the
belief that the flares" actually
were meteorS or heat lightning on
the horizon.
The report that flares" had
been sighted was flashed to the
mainland at 12:45 a. m, psf.
(3:45 a. m, E.S.T) from Honolulu.
Messages to Plane
The Navy radio station at
Wailupe reported at that hour
the following message was inter
cepted from the Itasca:
"TO Earhart plane. We can
see your flares and are pro-
ceeding towards you"
After several minutes, the
Itasca again radioed to the Ear
hart plane and again the mes
sage was intercepted by Navy
radio at Wailupe. This time
the Itasca instructed the plane:
"See your flares. Go ahead"
This was interpreted to mean
that the ItaSca's commander had
seen the Flares" from a great |
distance and was instructing
Miss Earhart to continue firing |
flares to guide the cutter to
the exact spot.
Then came the warning from |
Coast Guard headquarters that
the flares" might have been
heat lightning on the horizon.
Others Saw Lights
Shortly after, the skeleton
crew of the Coast Guard main
tanning a portable short wave
radio at Rowland Island adj
vised they too had seen the
lights on the horizon.
This report virtually eliminated
the lights as being distress signals
from the missing plane because it
would have been impossible for
Rowland Island to have sighted
flares, fired at q distance OF more
than 200 miles.
The search for the missing
filters was concentrated in the
are almost due north of Rowland
late last night after Navy radio
at Wailupe yesterday picked up
a cryptic, broken message appar-
emily from the plane. It read:
1881. North Rowland, Call
KHAQQ. Beyond north. Don't
hold with us much longer.
Above water shut off"
The ItaSca Immediately sped to
the scene, arriving at $3.50 last
night. Searchlights Of the cutter
scanned a wide area. The COM
mander of the cutter, after patrol
ling the water for four hours, ad.
vised the search was unavailing.
Two days out of San Diego,
racing at top speed to Rowland,
are the Navy aircraft carrier Lex.
ington and four destroyers.
The Lexington has So planes
aboard and highly efficient crew
of Navy aviatorS-30 experts who
are not unfamiliar with the South
Pacific, where they learned to
spot tiny objects during the an
nual war maneuverS Of the United
States Navy.
CHICAGO, July 6 I.N.SO-The
Great Lakes Naval Training Sta.
ton today advised Washington
that a woman in suburban vii.
mette had reported picking UP an
"unconfirmed message" from
Amelia Earhart on her radio.
The message, according to the
woman, said:
eve cannot stand up more
than three more hours"
She declared the message came |
in Morse code and gave Miss Ear
hart's position as 40 miles north Of |
Rowland Island, and stated the
airplane was afloat on open water. |