The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-07-06

ington was on the way.
 In Tokyo, the Japanese navy or- dered an aircraft carrier and a sup ply ship to join the search. The Japanese South Pacific fishing fleet also was ordered to aid.
 Forced Down Friday
 Miss Earhart and Noonan were forced down Friday on their flight to tiny Rowland Island from Lac, New Guinea. Frequent radio re- ports were picked up from their big $80,000 Flying Laboratory plane and finally the Itasca reported that official information" indicated they were down about 28l miles north of Rowland Island.
 The Itasca reached tfs spot late yesterday and with more than an hour of daylight remaining, cruised back and forth. At dusk the U. S. S. Minsweeper Swan also arrived and the British Freighter Boordy also was reported aiding in the search.
 AS the Itasca steamed into the area great clouds of smoke were forced from her funnel as signal to the lost flyers but there was no answering sign then from the plane, either by radio, rockets or the huge yellow kite carried by Miss Earhart for use in just such an emergency.
 Darkness Interfered
 AS the cutter continued to cruise through the comparatively placid waters darkness cut down visibility and great searchlights were brought into play. They cut through the darkness and occasional rain squalls in every direction, with all hands on the alert for the plane. Pre- sumably 1t was these lights the flyers saw and answered.
 The message on which the Itasca centralized the search 28l miles north of Rowland Island, tiny dot in the Pacific, was picked up by the Itasca radio operator. In its gar bled form 1t read:
 "28l north Rowland call KHAQQ beyond north :. Don't hold with us much longer above water shut off,"
 The position was confirmed by a radio direction finder on Rowland Island, which also picked up the message, the Itasca reported KHAQQ is Miss Earhart's radio call
 Increased Concern
 The reference in the message much longer above water" caused increased concern for the safety of the flyers and emphasized the nec- essity for their speedy rescue. It was believed to indicate that Miss Earhart, her gas tanks nearly empty after the long flight from Lac had landed on water. The plane is all metal and ordinarily would stay afloat for days. However. seams may have been sprung in the landing permitting water to seep into the otherwise airtight compartments.
 While the Itasca, Boordy and Swan combed the sea for the plane. the battleship U. s. s. Colorado, a fiotil- Ia of four destroyers and the air craft carrier Lexington, with nearly 60 planes aboard. were being rushed at forced draft into the search There are no planes engaged in the search presently.
 When no trace of the plane was found after the first several hours search the ships slowed their speed to five knots an hour and operators of the searchlights played their seven million candlepower beams on the skies.
 Fuel on the Itasca, which has been searching the Pacific since Friday night, Is running low but 1t is eX- pected supplies will be obtained from the Colorado when 1t arrives today The latter carries three airplanes and they will be used In the search if needed.
 Husband Makes Request
 San Francisco, July 6.-(UP)- George Palmer Putnam, husband of Amelia Earhart, asked coast guard and naval officials today to transfer the search for her and her navigator to the Phoenix Islands, south of Rowland Island.
 Putnam said he was positive the flyers were down in the Phoenix group, probably on @ small island. He said his views were concurred in by Lieut.. s. K. Johnson, commander of the coast guard station here, and Paul Mantz, technical advisor of Miss Earhart.
 "The searchers will converge on the Phoenix Islands at dawn." Put nam said after the U. s. coast guard cutter Itasca and the minesweeper Swan had reported no success in . search of Q spot 28l miles north and west of Rowland Island.
 Not Yet Acted Upon
 Coast guard headQuarters said