Evening star., 1937-07-04
Awaits Orders
for Trip of
4,4OO Miles.
SNOW THWARTS
RESCUE FLIGHT
Itasca Carries on
Hunt Alone as
Hopes Fade.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
HONOLULU, July 3.-The Navy to-
night made the powerful aircraft car
rier Lexington and 81 fighting planes
ready to reinforce the faltering hunt
for Amelia Earhart, lost nearly 36
hours in the shsrk-infested midPa- :
eific with her navigator, Fred j.
Noonan. in her 100000 plane.
In the face Of discouraging prospects
for quick rescue of the famous globe
circling aviatriX the Lexington was
ordered to fuel to capacity and stand
by at San Diego in preparation for a
possible cruise to the HoWland Island
area. officials said orders had not
been issued yet for the actual de-
parture time.
Naval officials did not estimate how
long the Lexington would require to
reach Howland, 44O0 miles away, # it
were ordered to make the trip.
During a day of slowly ebbing hope,
q long-range Navy plane left Honolulu
mid-Pacific where Amelia was believed
forced down Friday by lack of gasoline.
But it got caught in snow, sleet and
lightning storm high above the ocean
AS it approached the equatorial region
and was forced to turn back.
Itasca Hunts Alone.
The Coast Guard cutter Itasca car
ried on the search alone in the How
land region. where Miss Earhart and
Eoonan presumably came down, a
few miles short Of their goal.
BY midafternoon the Itasca reported
it had scanned 5000 square miles of
ocean without having sighted the
plane and with no word whatever
from the missing flyers.
Recurring reports of S o S calls
being heard from the helpless Earhart
plane buoyed hopes of relatives and
friends but some of the leaders in
the search expressed increasing pessi-
mism over the possibilities Of success.
Confusion and overlapping reports
OF distress calls made it difficult to
sift them to definite information but
authorities were openly skeptical.
o1lC VI tllcSc luiIcu out W DC IdulU
signals from the Itasca itself.
Although the weather in the
vicinity of Howland Island was re-
ported in no wise unusual word of
the nigh altitude storm caused naval
authorities here to dispatch four
surface vessels along the route OF
the returning rescue plane to guide
It to a safe landing, which it made
at Pearl Harbor at 7:24 pm. U2:54
am. Sunday, E, S. To. 1t had been
In the air "a hours.
Late tonight naval officials at San
Diego announced that the destroyers
Southland and Chandler would leave
at 5 am. g am. Eastern Standard
time tomorrow to act as guard ships
Tor the searching air patrols.
Itasca Combing Area.
The Itasca, which temporarily had
abandoned the hunt and returned to
Rowland Island to serve as base for
larger operations, Immediately began
combing the area about Rowland
Island where Miss Earhart came down
yesterday
Naval authorities considered the
plight of their searching plane so pre-
carious that they ordered two de-
stroyers and two aircraft tenders to
take up stations along its return route
The battleship Colorado, carrying
three catapult planes, sailed at pm.
$3.50 pm. E. s. T) from Pearl Har-
Dor for Rowland Island to aid the
1tasca, which reported it would be
out of fuel by Monday morning.
1t thus appeared the search might
lag from Monday morning until Tues
day night or Wednesday when the
Colorado is scheduled to reach the
scene. The Colorado carried oil for
the 1tasca.
May Send Another Plane.
Pending return of the naval plane,
officers considered sending out an
other OF its kind, but had reached
no decision.
Meanwhile. the Itasca reported no
further radio signals had been heard.
Temporary discontinuance of the
ltasca's efforts would leave only the
relatively slow Navy tug Swan avail
able in the Rowland area. The Swan
was heading toward Howland Island
after having stood by at the halfway
point between the islet and Honolulu
Some search authorities reported
receiving word that the British radio
tsee EARHART, Page A-5.)