Evening star., 1937-07-08

Lexington had its full complement OF
90 planes aboard.
Support for Theory Seen.
Naval and Coast Guard authorities
saw in the fruitless hunt north and
west of Howland Island support for
their belief the round-the-World flyers
alighted in the Phoenix area.
The Coast Guard cutter 1tasca and
Navy mine sweeper Swan, acting on
a mysterious, garbled radio message
interpreted to have come from about
28O miles north of Howland, swept
over an area of more than 100000
square land miles north and west Of
Howland without result.
The Itasca, acting now under orders
of the Navy to coordinate the search,
contacted the Colorado off HoWland
yesterday and replenished its depleted
supplies of tuel and drinking water.
The hunt to the north of HoWland
was abandoned, at least temporarily,
as the cutter joined in the search to
southwark
In San Francisco, George Palmer
Putnam, Miss Earharts husband. ey-
pressed qualification over the shift in
the search. He has clung consistently
to the belief his wife and Noonan were
in the Phoenix area.
Expressing the further belief the
flyers had found safety on some reef
or sandspit, Putnam advanced the
opinion at least some of the radio
signals apparently originating in the
seldom visited stretch of the Pacific
actually had come from the radio
aboard the stranded plane.
Position Near Hull Island.
The position reported by Havens is
near Hull Island, one Of the Phoenix
group.
A San Francisco amateur radio
operator reported hearing signals
purportlng to come from the Earhart
plane at about the same time as
Havens. The wording he reported
varied greatly from that given by the
Montanaan and on a different fire.
quency.
Coast Guard and naval authorities
had investigated every amateur re-
port previously, and have pronounced
none of them authentic.
Putnam, snatching only moment S
rest at infrequent intervals, kept a
constant vigil at San Francisco for
definite word concerning his wife.
He disclosed without comment yes
terday receipt of an oddly -phrased
telegram from Washington bearing the
name of George T. Huxford and de-
clared Miss Earhart will be rescued
alive"
Amelia landed exhausted in small
boat on a small reef so miles west
southwest of Rowland. She has a weak
portable radio, food and water, hardly
strength to use them. She will be
rescued alive and taken to a ship,
probably Japanese, and you will receive
official confirmation tomorrow. Noonan
not with her"
japanese Ships Cooperate.
The Japanese aircraft carrier Ka-
mole and the japanese survey ship
Kooshu were cooperating in the
search, combing the vicinity of the
Marshall Islands, 600 miles northwest
Of Rowland. They have not been heard
from since they joined the search
Tuesday.
The entire Phoenix area was ex-
pected to be secuted after the Lexing-
ton arrives. Admiral Murfin estimated
the Lexington should reach the How
land vicinity Monday morning.
He said the carriers planes, if all
launched Immediately into the search,
could cover an area of $4,000 miles in
six hours.
Although the admiral said he ex-
pected the fate Of the missing flyers
would be determined as soon as the
ton would continue the hunt as long
as 1t had gasoline and fuel oil. He
said the supply probably would last
three days.
Baker Island Area Secured.
While the Colorado and its planes
searched the Phoenix group, the cutter
1tasca secured the area around Baker
Island, some 10 miles south of How
land.
The mine sweeper Swan also was
searching south of Rowland.
At one time yesterday Putnam was
on the point of flying from San Fran
cisco to Honolulu He decided against
the move, however observing, Il can
do Just as much here Gin San Fran
cisco) as in Honolulu.
His son, David Binney Putnam, who
dew yesterday from Vero Beach, Fla,
was expected to join Putnam at San
Francisco today.