The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-07-02
EARHART SHIP
VANISHED JUST
ONE YEAR AGO
Coast Guard Cutter Log
Tells Dramatic Story
of Final Hours
By FRANCIS l.. MCCARTHY
United Press Staff Correspondent

BY FRANClS l.. McIAHl
United Press Staff Correspondent
SAN FRANCISCO, July q
(UP).-A year ago today two
renowned figures in United States
aviation, Amelia Earhart and
Frederick J. Noonan, disappeared
in the vicinity Of Rowland Island,
in mid-Pacific, while on the last
lap of a woodworking flight
Files Of the coast guard cutter
Itasca. of local coast guard head
quarters, and of navy squadrons
of the Pacific, now open to the
press tell of the last attempt of
the gallant aviatrix and her COM
panion to contribute to the prog
ress Of aviation.
Hundreds of terse radio mes
sages tell their dramatic story
which drew to a close with death
in the swelling ocean. On a bright.
sunny morning, July 2, 1887, at
S:44 o'clock came Miss Earharts
last message: "kHAQQ calling
Itasca. We are in the line of po-
sition l57-337. Will repeat this
message. We will repeat this
message in 62lO kilocycles. Wait.
Listening in 62l0 kilocycles. We
are running north and south.
The woman's voice was falter-
ing and confused, operators said.
The Itasca's radio replied. 1t ask
ed for acknowledgment but con-
tact never came.
How close the pair were to
Rowland Island, their destination,
at the time Of their last message
probably will never be known.
Earlier messages placed them 200
miles from the tiny island, then
100 miles. A message just 4G min
utes prior to the last broadcast,
in which Miss Earhart spoke to
the Itasca. said: 1--WE are circling
but cannot hear you. Go ahead. "
The planes radio was at It's
loudest in that message, according
to Commander w. X. Thompson
of the Itasca. He believes that the
plane was closest to Rowland
then.
How Norman, Miss Earharts
navigator, missed Rowland after
bringing the plane across 250C
miles of open water from Lac
New Guinea, will never be known
But the Itasca report reveals thai
in the bright tropic morning sur
it might have been difficult tt
see the low land.
However, Commander Thomp
son had anticipated that possibil
itv. He laid down a heavy smoke
screen to guide the plane to safe
landing. Because he did not know
and had not been advised of thu
time Of the take0ff from Lac, NJ
used searchlights and flares a
night.
Miss Earhart and Noonan failet
to see the Smokescreen. Heav!
clouds and rain storms to thu
north and west Of Howland prob
ably were the reason for that
Commander Thompson believes
! He said he was convinced from
the beginning that the plane wen
down to the northwest of How
! land Island. Search was imme
diaetly concentrated there.
| Commander Thompson speak
feelinply of "faked amateur mes
sages that resulted in diversion o
the ltasca from probable sector
Of search" Operators of tn
Itasca went on 24-hour shifts t
establish radio contact with tn
plane. They we're not acknowl
edged by the missing fliers-a!
though heard across the Pacifl
| in San Francisco, by many ship
at sea, and in Honolulu.
A high frequency directlo
finder set up by Richard Il. Blac
of the department of the interior
at Rowland Island, was useles:
The range finder would not funC
ton on voice transmission, an
Amelia persisted on voice a
though the Itasca asked her t
use key transmission. The file
disclose the Itasca was rushed II
to participation in the Earhal
flight with only eight hours nc
tee. Full information as to tn
type of radio equipment Nils
Earhart carried was not available
As a result the Itasca's effort
were largely useless.
Miss Earhart, the files disclose
asked for radio frequencies tia
were not suitable for the Sout
Pacific. The ltasca commando
attempted to correct her, he salt
: but failed. Messages to loo;
coast guard headquarters frol
Commander Thompson disclose
that warning had been voiced
the radio dangers in the flight.
"At the end" Commando
- Thompson's log noted, Miss EaI
t hart talked so rapidly as to be a
} most incoherent.' go
+ The bulky report of the offici'
= agencies shows the tireless effort
/, expended on behalf of the 10:
filters. Five hundred fifty-eigl
radio messages were sent or II
p ceived by the local coastgual
headquarters alone.