The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-07-02
.EARHART PLANE VANISHED JUST
 ONE YEAR AGO
Coast Guard Cutter Log Tells Dramatic Story
 of Final Hours
By FRANCIS L. MCCARTHY United Press Staff Correspondentl

United Press Stan COrreSpOn0entI
 San Francisco, July 2. (UP)-A year ago today two renowned fig. ures 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 world, circling 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 gall land aviatrix and her companion to contribute to the progress of avia- tion.
 Hundreds of terse radio messages
 tell their dramatic story, which drew to close with death in the swelling ocean. On bright, sunny morning. July 2, 1897, at 3:44 o'clock came Miss Earharts last message: "KHAGG calling Itasca. We are in the line of position 157-337. Will re- peat this message in 62l0 kilocycles. Wait. Listening in 62l0 kilocycles. We are running north and south" Voice Was Faltering
 The woman's voice was faltering and confused, operators said. The Itasca's radio replied. It asked for acknowledgement but contact never came.
 How close the pair were to How land Island their destination, at the time of their last message prob- ably will never be known. Earlier messages placed them 200 miles from the tiny island, then 100 miles. A message just 46 minutes prior to the last broadcast, in which Miss Earhart spoke to the Itasca. said; We are circling but cannot hear you. Go ahead"
 The planes radio was at its loud- est in that message, according to Commander w. K. Thompson Of the Itasca. He believes that the plane was closest to Rowland then.
 How Noonan, Miss Earhart's navigator, missed Hoyland after bringing the plane across 2,500 miles of open water from Lac, New Guinea, will never be known. But the Itasca report reveals that in the bright tropic morning sun 1t might have been difficult to see the low land.
 Smoke Signal Used However, Commander Thompson had anticipated that possibility. He laid down heavy smoke screen to guide the pair to safe landing. Because he did not know, and had not been advised of the time of the takeof from Lac he used search lights and flares at night.
 Miss Earhart and Noonan failed to sec the smokescreen. Heavy clouds and rain storms to the north and west of Rowland probably were the reason for that, Commander Thompson believes. He said he was convinced from the beginning that the plane went down to the north west of Rowland Island. Search was immediately concentrated there.
 Commander Thompson speaks feelingly of "faked amateur mes sages that resulted in diversion of the Itasca from probable sectors Of search" Operators of the Itasca went on 24-hour shifts to establish radio contact with the plane. They were not acknowledged by the miss ing fiiers-although heard across the Pacific in San Francisco, bJ many ships at sea, and in Hono- lulu.
 Range Finder Useless A high frequency direction finder set up by Richard B. Black of tho department of interior, at Howlanc Island. was useless. The range finder would not function on voice trans mission. and Amelia persisted on voice although the Itasca asked her to use key transmission. The files disclose the Itasca was rushed into participation in the Earhart flight with only eight hours notice. Full information as to the type of radio equipment iss Earhart carried was not available. As a result the Itas- cas- efforts were largely useless.
 Miss Earhart, the files disclose, asked for radio .frequencies that were not suitable for the South Pacific. The Itasca commander att tempted to correct her, he said. but failed Messages to local coast guard headquarters from Commander Thompson disclosed that warning had been voiced of the radio dan gers in the flight.
 At the end,' Commander Thompson's log noted, Miss Ear hart talked so rapidly as to be al- most incoherent."
 The bulky report of the official agencies shows the tireless efforts expended on behalf of the lost fliers. Five hundred tifty-eight radio mes- sages were sent or received by the local coastguard headquarters alone.