Evening star., 1939-06-18
Halliburton Gay On His Last Adventure
Hope Abandoned for Writer as Navy Fails Find Trace
Of Chinese Junk Sea Dragon After Pacific Storm

Although Richard Halliburton s
last, and perhaps greatest adventure
will never be written, his final mes
sage to the world indicated that his
life ended In the same spirit with
which it began-courageously.
Travelling with IA companions
from Hong Kong to San Francisco
in the 75-foot Chinese junk, the Sea
Dragon, Halliburton's last message,
picked up by the liner President
Coolidge, read as follows:
"Southerly gales. Squalls. Lee
rail under water Wet hunks. Hard
tack. Having wonderful time. Wish
you were here instead of me-"
That was March "a. The Sea
Dragon was about $50 miles east of
Japan, 1900 miles from Midway Is
land and 400 miles from the Cool
idge. On the following day the
President Coolidge ran into weather
so heavy it was forced to slow down
to = knots. Waves so feet high
crashed against the liner.
Being a comparatively short dis
tance away, the Sea Dragon un-
doubtedly ran into the same angry
sea. The nearest land the author
adventurer and his companions
could have reached was 300 miles
distant, to the south.
Navy'S Search Futile.
Men and women. sailing on huge,
modern ocean liners, who have
watched storm tossed sea lashing
about with waves so feet high, will
be able to realize very keenly what
little chance the Sea Dragon had to
pass through safely. If Halliburton
and his companions did reach land,
or if the Sea Dragon is still aoat,
only a miracle could have made that
possible.
There is, of course, no absolute
authority for saying Halliburton has
gone on his last adventure. Ger
tainly his parents, Mr.. and Mrs.
Wesley Halliburton, watching and
waiting anXiously and with admir-
able optimism, would be the last to
admit 1t. But the United States
Navy, which had conducted such a
persistent, though vain, search for
another brave spirit-Amelia Ear
hart-sent in report which places
all the evidence on the side of hope
lessneSS.
On May 81 Capt. Richard Turner
OF the heavy cruiser Astoria notified
the Navy Department that he had
searched $4,000 square miles of
ocean without finding even a piece
OF wood that might reveal the fate
of Halliburton and members of his
crew.
The Astoria, returning from Japan
after delivering the ashes of Hirosi
Saito, former japanese Ambassador
to the United States, had been Or
dered to undertake the search for
the Sea Dragon. Four planes were
used in trying to locate the lost
junk.
And so it appears that Hallibur-
tons days of adventure are over.
First Adventure at 5.
Born in Brownsville, Tenn, Janu-
uary 9, 1900, Halliburton, who vas
destined to bring to fireside adven-
turers the zest and joy of life the
world over, was an only son. His life
Of adventure starter when he was only
5 years old. Riding astride wildly
galloping, runaway pony the little
fellow bravely hung on for more
than mile, and remained calm
while his doting parents and other
onlookers were frantic.
Il was scared to death, but he was
as calm as though it was an every
day occurrence" Richards S mother
said. After that wild ride his life
was one escapade after another
Only the most dangerous things ap-
pealed to him.
Richards worst escapade, or so it