Goldfield News

Two Deaths at Wau Difficulties of Aerial Com munication

From Our Own Correspondent.

WAU, March 10.

DURING the month of February, events have been moving rapidly in the Wau district.

Usually free from any serious bouts of illness, the inhabitants have become accustomed to speaking of this pictur esque little place in glowing terms as a health resort, and their sentiments in this respect are generally accepted.

Two events, calculated to mar this outlook, have occurred in quick suc cession, resulting in the deaths of two men —one, well known in local circles, and the other, although not so well known in Wau, was recognised as a man of high repute in Australia.

Mr. J. V. Nixon, a comparatively young man, highly esteemed and res pected by everyone, passed away after a short illness on February 17. That dreaded disease, “blackwater,” was re sponsible for his demise. The funeral was well attended by the many friends he had made in Wau.

Exactly one week afterwards, Mr. H.

S. King, a commissioner from Can berra, and formerly Under-Secretary for Mines in Western Australia, passed away after a sudden illness, which last ed but a few days.

Mr. King, who was 69 years of age, was a man well versed in the intricac ies which are always associated with mining matters, and was responsible for the drafting of the W.A. Mining Ordinances, which have successfully served that State for some years. Ap pointed by the Commonwealth Gov ernment to conduct an inquiry into the mining conditions on the field and to utilise his experience in effecting a mutual and satisfactory understanding between the Administration and the numerous lessees on the field, Mr. King unhappily succumbed to pleurisy be fore his enquiry had commenced.

The funeral was well attended by representatives from every section of the community, and the procession to the graveside was marked by a solemn ity, amplified by the eerie stillness of the tropical bush and accentuated by the unusual sight of the coffin being borne from the hospital down a rather steep and sinuous pathway, until the seldom-used cemetery was at last reached and the body was laid to rest.

The District Officer held a short ser vice at the graveside and said a few words befitting the occasion.

Plane Mishaps.

The frequency of small mishaps which Guinea Airways Ltd. have ex perienced of late, has excited comment amongst those interested. These mis haps have been in no way serious, save that three Junker ’planes are out of commission for a short period, and the premier company finds itself in the un usual position of having insufficient ’planes to cope with the cargo landed at Salamoa.

The Placer Aerodrome seems to bear a “hoodoo” in this respect, and two of the ’planes in question are now lying there until repairs will enable them to again take the air. The single-engined Junkers ’plane recently imported from Germany is on the injured list and will be out of commission until a new undercarriage can be rigged up in order to replace the original one, which was badly damaged by a faulty landing.

Hearts fluttered and search parties were visualised when word came through that one of the younger pilots had been reported missing and that all efforts to find him had revealed no trace of either the pilot or the ’plane.

All available machines were ordered into the air on the following day, and eventually the disabled ’plane was lo cated on the upper reaches of the Snake River, in the very place where a forced landing had been made some months before. The pilot was unin jured and managed to walk back to Lae, where he received a hearty wel come.