Overturned in Squall

Archbold Party’s Seaplane Sinks at Pt. Moresby

From Our Own Correspondent

Pt. Moresby, July 13.

THE Fairchild amphibian belonging - to the American Museum of Natural His tory expedition overturned and sank in a sharp 60 m.p.h. squall in Pt. Moresby Har bour on July 9. The seaplane, which with equipment was valued at £20,000, was com pletely ruined.

The machine came in from Daru on July 8 for supplies. Before daylight the follow ing morning the pilot, Mr. Russell Rogers, and the radio operator, Mr. E. C. Julestedt, went down to fly the seaplane out to meet the tourist liner Orama. They found the machine upside down in the water, and almost submerged.

With the assistance of the captain of the Orama, and after a great deal of labour, she was towed to the ship, but, when they were endeavouring to lift her aboard, a wing broke and she went down again.

When brought up she was towed back to the landing buoy.

Arrangements are being made for a Guinea Airways’ ’plane to take supplies to the base camp 400 miles up the Fly River and to the advance party at Mount Blucher. A launch has been chartered to transport three months’ supplies to the camp, established by the Oroville Co.’s ex pedition last year, which is now occupied by the Archbold party.

Led by Dr. Richard Archbold, a noted American airman and scientist, the expedi tion arrived in the Territory in March to spend several months exploring the Upper Fly River in Western Papua, Rev. C. F. Andrews, noted religious writer and lecturer, arrived in Sydney by the Niagara on July 11, after a visit to Fiji to inquire into Indian conditions.