Propeller

Struck by Plane Propeller How Captain Chater Was Killed on Lae 'Drome

From Our Own Correspondent WAU, Oct. 24.

CAPTAIN Eric Chater, general mana ger of Guinea Airways Ltd., met his death on Lae aerodrome under most tragic circumstances on the morning of Monday, October 13.

Shortly after he arrived at his office, around 8 a.m., a Junkers G5l plane

Mr. Eric Chater, centre, with Mr. L. V. Water house (director of Guinea Airways Ltd.) and Pilot Bert Heath (right), on Lae aerodrome. arrived from Bulolo, piloted by Mr. L. H.

Ross. Captain Chater apparently wished to speak to the pilot as soon as he landed and, with this view, he walked towards the plane, accompanied by his dog.

As the plane taxied slowly to the load ing base, Pilot Ross saw to his horror that Mr. Chater had come dangerously near the port propeller. He applied his brakes in a frantic effort to avert the almost inevitable catastrophe, but the revolving propeller struck Mr. Chater’s head before the plane could be brought to a standstill. He was killed instantly.

At the inquest, later, eye-witnesses stated that the accident happened with such appalling, split-second suddenness that they could not be quite sure how Mr. Chater got so close to the motor.

It is believed that he was trying to

“shoo” his dog away from the path of the plane.

Captain Eric Harold Chater was born in Oxfordshire, England; was educated at Clifton College, Bristol; joined the R.F.C. and received his wings at Brook lands in 1915; and served with distinc tion during World War I. He came to Australia in 1926 and joined Westralia Airways Ltd., with whom he did fine work. He was associated in the search for Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith and Lieut. Charlie Ulm when the “Southern Cross” was missing in North-west Aus tralia.

Since his arrival in New Guinea in 1933, Captain Chater had been asso ciated with Guinea Airways Ltd. both as a pilot and, later, as general manager at Lae. He combined with a distinguished bearing a great charm of manner, and was always held in the highest esteem

by all with whom he was associated in this Territory. He was 45 years old.

His funeral at Lae was attended by residents from all parts of the Morobe District, though bad flying weather pre vented some from being present. Rev.

V. H. Sherwin, of Wau, conducted the burial service.

Mr. C. H. Morris arrived in Rabaul, New Guinea, recently from Western Australia, to join the staff of the Public Works Department.

Senator James M. Fraser, new Aus tralian Minister for Islands Territories, learned at the end of October that his son, Private Frederick Keith Fraser, who was reported missing after the Greece and Crete campaigns, was a prisoner of war in Germany Senator Fraser has another son in the AIF.

Mr. R. V. Pratt, who managed Pat langat Plantation, New Britain, a few years ago, before coming to Australia, passed his final medical examination at Melbourne University in October. He is the son of Mr. Victor A. Pratt, of Tobera Plantation, TNG.

Mr. Clifford Gessler, of Oakland, Cali fornia, in a note to the editor of “PIM”, says that the Appleton-Century Co., of USA, will publish next year another South Seas book written by him, titled tentatively “The Leaning Wind”. He was a member of the Bishop Museum party on Tepuka and other islands in the Tuamotu Group (French Oceania) in 1934 and the new book will cover other of his ex periences with the expedition not included in his previous volume “Road My Body Goes”, Mr. Gessler is the author, too, of “Hawaii: Isles of Enchantment”, “Tropic Landfall”, and “Kanaka Moon”.