New Guinea

Lucky Escapes

Two Planes Wrecked in New Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent

Wau, Nov. 4.

TWO aeroplanes have been wrecked in the Morobe District in a week—one last Thursday and the other the previous Thursday. In both accidents, the pilots had miraculous escapes.

On October 30, Pilot Fred. Bryte, of Mandated Airlines Ltd., was on his way from Salamaua to Wau, when his Fox- Moth crashed in the Bitoi Ranges. It appears that he was flying at 5,500 ft., when suddenly the machine was caught in a down-draught. It took just five seconds for the plane to crash. Bryte was thrown clear of the machine and suffered only slight bruises and cuts.

Bryte set out for Wau, and walked 17 miles through rough, forest country in six hours, finding his direction by com pass. He reached the township at 6 p.m.

This was no mean undertaking, par ticularly as he had been flying on the Goldfields run only little more than a week and had but scant knowledge of the ground topography.

The other mishap occurred on the after noon of October 23, when a Ford three engined plane was taking off from Wau for Lae, in charge of Pilot I. J. Hosie.

Just as the tail was lifting from the ground, the plane was hit by a high gust of wind and took a sudden turn to the right. Instead of continuing down the

runway, it shot across the ’drome, careered across the road, and finished up over the almost sheer drop into Little Wau valley.

When the Ford reached the rocky banks of the creek, the wings hit out crops of stone with such force that the plane stopped abruptly, disconnecting the cockpit and engines which plunged for ward free of the machine. This no doubt saved the life of the pilot. As helpers arrived, they were astonished to find Mr.

Hosie, uninjured, standing beside the plane!

The Ford carried a load of timber, but no passengers—Mr. Leslie H. Clarke, of Rabaul, was in the act of boarding it for Lae, when the manager at the ’drome suggested that he go by another aero plane, due to leave shortly afterwards.

Had Mr. Clarke taken his seat in the Ford, nothing could have saved him from Instant death as the timber in the cargo hold was forced forward by the impact.