| Summary: | Flyers Are Safe In Alaskan Town: Wilkins At Circle City, 100 Miles From Fairbanks./Seen By Woman./Army Sergeant's Wife Telegraphs News -- Says Plane Shows Damage./Are Out Of Fuel./Commander Of Arctic Expedition Advised Not To Try Flight To Fairbanks At Night. FLYERS ARE SAFE IN ALASKAN TOWN Wilkins at Circle City 100 Miles From Fairbanks SEEN BY WOMAN Army Sergeant's Wife Telegraph News--Says Plane Shows Damage. Are Out Of Fuel Commander Of Arctic Expedition Advised Not To Try Flight To Fairbanks At Night. By Frederic Lewis Earp, Special Correspondent of The Spokesman-Review and the North American Newspaper Alliance with the Detroit Arctic Expedition -- Copyright, 1926. FAIRBANKS, Alaska, April 6. --The missing monoplane Alaskan carrying Captain George H. Wilkins and Pilot Ben Eielson of the Detroit arctic expedition, which had not been heard from since last Friday, two days after landing at Point Barrow on the arctic, arrived at Circle City, 100 miles northeast of here on the Yukon river at 4:44 this afternoon, according to word received at the government telegraph office here this evening from the Circle City office. The first report on the plane came from the wife of Staff Sergeant George S. Barnett at the Circle City station in a message to Lieutenant Messer at the government radio station here. Her message said: "A plane circled over here from 4:10 to 4:15, then continued on up the Yukon from the direction of Fort Yukon. Looked like be was lost. Not like Fairbanks planes so guess he's trying to find way back." Left Last Wednesday. The Alaskan hopped off from Fairbanks at 7:30 Wednesday morning, with gasoline and other supplies for the Point Barrow base of the expedition's projected flights over the unexplored polar seas. It landed safely after the 500-mile flight and on Thursday and Friday nights Captain Wilkins reported by radio to the base here merely signaling his arrival. The rest of the expedition here had been rushing repairs on their other monoplane in order to hasten to Barrow to investigate. A few minutes after circling Circle City, the Alaskan took off in the direction of Fairbanks, said Mrs. Barnett's message, then circled and returned, alighting on a sandbar in the Yukon river opposite the town. Captain Wilkins told Mrs. Barnett that the plane was out of gasoline and oil, but that he would refuel at once and attempt to make Fairbanks before nightfall. The sergeant's wife reported that the plane appeared to have been recently refitted and appeared to have been in a crash, but his may refer to the repairs made after the crash at the landing field here last month during the Alaskan's trial flight. She mentioned repairs to the wings, however, which may mean that the plane suffered damage in alighting at Barrow. Eight Hours For Flight. The Alaskan made the flight from Barrow to Circle City in eight hours, fighting head winds all the way, said a later message from the signal corps operator. He reported that Mrs. Barnett was the first to sight the plane. Philip W. Reed of the detachment at the radio station here picked up the first flash from Circle. Mayor Thomas G. Lanphier, army flyer, who is in command of the flying party here in the absence of Captain Wilkins, advised the commander by radio this evening not to attempt to fly here tonight. Captain Wilkins thereupon made arrangements to communicate later tonight. Repairs on the Detroiter, the triple-motored monoplane of the expedition, have reached the stage where the mechanics expect to have it ready to fly by the end of the week.
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