TIGHAR
Amelia Earhart Search Forum => Join the search => Topic started by: Martin X. Moleski, SJ on July 22, 2009, 05:41:26 PM
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TIGHAR has done the first systematic survey of all alleged post-loss radio receptions. Some are very evidently hoaxes. Some seem very credible. Others, though highly improbable, cannot be ruled out as impossible.
We have learned that some reports of post-loss radio reception were not reported in the national press. There is no way to search local newspapers except by having generous volunteers read their local newspapers from July 2 until a week or two later.
Are there any post-loss radio transmissions that have not yet come to TIGHAR's attention?
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I'm not sure which articles are already known about. Is there any sort of database?
However, when I was doing a little searching, I found an article that I thought looked interesting. I was unable to view the whole article because there is a charge for it. The abstract states this:
"Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver - Jul 9, 1937
(AN)-'Mrs. Joe Arnold, Okmulgee, told The Times she and her daughter heard a short wave radio message tonight in which the name "Amelia Earhart" was ... "
Mentioning a wife and daughter, to me, makes them seem more like real people, and maybe less likely to try to perpetrate a hoax.
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I'm not sure which articles are already known about. Is there any sort of database?
TIGHAR is developing a database.
It is not available online at present.
There's no harm in submitting what you find, if anything.
However, when I was doing a little searching, I found an article that I thought looked interesting. I was unable to view the whole article because there is a charge for it. The abstract states this:
"Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver - Jul 9, 1937
(AN)-'Mrs. Joe Arnold, Okmulgee, told The Times she and her daughter heard a short wave radio message tonight in which the name "Amelia Earhart" was ... "
Mentioning a wife and daughter, to me, makes them seem more like real people, and maybe less likely to try to perpetrate a hoax.
That name doesn't ring a bell with me. Ric Gillespie or Bob Brandenburg could say whether they've seen that article.
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I am new to this forum, so perhaps the idea I have is already in the works, but here it is...
Since there are sites, used by genealogists and others, that provide access to digitized newspapers (understanding, of course, that these digitized newspapers are but a subset of all papers published in July 1937) and since many newspapers of that time period are also on microfilm, how about coordinating a group of volunteers (so that we would not duplicate each other's efforts) who would search these available newspapers from July 1937? I am certainly willing to participate.
Cindy
P.S. I have an old radio from the 1930s, and I think of Amelia--and Betty's notebook-- every time I look at it.
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I found this article. Mrs. Joe Arnold was living in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. The report was from July 8, but was in the July 9 LA Times. It's a short article, and it states that the name Amelia Earhart was "repeated several times" and then that the message was "weak, but distinct" and that the message said, "We're suffering, but holding on. Couldn't see Howland Island."
Cindy
I'm not sure which articles are already known about. Is there any sort of database?
However, when I was doing a little searching, I found an article that I thought looked interesting. I was unable to view the whole article because there is a charge for it. The abstract states this:
"Los Angeles Times - ProQuest Archiver - Jul 9, 1937
(AN)-'Mrs. Joe Arnold, Okmulgee, told The Times she and her daughter heard a short wave radio message tonight in which the name "Amelia Earhart" was ... "
Mentioning a wife and daughter, to me, makes them seem more like real people, and maybe less likely to try to perpetrate a hoax.
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Thanks for tracking this down, Cindy.
Do you have a complete transcript of the article? Or a scan? I'm trying to get the quotation marks right so that they help to distinguish between what Mrs. Arnold said, what the reporter said about her, and what is your own interpolation or paraphrase.
Los Angeles Times
9 July 1937
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
"Mrs. Joe Arnold, Okmulgee, told The Times she and her daughter heard a short wave wave radio message tonight in which the name Amelia Earhart was 'repeated several times' and then that the message was 'weak, but distinct' and that the message said, 'We're suffering, but holding on. Couldn't see Howland Island.'"
This seems like a new story to me. I worked on the database last summer for a few weeks. Ric (currently on Niku) and Bob Brandenburg have been collating and evaluating the list of post-loss radio messages. Their goal is eventually to make it available in some form on the website. I don't see this message in their list (although the copy to which I have access may not be the most recent version).
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I have sent you an email with more information.
Cindy
Thanks for tracking this down, Cindy.
Do you have a complete transcript of the article? Or a scan? I'm trying to get the quotation marks right so that they help to distinguish between what Mrs. Arnold said, what the reporter said about her, and what is your own interpolation or paraphrase.
Los Angeles Times
9 July 1937
Okmulgee, Oklahoma
"Mrs. Joe Arnold, Okmulgee, told The Times she and her daughter heard a short wave wave radio message tonight in which the name Amelia Earhart was 'repeated several times' and then that the message was 'weak, but distinct' and that the message said, 'We're suffering, but holding on. Couldn't see Howland Island.'"
This seems like a new story to me. I worked on the database last summer for a few weeks. Ric (currently on Niku) and Bob Brandenburg have been collating and evaluating the list of post-loss radio messages. Their goal is eventually to make it available in some form on the website. I don't see this message in their list (although the copy to which I have access may not be the most recent version).
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I have sent you an email with more information.
Thanks.
It's good to see the original page. It shows that the date of the AP article was 8 July. That suggests to me, in turn, that the latest possible date for the reception of the transmission would have to be 7 July. Are there any Oklahoma papers that have the same story?
The same page also has a separate article on a claim made by someone in Hawaii to have heard Earhart and the Itasca on "1420 kilocycles" (8 July, UP). If the Hawaii article has the correct frequency, it must be false. AE's transmitter (http://tighar.org/wiki/Radio_equipment_on_NR16020) was crystal-controlled and only had three frequencies: 500 kcs, 3105 kcs, and 6210 kcs. 1420 kcs is not an even multiple of any of those three frequencies. Moreover, there is no record of the Itasca receiving such a message from AE or transmitting a message like that in reply. On those grounds, I would judge the Hawaii story as not credible. But it should still go into the count of "post-loss radio messages."
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Also from July 8th....
Here's a newspaper report of post-loss radio transmissions indicating a latitude/longitude of AE/FN. The lat/long is remarkably close to Gardner. If you excuse the timing errors introduced in calculating longitude, that puts the reported position within ~20 miles of the island.
It seems unlikely a hoax given that the reporter immediately tuned in to also hear a man's voice.
Click Here (http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pVIfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=J9IEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2178%2C945762) to read the full article.
Article text from:
The Southeast Missourian - Jul 8, 1937
Ray Havens, Conrad creamery worker, phoned the Great Falls Tribune that at 9:40 p.m. Wednesday, he heard a man's voice giving a position and saying "all's well."
A few minutes later, he said, he picked up a second message, which he gave as follows: "Position 173 west longitude and 5 south latitude."
Newspaper Joins Hunt.
Luke Wright of the Tribune editorial staff immediately tuned in his set of 3105 kilocycles, and reported he heard a voice, presumably a man's, but could not distinguish the words.
Coast Guard officials at San Francisco said the message appeared promising for two reasons. First, the longitude and latitude intersects a spot approximately where they believe the missing flyers are down. Second, the wording of the message sounded authentic.
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... Coast Guard officials at San Francisco said the message appeared promising for two reasons. First, the longitude and latitude intersects a spot approximately where they believe the missing flyers are down. Second, the wording of the message sounded authentic.[/i]
That one is in the database.
The location is 50 miles west of Hull and 90 miles east of Niku.
The link you give does provide the frequency the reporter tuned to: 3105 kcs. But the man's voice he heard could have been from another airplane--the reporter was not able to make out what the man was saying.
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TIGHAR has done the first systematic survey of all alleged post-loss radio receptions. Some are very evidently hoaxes. Some seem very credible. Others, though highly improbable, cannot be ruled out as impossible.
Bob Brandenberg is skeptical about reports of hearing AE and FN after the March of Time Broadcast (http://tighar.org/wiki/The_March_of_Time) on 8 July 1937. Calculations of the fuel available to run the engine and generator come into play as well for drawing the boundary of credibility at an earlier rather than later date.
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I feel we should investigate this news article a little further. 90 miles east of Gardner is not too shabby if you have a damaged or lost (hint.. hint..) sextant. Rember this is not an actual location but simply a 'reported' position of where they thought they might be - since they were lost afterall. The longitudinal component is off by 90 miles. The lattitudinal component is off by 20 miles or so.
Not having a sextant highly suggests relying on the thumb-and-forefinger method for determining celestial angles. Using this thumb-and-forefinger method as means of establishing location via celestial positioning can yield approximately 60 miles real-world error for each finger's width. So it would only take a finger-and-a-half to come up 90 mile error. That's one-third-finger's width for 20 mile errror. Given the extraordinary circumstances, it's very plausible they may have had to rely on this type of method for determing angles and such.
As an aside:
I wonder if this may have had some influence on choosing the eastern side of the island. For example, the celestial almanac may have been using the rising sun/moon timetables that were better suited from easterly view - without any pesky island or trees to obstruct the view. : )
Another factor to consider is the errors introduced in calculating the longitudinal component of position. Longitude calcualtions require both angles and timing to be accurate. With an innacurate timing device combined with and innacurate measuring device (such as a finger), longitude becomes more trickier than lattitude. Thus, possibly explaining the larger error on the longitude - 90 miles v.s. 20 miles. It's worthy of consideration.
Coincidently:
Howland's longitude is about equi-distant (in the opposite direction of course) to that of the 173 longitude being reported. I know it's a stretch, but it is possible that the longitude figure was somehow 'inverted' during calculations. Ok a bit dillusional, but wouldn't you be if you were a castaway?
Bob B's skeptisim coincides nicely with other reported radio events and the likelihood that the electra was most liikely missing from sight July 9th as the search planes flew over. It's plausible that the last credible radio transmission was July 7th just before the plane could have been swept to sea sometime before resuce came by. By the 9th it's no wonder credible radio transmissions and the search planes themselves couldn't find the electra. 1-2 days time is certainly enough time for a buoyant plane to float away!
I like Cindy's idea of coordinating newspaper archive volunteers. Any takers? I'm in. Let's talk.
Erik
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Hi Erik,
I'm in. I have access to some databases, and can also do microfilm research in newspapers in the San Antonio TX area (including small town newspapers). I can also travel to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin (they have microfilmed newspapers). I also have an Ancestry account--they have a number of digitized newspapers.
Cindy
I feel we should investigate this news article a little further. 90 miles east of Gardner is not too shabby if you have a damaged or lost (hint.. hint..) sextant. Rember this is not an actual location but simply a 'reported' position of where they thought they might be - since they were lost afterall. The longitudinal component is off by 90 miles. The lattitudinal component is off by 20 miles or so.
Not having a sextant highly suggests relying on the thumb-and-forefinger method for determining celestial angles. Using this thumb-and-forefinger method as means of establishing location via celestial positioning can yield approximately 60 miles real-world error for each finger's width. So it would only take a finger-and-a-half to come up 90 mile error. That's one-third-finger's width for 20 mile errror. Given the extraordinary circumstances, it's very plausible they may have had to rely on this type of method for determing angles and such.
As an aside:
I wonder if this may have had some influence on choosing the eastern side of the island. For example, the celestial almanac may have been using the rising sun/moon timetables that were better suited from easterly view - without any pesky island or trees to obstruct the view. : )
Another factor to consider is the errors introduced in calculating the longitudinal component of position. Longitude calcualtions require both angles and timing to be accurate. With an innacurate timing device combined with and innacurate measuring device (such as a finger), longitude becomes more trickier than lattitude. Thus, possibly explaining the larger error on the longitude - 90 miles v.s. 20 miles. It's worthy of consideration.
Coincidently:
Howland's longitude is about equi-distant (in the opposite direction of course) to that of the 173 longitude being reported. I know it's a stretch, but it is possible that the longitude figure was somehow 'inverted' during calculations. Ok a bit dillusional, but wouldn't you be if you were a castaway?
Bob B's skeptisim coincides nicely with other reported radio events and the likelihood that the electra was most liikely missing from sight July 9th as the search planes flew over. It's plausible that the last credible radio transmission was July 7th just before the plane could have been swept to sea sometime before resuce came by. By the 9th it's no wonder credible radio transmissions and the search planes themselves couldn't find the electra. 1-2 days time is certainly enough time for a buoyant plane to float away!
I like Cindy's idea of coordinating newspaper archive volunteers. Any takers? I'm in. Let's talk.
Erik
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I like Cindy's idea of coordinating newspaper archive volunteers. Any takers? I'm in. Let's talk.
I'm in. I have access to some databases, and can also do microfilm research in newspapers in the San Antonio TX area (including small town newspapers). I can also travel to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin (they have microfilmed newspapers). I also have an Ancestry account--they have a number of digitized newspapers.
Go for it. In the case of the Oklahoma lady, what you need to dent Bob Brandenberg's skepticism is the frequency on which she was listening and evidence that she heard something before the March of Time broadcast. If there's no frequency and it's after MoT, then it's doubtful that you can get her moved to the "credible" list.
There may also be coverage of post-loss radio messages in Pacific newspapers--Australia, NZ, Hawaii, Japan, etc.--though the dearth of such reports may come not from a lack of research but from a lack of interest in or awareness of the story. AE's loss was a huge story on the west coast of the U.S.; it may not have been such a big deal elsewhere around the Pacific rim. But if anyone has a way of looking for such out-of-the-way newspapers, it might be worth a try.
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I like Cindy's idea of coordinating newspaper archive volunteers. Any takers? I'm in. Let's talk.
I've put up a very abbreviated timeline of post-loss radio messages (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/timeline/1937events.html).
I've only got a few things in it. It needs a lot more to make it really useful. But it's a proof of concept and a start for keeping track of what people find in their newspaper searches.
If anyone can get at an AP archive for the key dates (July 2 to July 9), that might help in fleshing out some of the details.
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not a post loss message, but the first paragraph from a NY times article about earhart and radio transmissions. actually LOTS of coverage of earhart in july 1937 NY times, some not the characteristic portrayal either.
HUNTING LOST PLANES; Earhart Shows Need for Powerful RadiosLessons Learned From Pioneer Airmen
July 11, 1937, Sunday
Section: DRAMA, SCREEN, MUSIC, DANCE, ART, RADIO, Page 8, 1374 words
THE "ether" over the Pacific has been one of the most active spots in the realm of radio during the past week with "Earhart" and her call letterm "KHAQQ" sputtering on the tongues of wireless. The hope of rescue lurked in the air as radio tossed its invisible life-lines out acrosss the Pacifio.
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another from the NY times about the march of times mix-up
RADIO SKIT CAUSES AN EARHART MIX-UP; Hawaiian Operator Listening to March of Time Program Believes Conversation Real
*
E-MAIL
Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES.
July 10, 1937, Saturday
Page 7, 494 words
A cramatized March of Time radio program broadcast yesterday from New York, which featured the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, resulted in an erroneous report here that Miss Earhart had been in two-way communication with naval vessels.
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I went to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin this past Thursday, and checked out the Houston Post and The San Antonio Express. I decided to start with some of the large cities first, before moving on to the smaller weekly newspapers. However, as I'm sure that others have found, the papers I looked at mostly repeated the same AP stories, with little, if any, original (local) material.
I found these names mentioned in AP stories as having picked up messages possibly from AE. These may all be in your database, but if any of them aren't, I can supply more information:
Carl Pierson
Howard Coons
Ernest Henderson
W.E. Tippin
Also, in the San Antonio Express, July 8, 1937, p. 2, there is a really bizarre doctored up photo of the Electra, drifting in the ocean, with AE sitting on top. The caption says (in part), "In a vivid brush dramatization, artist Walt Scott of NEA Service has depicted for San Antonio Express readers the scene that rescuers might see if they reach the castaways in time--both flyers perched on the plane's deck, eagerly scanning the horizon for a sign of approaching assistance."
What a great way to spread misinformation.
There are two more photos in that spread--and the captions say that they were taken before the flight. In one, AE is "inspecting the tanks on which she counted in emergency" and in the other AE is testing a "collapsible rubber lifeboat" which the caption indicates she had on the plane with her. In this picture, she is smiling. I took photos of this page, because it seemed to me such a great example of how such photos could be the source of confusion and misconceptions.
With regard to AP---I wonder how someone would access the AP story archives? I did some searching online and only found reference to AP archives for still photos and film. Perhaps a university library that has a journalism school...
I am going back to Austin again soon, and this time I will be looking at weekly newspapers from small towns.
Cindy
I like Cindy's idea of coordinating newspaper archive volunteers. Any takers? I'm in. Let's talk.
I've put up a very abbreviated timeline of post-loss radio messages (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/timeline/1937events.html).
I've only got a few things in it. It needs a lot more to make it really useful. But it's a proof of concept and a start for keeping track of what people find in their newspaper searches.
If anyone can get at an AP archive for the key dates (July 2 to July 9), that might help in fleshing out some of the details.
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I have another idea concerning post-loss messages that might not have been reported in the national press. I think it would be helpful to tap into the local history/genealogical community, as such individuals have detailed knowledge of notable events in their respective communities. One way to do this would be to post messages in Rootsweb (the free message boards run by Ancestry for each county in each US state--plus the Canadian provinces--and countries all over the world--plus topical categories). Here is a link: http://boards.rootsweb.com/?o_iid=33216&o_lid=33216
As is noted by Rootsweb, they have thousands of boards, but perhaps a few well-placed messages asking if any local historians have information about someone in their communities who reported hearing AE, more post-loss messages may be uncovered (if documentation exists in the form of a newspaper article or memoir, etc.).
Also, from my years working at a small-town library, I recall that for the bicentennial of the US, in 1976, there were oral history projects funded around the US (and others have been conducted for other reasons, as well). Who knows but what some of these may be useful sources, if they have been transcribed, or if notes were made of the main points of the interviews.
Just some ideas...
Cindy
TIGHAR has done the first systematic survey of all alleged post-loss radio receptions. Some are very evidently hoaxes. Some seem very credible. Others, though highly improbable, cannot be ruled out as impossible.
We have learned that some reports of post-loss radio reception were not reported in the national press. There is no way to search local newspapers except by having generous volunteers read their local newspapers from July 2 until a week or two later.
Are there any post-loss radio transmissions that have not yet come to TIGHAR's attention?
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I went to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin this past Thursday, and checked out the Houston Post and The San Antonio Express. I decided to start with some of the large cities first, before moving on to the smaller weekly newspapers. However, as I'm sure that others have found, the papers I looked at mostly repeated the same AP stories, with little, if any, original (local) material.
Thanks for looking!
I found these names mentioned in AP stories as having picked up messages possibly from AE. These may all be in your database, but if any of them aren't, I can supply more information:
Carl Pierson
Howard Coons
Ernest Henderson
W. E. Tippin
Here's how to search the TIGHAR website (http://tighar.org/news/help/82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg) to see what is already there.
Karl Pierson and Walter McMenamy have been discussed at length. (http://www.google.com/cse?cx=009580785602718212762%3Anmcmqnbv5de&ie=UTF-8&q=Karl+Pierson&sa=Search&siteurl=1-open-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fifr%3Fv%3Dc42521dc45e1816c80a119e45f5a8f43%26container%3Dopen%26view%3Dhome%26debug%3D0%26mid%3D1%26lang%3Dall%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252Fcoop%252Fapi%252F009580785602718212762%252Fcse%252Fnmcmqnbv5de%252Fgadget%26country%3DALL%26source%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftighar.org%252Fnews%252Fhelp%252F82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg%26parent%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftighar.org%252Fnews%252Fhelp%252F82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg%26libs%3Dcore%253Acore.io%253Arpc%23rpctoken%3D74700790)
There is no doubt that their messages were false.
Coons, Henderson, and Tippin don't ring a bell with me and I don't see them on the website or in a quick look at Finding Amelia. There's no harm in reporting what you found about them in this thread. I can and will add them to the timeline (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/timeline/1937events.html), for what it's worth.
They may already be in the database that Ric Gillespie and Bob Brandenberg are developing, of course. That's not open to the public yet; I think they are still mulling over the best way to present their results. But it was Ric who suggested that people join the search (http://tighar.org/news/join-the-search) and look for stories that may not have circulated nationwide. So let's add them to the timeline.
With regard to AP---I wonder how someone would access the AP story archives? I did some searching online and only found reference to AP archives for still photos and film. Perhaps a university library that has a journalism school...
I don't know the answer to that question--but I think it is a good question to ask and keep on asking until we find an answer. I imagine that such archives must exist somewhere and that they would be accessible to researchers.
I am going back to Austin again soon, and this time I will be looking at weekly newspapers from small towns.
Much appreciated!
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With regard to AP---I wonder how someone would access the AP story archives? I did some searching online and only found reference to AP archives for still photos and film. Perhaps a university library that has a journalism school...
Cynthia, I found an AP search online when I posted my Times articles. You did have to pay for it though so I didn't search them.
I'll look again to see if I can find the site I was on.
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I went looking for a Joe Arnold on the 1930 census of Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, but I didn't find any Joes or Josephs. Lots of Arnolds, however--and plenty of Joes and Josephs in other parts of OK. I posted a message on Rootsweb (in the Okmulgee Co OK forum) asking for info on Mr. Joe Arnold, living in Okmulgee in 1937, but no response yet.
I'm sure you know that Betty Klenck is listed on the 1930 census (age 7) with her parents and sister, in Pinellas County--St Petersburg--FL. One of the questions asked on the 1930 census was whether a family owned a radio--and Betty's family did.
Cindy
I have sent you an email with more information.
Thanks.
It's good to see the original page. It shows that the date of the AP article was 8 July. That suggests to me, in turn, that the latest possible date for the reception of the transmission would have to be 7 July. Are there any Oklahoma papers that have the same story?
The same page also has a separate article on a claim made by someone in Hawaii to have heard Earhart and the Itasca on "1420 kilocycles" (8 July, UP). If the Hawaii article has the correct frequency, it must be false. AE's transmitter (http://tighar.org/wiki/Radio_equipment_on_NR16020) was crystal-controlled and only had three frequencies: 500 kcs, 3105 kcs, and 6210 kcs. 1420 kcs is not an even multiple of any of those three frequencies. Moreover, there is no record of the Itasca receiving such a message from AE or transmitting a message like that in reply. On those grounds, I would judge the Hawaii story as not credible. But it should still go into the count of "post-loss radio messages."
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I found mention of Tippin in the TIGHAR archives (May 1998). I photographed the Tippin story that appeared in the Houston Post (7 July 1937--"El Paso July 6 (AP)", so if you want it, I can supply it.
Here is the information about Coons and Henderson:
Houston Post 6 July 1937 p. 1
Honolulu July 5 (UP) ---not "AP" but "UP"
Stations along the Pacific coast reported receiving voice messages from the flyer, one of which said, "Still alive. Better hurry. Tell husband all right."
Picks Up Message
Howard Coons, San Francisco amateur, said he picked up the message (here the article continues on p. 5) on a wave length of 15,600 and 15,900 kilocycles. Another message, intercepted by Ernest Henderson at Auburn, Washington, said, '50-128-QQ--Waterlogged--Can't last much longer."
I copied this, word for word.
Cindy
I went to the Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin this past Thursday, and checked out the Houston Post and The San Antonio Express. I decided to start with some of the large cities first, before moving on to the smaller weekly newspapers. However, as I'm sure that others have found, the papers I looked at mostly repeated the same AP stories, with little, if any, original (local) material.
Thanks for looking!
I found these names mentioned in AP stories as having picked up messages possibly from AE. These may all be in your database, but if any of them aren't, I can supply more information:
Carl Pierson
Howard Coons
Ernest Henderson
W. E. Tippin
Here's how to search the TIGHAR website (http://tighar.org/news/help/82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg) to see what is already there.
Karl Pierson and Walter McMenamy have been discussed at length. (http://www.google.com/cse?cx=009580785602718212762%3Anmcmqnbv5de&ie=UTF-8&q=Karl+Pierson&sa=Search&siteurl=1-open-opensocial.googleusercontent.com%2Fgadgets%2Fifr%3Fv%3Dc42521dc45e1816c80a119e45f5a8f43%26container%3Dopen%26view%3Dhome%26debug%3D0%26mid%3D1%26lang%3Dall%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252Fcoop%252Fapi%252F009580785602718212762%252Fcse%252Fnmcmqnbv5de%252Fgadget%26country%3DALL%26source%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftighar.org%252Fnews%252Fhelp%252F82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg%26parent%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Ftighar.org%252Fnews%252Fhelp%252F82-how-do-i-search-tigharorg%26libs%3Dcore%253Acore.io%253Arpc%23rpctoken%3D74700790)
There is no doubt that their messages were false.
Coons, Henderson, and Tippin don't ring a bell with me and I don't see them on the website or in a quick look at Finding Amelia. There's no harm in reporting what you found about them in this thread. I can and will add them to the timeline (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/timeline/1937events.html), for what it's worth.
They may already be in the database that Ric Gillespie and Bob Brandenberg are developing, of course. That's not open to the public yet; I think they are still mulling over the best way to present their results. But it was Ric who suggested that people join the search (http://tighar.org/news/join-the-search) and look for stories that may not have circulated nationwide. So let's add them to the timeline.
With regard to AP---I wonder how someone would access the AP story archives? I did some searching online and only found reference to AP archives for still photos and film. Perhaps a university library that has a journalism school...
I don't know the answer to that question--but I think it is a good question to ask and keep on asking until we find an answer. I imagine that such archives must exist somewhere and that they would be accessible to researchers.
I am going back to Austin again soon, and this time I will be looking at weekly newspapers from small towns.
Much appreciated!
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I found mention of Tippin in the TIGHAR archives (May 1998). I photographed the Tippin story that appeared in the Houston Post (7 July 1937--"El Paso July 6 (AP)", so if you want it, I can supply it.
You may e-mail it to me (http://mailto:moleski@canisius.edu) if you'd like.
Thanks for the lead to the May 1998 Forum (http://tighar.org/Projects/Earhart/forum/Forum_Archives/199805.txt). Here is the text:
Date: Mon, 4 May 1998 08:58:55 EDT
From: Ron Dawson
Subject: amateur radio operator
Here's another amateur radio operator to add to the list, if not previously reported.
Article from El Paso Times, 7 Jul 37 (Wed.) AE is "on land" somewhere near Howland Island in the South Pacific, according to a carrier wave message received by W.E. Tippin, Upper Valley amateir radio operator, between 8:30 and 8:40 p.m. Tuesday.
[note: if I calculate correctly, deduct 7 hrs. from Mountain time to get Gardner time.]
Tippin, who operates station W5FSQ, said the Colomba Broadcasting Co. Monday night had sent out a world-wide message, hoping it would be picked up by Miss Earhart. The message told her to send radio carrier wave signals twice to indicate she was on land and three times if she were on water. Tuesday night, Tippin said he distinctly heard the double carrier wave signal flashed at intervals for ten minutes. The frequency of the signals was 3105 KC, the same as that of Miss Earhart. The reason carrier wave signals were designated, Tippin explained, rather than the transmission of voice, was because such signals conserve power. Tippin added that he had his receiving set tuned to the Earhart frequency of 3105 KC and that on that account he attributed the signals he heard to her. Tippin said he heard the Columbia broadcast from Honolulu Monday night on a short wave frequency of 12,000 KC. The messages were being broadcast at the same time from Columbia's New York station, but his reception at the time from Honolulu was better.] Note: this is the morning paper. A short article in the Wed. PM paper, the Herald Post, stated that at about midnight Tuesday "I heard a woman's voice on Miss Earhart's frequency. The signals were not strong enough to read. They came a half minute at a time over a period of ten minutes. I have unusually good reception on my station because it is in the upper valley away from electric signs and street cars".
Oddly enough, I found Mr. Tippin's son on the first try. He related that he remembered his dad being excited about the event but doesn't think he reported to anyone other than the paper. I asked if he might still have the radio logs and he stated he would ask his sister. The gentleman was quite friendly and appeared to be genuinely interested in helping. Of course, it is prudent to remember that that wackos also existed in 1937 and someone could have been sending false signals on the same freq.
Ron D. 2126
Here is the information about Coons and Henderson:
Houston Post 6 July 1937 p. 1
Honolulu July 5 (UP) ---not "AP" but "UP"
Stations along the Pacific coast reported receiving voice messages from the flyer, one of which said, "Still alive. Better hurry. Tell husband all right."
Picks Up Message
Howard Coons, San Francisco amateur, said he picked up the message (here the article continues on p. 5) on a wave length of 15,600 and 15,900 kilocycles. Another message, intercepted by Ernest Henderson at Auburn, Washington, said, '50-128-QQ--Waterlogged--Can't last much longer."
I copied this, word for word.
Thanks. I'm booked this morning and afternoon but will try to expand the Timeline later today.
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There may be an easier way to look at old newspapers, at least some of them. Google apparently started a project some years ago to digitize every page of every newspaper ever published. They realized some time later that the project was simply too large, even for them.
The good news is that all of the work done up to the abandonment of the project is available online.
Here's a link to the site.
https://news.google.com/newspapers
I looked today at the Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World, because that's the town where I was born, and luckily it's been digitized from 1828 to 2009. And Lawrence is not far from Atchison, so the editors in 1937 would have been very interested in the news about the search for Amelia and Fred. So far I've read the news from July 3rd to July 8th 1937 as it was reported in the Journal-World but you forum members are much better equipped than I to understand if there's any new information there. There are a multitude of quotes from reports of radio contacts from KHAQQ, and some of them are familiar, but others are not.
It is certainly fascinating to see the story unfold as it happened.
Can anyone else think of a good way to search through this newspaper archive? Typing 'Amelia Earhart Fred Noonan' into the search box brings up millions of hits, but not necessarily the 1937 contemporaneous articles. I'm probably doing it wrong.
So far what I've done is scroll down to the Lawrence Journal-World listing, then when I'm there I type in the date I want to see and start reading. I'm sure there's another way to do it. I hope someone will find a bit of new information here.
Kurt
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The Google angle is interesting; I had not heard of it. In response to Kurt's post, I looked on Google at my local paper, the Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). I see nothing (after a cursory look) that suggests any local angle, so I presume that anything I see came in from standard news outlets. But the headline July 5, 1937 is a summary of what TIGHAR believes: "Signals Indicate Amelia Earhart Is Alive and on Land" (Dateline Los Angeles).