Midway

There was no ceremony as. under cloudless skies, the huge silver Pan American Clipper rose from the waters of San Francisco Bay, headed off on her second flight to Honolulu. The trip had been purposely delayed to await a storm forecast--a test of the Clipper's mettle. That night the great Sikorsky flew under cloudy skies over the rough Pacific until at dawn the light of Makapu Point reached out across Koneohe Bay. Then Oahu Bay appeared and First Officer Sullivan set her 19 tons down lightly in Pearl Harbor.

Time: 17 hr. 58 min.--2 min. ahead of schedule.

Two days were spent checking the ship for the second leg of the transpacific air-way--to Midway Island, 1,323 mi. away. Capt. Edwin C. Musick fumigated the cabin from tip to tail to prevent any mosquitoes being taken along. Midway has never had any, does not want any. The plane was loaded with enough fuel to fly to Midway and back nonstop. Also loaded were 5 gal. of ice cream and several cinemas for the Midway colonists.

The Clipper reached Midway in 9 hr. 13 min., stayed there two days before returning to Honolulu. On Sand Island, largest of the three coral atolls of the Midway Group, a small village hummed where once had been little but sandy scrub, jungle, coral rock. Trees, imported from Hawaii by the advance construction crew on the steamer North Haven, gave the place a look of lush tropical elegance.

Once a bleak, barren island, Midway has been a cable relay station for Commercial Pacific Cable Co. for 32 years. The cable colony comprises 23 men including the resident superintendent who also serves as naval custodian, a resident physician, five Chinese, seven Japanese. The Pan American men bring the total population to 57. Advance crews from the North Haven moved in 2,000 tons of material--160,000 separate items. On a broad clearing they erected seven buildings including a power plant with 9-ton Diesel-electric generators, kitchen & mess hall, refrigeration plant with six months' food supplies, airport manager's office, boathouse with two launches, gasoline & oil storage station, machinery storehouse, radio transmitting and receiving station and radio compass station. In addition there are four houses as living quarters for the staff, other quarters for the help. Some day transpacific air passengers may see these improvements as their plane stops briefly at the Midway base.

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