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About Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1919-1980 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1937)
Hawaiian Boys Fly United States Flag Above Forgotten Isles r:r.:. . . "I Atolls May Become Haven For Fast Australia Bound Airliners PACIFIC air transport has an nihilated distance! For the flint time in half a cen tury the Stars and Stripes are unfurled over three t a o 1 a t e d specks of land rt'n; from the mid-Pacific on the equator fly ing over the tiny islands of Jar vis, Baker, and Howlaml Many years ago these barren isles, waterless, deserted by all but huge crabs and bigger rats, were valuable for guano dcpoait.1. and were known chiefly to middle western farmers of America as the place from which came rich fertilizer. Today each Island is in habited by a skeleton guard of Hawaiian boys preparing for the most dramatic advance in avia tion travel: four days to Aus tralia via passenger airliners, sur veying flights already having been made. Australasia will soon be within a few hours of the Pacific Coast, a brief jaunt of 9000 miles from Oakland, California from one edge of the Pacific to the other . . . speeding toward the setting sun at a rate of 200 miles per hour, and saving 24 hours of interna tional time by beating one revo lution of the earth. A vast amount of preliminary work was necessary. Detailed weather data is required for oce anic airlines. Was the route via Jarvis, Baker, and Howland, prac tical? How did storms act, and how frequently did they strike that section of the Pacific? The famous Kamehameha school of Honolulu supplied a group offcturdy Hawaiian boys, chosen by special tests for disci pline, responsibility, and ability to maintain themselves on these Isolated isles. Kamchamcha's stu dents are trained In cooking, varied manual arts and crafts, and receive a thorough practical education. Today, on each little island, rises a small village of tents, located near the old workings of the guano workers. Each island supports four boys, twelve in all adventurers who like the work they do, the Isolation, even the privations, and who refuse to be replaced by "extras" who would gladly supplant them. Risks do exist, and loneliness is ever present. These Islands have no water. Several old wells have been ruined by small animals fall .ng In; all water is brought from Hawaii and food supplies for five months. Even this operation is no simple task. Water goes ashore through high surf in 55 gallon drums. Occasionally a boat upsets, and the drums are rescued galvanized tin, up which the fierce animals cannot ascend. On the beach of J a r v I a is strewn the wreck of the old Ama ranth, which went down on the reefs in 1913. From this wreck age th boys have built a one room hut. In a pait of the ship's hull they discovered several sets of chinawave. a four wheel baby carriage, block and tackle, table chairs, and an ancient bottle of haii tonic. Sometimes their kerosene stove breaks down, and they pick up coal from the cargo scattered by the Amaranth. Detailed records are kept hour ly through the day, and every three hours at night. Special in struments record the direction and velocity of winds, temperatures, and pressures, as well as cloud conditions and rainfall. These compilations, added to those left by the first guano workers, are proving of importance to naviga tors and pilots who will fly this previously little known part of the Pacific. In summer months tempera tures in the shade (when there is any!) averages between 75 and 80 degrees; the barometer reads about 25:50, a low; rainfall is practically non-cxistant; "ceiling" for aviation is unlimited, as clouds are scattered, and winds rarely reach 28 miles an hour. Rainstorms, curiously, are not unusual in that section; but the rain -does not touch the islands. Due to radiation of heat from the barren land, these storms split like an apple and disappear. Life is not dull on any of the islands. Birds, island vegetation, swimming, fishing, reading and sleeping, occupy the boys' time to excellent advantage. Collecting and preserving equipment has been supplied by the Bishop mu seum of Honolulu, and several in teresting specimens have been secured. On Baker the water supply has been aided by discovery of a brackish water obtained by dig ging about 13 feet down in the sand; although unpleasant for drinking, it is used for washing dishes, pots and pans. It has been responsible, too, for a fine plot of radishes, in the village's "back yard." Rights to work the three is lands were given to the American Guano Company of New York In December of 1856. The first voy age to the islands In the Hawai ian schooner Liholiho was laughed at as Impractical, but when the ship returned with 100 tons (which sold for from $30 to $50 a ton) people began to take the islands seriously. Later the workings were aban- Mil. I or The Hawaiian Boys W ho Live on Baker Island Are Shown Grouped Around an Old Cannon Used by the Guano Traders to Salute Approaching Vessels. by expert divers. Stores have gone to the bottom in many feet of water, to be laboriously pulled on the beach by swimmers. The ltaxca calls at regular in tervals, bringing canned meats, fruits and vegetables a diet pre scribed along strict army lines, which includes onions and pota toes. Fish, of course, is on the menu, caught by the boys. Fishing, or more properly, spearing Is as simple as walking a block to mar ket. One of the boys goes out on a coral reef, spears enough mullet and other edible fish for a meal. During the first few weeks, fish was enjoyed three times a day; but this ratio has dropped to twice a week. Their unpaid servants arc large hermit crabs, scavangers of the Islands, which wander about pick ing up crumbs from tables, keep ing the village clean. Rats as long as six Inches abound everywhere whole ar mies, fighting among themselves, and attacking the hermit crabs; the crustaceans, however, put up a good defense. To keep food from the rat family, table legs, benches and chairs are fitted with PAGE EIGHT A: i 1 '4 who manes decisions and takes full responsibility for measures of hygiene, discipline, and the com munity activities. On Baker Island live William Kaina, A. Ching, Sam Kalama, and A. Piianaia; on Howland Is land are J. C. Kamakaiwa, Killar ney Opiopio, William Toomey, and William Anuhu; on Jarvis - situ- birfnW- t--. 7 rJ-i U ill Sfx 1 it A (Left) The Equipment Tent on Jams Island. (Center) Living Quarters and Office Made From Salvaged Lumber of the Wrecked Amaranth. (Right) Once Again the American Flag Flies Here. ated about 1000 miles from Baker and Howland are George West, Henry Ahia, Daniel Toomey, and Frank Cockett. Their day's work is vitally im portant to American aviation, to the spanning of the Pacific; pos sibly these lads are not heroes in the generally accepted sense of the term, but their names will long be remembered, and their work serve a real need. Again, after half a century, the Stars and Stripes fly over these a 1 moat forgotten American pos sessions. Soon. American planes will circle Jarvis, Baker, and Howland. each in turn perhaps dropping to the sandy beach for supplies, then winging once more southward toward Australia. Four days between two continents! doned through the misrepresenta tion of an official, who wrote that the guano was exhausted. Cer tain interested capitalists wanted the concessions for themselves. According to an old record, the report was acted upon, though untrue : "This, despite the fact that there were several thousand tons already dug on the islands, higher In phosphates than much that had been sold at a high figure." The new company did land and take one cargo to Australia, but on the second trip the ship struck the rocks and sank; no further work was started. American in dustry came to an end on the Is lands, the American flag flew no more from the flagpole. Remnants of early activity remain ruins of buildings, an old tram line and trucks used to move guano from the middle of Baker to the beach, and other relics. A heavy cannon, used to salute approaching ves sels, was removed by the Hawai ian boys to a surf boat of t he It asm, and Is now in the Bishop museum. Each group of boys on these Islands Is In charge of a leader. FLOUR WITH THIS FLAG -ON -THE -BAG Cant C Bcifc $ f ! 1 r.'H turn out pastries fit tor a wngi j "-Z Parisian Puffs Dainty puffs &re baked together, then each is filled with cream of t different color and flavor. Le Viable Cinnamon Cinnamon cream sticks and chocolate frosting give ft delicious Oriental touch to Devil's Food squares. 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Although Drifted Snow "Home-Perfected" Flour protects you from the biggest cause of poor baking, it is only a small portion of the cost of each recipe. Only 4 of the cost of Riviera Tartlets Lemon cus tard, popular with everybody, fills dainty pastry shells and is deco rated with shredded cocoanut. Carnival Cakes Stylish French petit fours, made by a simple, easy recipe. They're correct to serve at any function. (Below) these French Pastries is represented by Drifted Snow Flour don't risk expensive ingredients by using untested flour! Because it's so important to use this flour which can't cause a baking failure, Sperry now puts a flag on each sack easy to see, easy to identify. Inside every sack is Martha Meade's "Six-Of-A-Kind" cook book, 36 recipes in all, including the Six New French Pastries. With these recipes and Drifted Snow "Home-Perfected" Flour, you'll turn out pastries fit for a king good enough for your own family! Look for the flag-on-t he-bag! Marguerite Squares Fluffy meringue, rich with fruits and nuts, floats on crisp pastry and is toasted to a golden brown. ( JtwK 8EE THIS DISPLAY AT YOUR GROCER S FRFF ,yALUABlE gT'HELPS I Martha Meade's "Six-Of - A-Kind" recipe book unusual collection of 36 recipes gives six new and differ ent ways of making each favorite dessert .(including the Six French Pastries). Book packed FREE in side every sack of Drifted Snow "Home-Perfectec" Flour. Silverware the stylish Friendship pat tern! Start saving Sperry Certificates, exchangeable (in most states) for hand some flatware; pure aterling silver plate. Eight different pieces to choose from. CertiAcarea packed in Drifted Snow Flour, Wheat Hearts, and Spnry Pmn aJn Kd WMIt Float. it; DRIFTED SNOWW FIODR QfTE0 two Banana Jalousie Fruit slice and frangipan cream in delicate shells of puff paste, decorated with apricot glaze. CoprrleM J7 kr (ptrrjr Flour Co. gaa Frsnclsco
