Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-24
IR CORPS AIDS
4 HIGHWAY PLANS
to South America
Road Map to Result From
k Plane Survey.

s Dreams Of international leaders In
5fk3H Western Hemisphere Sof o great
rcoftdnentals highway connecting
canada, the United States and Mexico
nth Central and South America, are
WNing aided to realization through eff
A0rfsFof the Army Air Corps, which now
M separating with the Government Of
SEpata Rica in the mapping OF that por-
ytlnn OF the proposed highway, the War
Wpsaartment announced today.
~ Though o great highway through
central America has been advocated for
saahy years as @ means OF opening that
Heountry to development and promoting
international relations, it has been only
lately that any DEFINITE steps have been
Y&*ken to explore and plan the vehicular
T4ltte through the narrowing neck Of
y38aad which joins North to South Amer
- the War; Department stated.
E Country Almost impossible
Ignorance of4gecerapflical conditions
lasahg such nroposed route is album
cant" It was stated In an Air Corps
Ieport on the project. ever so often
Wesrcad of the EXHIBITS OF some one who
rlaifned to have travelled on horseback
or via auto from the Argentine to call
srD the Mayor OF New York or to have
made the trip southward between these
two points. Those sfA8niliar with the
stsrfitory from Northern Colombia to
1exltly 20 themselves at the idea Of an
M1t0m0ifie traversing this country"
from SChep to far into the interior
ct Colombia, Il was explained, the
scdelntry ID, almost inapehetrabie, with
perhaps lew. foot trails affording the
nEsiy comnIhicataon aoSn the Chucu-
n&Gae basin 10 Matfaflsa short distance
sUASt the ruins Of Cruz de Cana.
- good road boy FEVER has been built
~ the Govefnment Of Panama from the
canal to q point slt0Et distance be-
Sph santiagog ard: tlis Tead now L
Azs franscouttn entail backbone. from Ia
KenA to Tole, then connecting up and
1nsprovtng short sections aalready In
&aAkence from Tole to David and on
close to the Costa Rican border,
Territory IL Uum9pped.
rom the border 10 San Joae, the
w&ratal city, Costa Rica ID largely lln-
n1a&ped, according 70 the AIR Corps re-
gEf. Other portions OF the country are
Virtually as little known. SAG ~ y
Interested as were the Government
&zElnials and engineers Of this Central
Aazzerican republic In the topography
mf their country" the report continues,
3diey realized the utter hcrelessness Of
go task Of undertaking preliminary
&'axgey without the one aid which could
p&Fkprm the trick-aeriAl yeconnais-
as4ee.
sExisting relations with the United
states having long been Of a1tcordial
11akaAre, the American military attache
wa asked to ascertain what our Air
corps stationed in the Panama Canal
Zone could do to help OF the Republic
u& Costa Rica. and, Incidentally, the
whole Of North and Central America
BQlsaliy interested in the establishment
&c n Pan American highway-in making
~ serial Photographic survey Of GER
hahn sections Of the country"
k was planned not only 70 map the
erlantTy and select q route for the high
10y but to ny Costa Rican Govern
lfas1t officials and engineers over the
bsklptry to II falniliarize them with
Tie terrain and problems to be over
kkpe. It also was arranged TO fiy tte
EN&ta Rican Secretary Of Interior and
CHEF engineer over the Guatuso area
Rakwe4sn the san Jose valley and Lake
very little being known about
section
Take 200 Photographs
! Lieut.. A. z. Smith, i2taa Photo Sec
ta6ns and Lieut. John q. Moore, It'll
Observation Squadron, each plotting Q
Douglas OH observation plane, were
aaened to the task, and left France
KAId for San Jose.
approximately 200 photographs were
aa4fen, the planes being forced TO fiy
for safety, 30 enc could aid the
nt17Er In case Of forced landing or direct
kHactie operations.
Each morning was devoted to flying"
gie1t. Smith reported, atmospheric and
weather sGendi tions being better at that
taasae of tfsp dAy. Weather changes wor-
Faed us somewhat. Shortly after noon
tlia weather, would tinicken up In the
and even In the mornings
rluliis would drift in between and Q