Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-05-26
A|RWAY PIONEERS
BUILD RAILROAD
GrueI|ing Work Changing
PeaIe Island Into Haven
for Planes.
BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.

BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.
WAKE ISLAND, May as (N.ANA).
This hitherto barren atoll, which for
more than q century has menaced
navigation on the Pacific and resisted
the efforts of man to live on Its sun
parched soil, will never be the same
again.
Those who come here in Pan
American Anyways clipper planes .
few months hence can pause at q
comfortable hotel, IN their flight be-
tween continents, and admire the
brightly colored fish, the strange
underwater life. and the delicate tints
of sea and sky, but they will never
realize the days and nights of gruell-
ing toll necessary to make this spot
habitable.
Unforeseen obstacles met at the
three islands, Wake. Wilkes and Peale,
have brought two important changes
In the airways expeditions plans as
laid down before the steamship North
Haven left San Francisco to establish
bases for the projected American Asia
airline.
Peale Is Chosen.
First, the base for the Wake Island
group will be installed at Peale Island
instead of Wilkes, owing to changes
that have occurred since the original
naval survey Of the islands 80 years
ago. Second. the expedition may not
continue on the Manila before starting
back to the United States. If the
necessary supplies and enough fuel oil
to make the return voyage to the
Pacific Coast can be obtained at Guam,
that island will be the turning point.
Permanent construction has already
been started on Peale Island. The
materials unloaded from the North
Haven, and piled under tarpaulins on
Wilkes Island. are steadily being
barged across the lagoon between the
two isles.
Wilkes Island, only a quarter mile
wide. now has a railroad halfway
across its slender waist. While pos
sibly not the smallest railroad in the
world, SO far as mileage is concerned,
certainly no smaller speck OF land in
the world boasts such modern trans.
| portation.
Tree Tangie Cleared.
A week ago the roadway, as well as
an acre of land where the material is
piled on Wilkes Island, was an i'm
penetrable jungle. Squat trees, with
trunks 2 feet in diameter, had
branches so interviewer and tangled
that even the birds were unable to
find places for nests. Only the agile
tree climbing rats and hermit crabs,
each carrying a sea shell on its back,
were able to leap nimbly from limb to
limb and crawl over the coral boul-
ders beneath. Years ago Japanese fish
ermen built a house in one corner Of
what is now the cleared field, but
winds scattered the sheets of tin roof,
the weather rotted the boards, and the
jungle reclaimed the ground.
Men swinging machetes cleared q
way through the tangle and axes cut
down the trees. Then the largest Of
the boulders covering the ground were
broken with sledges and dynamite
blasts. the hollows were filled with
broken stones and a nine-ton tractor.
dragging heavily loaded sleds, served
as lawn roller.
Though the tractor is able to drag
anything within reach, 1t cannot work
at the same time on two islands sep
arated by a mile-wide lagoon. It has
| been busy pulling the cargo being
unloaded from the North Haven to
the material dump on Wilkes Island.
but when the tractor takes barge
ride across the lagoon to Peale, these
1000 tons Of material must also be
barged across the lagoon and so must
first be handled by manpower on
Wilkes. That's why the railroad is
necessary.
Emergency Foreseen.
Anticipating some such possible
emergency. secondhand rails had
been taken aboard the North Haven,
enough to lay a mile of track. An
other broad path was cut to the Ia
COON shore, and two more days of
juggling rocks made fairly level
roadbed. Instead Of ties, 2x8 planks
were used, while long wire nails took
the place of ordinary spikes.
Getting the rolling stock required
similar ingenuity. The emergency
equipment included Cwo pair of auto
mobile wheels which, without tires, fit
the rails. But only one axle for the
four wheels could be located. The
expeditions No. brain truster solved
that problem. From a piece of pipe
and other odds and ends he welded
the necessary second axle, and proved
himself equally good with a forge and
hammer as with a fountain pen, only
at the cost of sunburned back and
several new blisters On his hands.
A couple of carpenters put the fin
ishing touches on the one-car rail-
road, and it was then ready to re.
ceive freight. Meantime, another
gang extended the tracks fan-shape
through the piles of material. Others,
using logs sawed from poles and car
rying more coral, built o pier on the
Wilkes side of the lagoon. A similar
pier on Peale Island makes three
which have been built before work
could be started to make this desolate
atoll habitable.
Gentle Slope Aids.
Either due to engineering calcula-
lions or to natures foresight when
she grudgingly stuck this skinny ring
of coral up in the center of the ocean,
the railroad has gentle downgrade
to the new pier at the lagoon edge.
No pushing is required to get heavy
carload lot to the barge, though strong
backs are needed to lift the half-ton
crates on to the car.
| A load of big creosoted blocks, for
the foundation of refrigeration plant,
inaugurated the railroad service. A
squad of carpenters. diggers and jungle
clearers accompanied the blocks to
the barge, ready to start work imme-
diately. The section Of Peale selected
for the Always base has already been
surveyed, and the site of each build
ing, and also Of three radio units and
an eventual hotel overlooking the
lagoon, staked out.
All efforts are being concentrated
on erecting the refrigeration plant,
including a windmill to furnish its re.
quired water, as that will determine