Evening star., 1936-02-14

from E1TSG PdRe,D
today, but the islanders plight is far
less unhappy. Not since the British
Navy established its Chesapeake Bay
base on Tangier during the War of
1912 has there been such excitement.
Poor folk are getting more food than
ever before. Children are gay be-
cause each plane arrival affords an
excuse to dash pell nell from the
school rooms. Every one is basking
in the light of publicity never before
attained and rejoicing inwardly at
being the central characters in a
melodrama. in which Eliza crosses the
ice foes with hunger barking at her
--ileels.
The only trouble now is that when
the excitement dies down the food
supply may run short again.
Once Stunned Publicity.
The islanders Stunned publicity
until they discovered within the past
two weeks that it brings elaborate
blessings. Once they ran Off some
New York movie cameramen after
pitching one in the water Now they
crowd before a camera whenever one
appears
The area behind the village school
house sometimes resembles Newark
Airport. The drone of plane is the
signal for general turnout. Out
siders have come to relieve the tedium
of Midwinter isolation where none
came before, and the oldest villagers
delight in Spinnin yarns to ears that
will listen. A new baby is named
after nurses brought from Washing
ton. "Cap'n" Henry Benson, 80, has
the nurses treat cut on his ear twice
daily and "oh" and "ah" at his recol-
lections of the Civil War and colored
Autographs of Dewey at Manila and
Hobson at Havana.
High school girls ogle at young
Coast Guard officers, trim in blue and
gold, followed through the village like
eonquering heroes. Airplane pilots
can't leave their planes without a
dozen children clinging to the skirts
OF their overcoats. Even newspaper
reporters are welcomed like prodigal
sons.
Planes don't land They pitch"
The blimp Enterprise is the hog"
The case of Allan Pruitt, 27-year-
old appendicitis victim, illustrates how
dramatically the i'll wind of Winter
has blown the island good. Pruitt's
case reached a crisis Wednesday. A
carrier pigeon left on the island for
emergency use during the period OF
ce-olation" was dispatched to Cam
bridge, Md, with a note urgently re-
queSting that plane be sent to take
Pruitt to a hospital. Long before the
pigeon had reached its destination,
one OF the planes making regular
flights to Tangier picked him up and
bore him to expert attention.
Had the island not been ice-bound.
the only way to have removed Pruitt
to the mainland would have been by
boat. This would have required sew
eral hours, instead Of the 20 minutes
required by the plane. There probably
would not have been carrier pigeons on
Tangier to afford an extra measure of
safety.
Once Feared a Hard Time,
Despite the current concentration
OF relief enterprises, islanders recall
grlmly the situation which threatened
before help came from the air like
mamma from heaven. Cut off from
communication with regular sources of
supply as completely as an Arctic
colony, they had known the fear born
of dwindling larders and reduced
rations." They feared hard time.
With planes arriving almost dailv
Coast Guard cutter or two hovering
protectingly a mile offshore, store
stocks replenished by cargoes landed
Monday and Tuesday, and 20 square
feet Of floor space in the community
hall piled with free grub" this vii
lage Of 1900 is again in high spirits.
School goes on, with elementary and
high school attendance at a peak;
the young skate, sled and toss snow
balls; the grown-ups hunt, wash,
chop frewood, and there are the usual
tmpromptu meetings around store
stoves.
1t has been 20 days, however, since
Tangier has had normal contact with
the mainland, and the situation un-
Questionably would have been severe
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