The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1941-11-01

Officially unobserved and
marked only by routine Clipper
takk-6ffs and scheduled land
ings in IS countries and colonies
scattered over the globe. and a
brief backward glance by the few
who were IN Key West in 1877.
the l4th birthday" Of the Pan
American Always System fell
on October II.
Like the colored soldiers def
milton Of strategy 'keepin' right
on shootin' after your ammuni-
ton done run cut'-Pan Ameri-
can was UP against Strategy on
the day os its very first flight
The newly organized company
had to make that first flight,
from KEY West to Havana, with
out any airplane.
Let's LET Captain Charles Nor
gan, one Of Pan Americans old
timers, tell the story. Morgan
was a retired officer Of the u. s.
Navy living in Key West back IN
1927 when the little company
came along that had the idea Of
starting an airline to Havana
Morgan had been one Of the
heroes Of the Battleship Maine
when it was blown up in Ha-
vana harbor. an incident which
put Uncle Sam into the Spanish
American war. with both feet.
The doughty old officer was
itching for something to do so
he joined up with the little COM
pany which had Capt. j. E.
Whitbeck and Frederick ]. Gel
haus down in Key West building
a landing field out of a rough,
brushy spot in the native coral
rock.
The company had a contract
with the United States Post Of
flee to fly the mail to Havana.
says the captain. and had put
up a bond Of $4,000 to guaran-
tee start Of the service on or be-
fore October II, 1877. Time slip
ped By and still Ed Musick
couldn't get down there with a
plane from the Fokker factory.
up in New Jersey. We were up
against it. Things looked hope
less right up to the last minute.
Finally, the West Indies Aeri-
al Express. operated by r. I.
Drnten between Santiago de
Cuba and San Juan, Puerto
Rico. had little singIe-engine
Stinson, on pontoons. - the
Nina.-come through to Key
West on the way down to the
West Indies company. The pilot
was cy Caldwell and we made
deal with him to take the mail
over to Havana for $3.50. On the
morning of the 18th we got the
mail from the railroad station
and took It IN 4 US. Coast Guard
boat out TO the little Nina,
which was bobbing around in
the harbor. Robert Boyd Of the
Post Office had fits. He was
scared to death that the mail
would be lost
ecy took off from Key West
at $50 in the morning and made
the 90 miles to Havana IN two
hours and a minutes. That
saved the contract. The next
mail didn't 60 over Until IL days
later, on October %. AIusick
came in from New York WITH
the first Fokker FIT. the Cen
eral Machado. on October 26
Two days later Musick made the
first regular flight in Pan
American plane-October %.
1927. He made the trip every
day for about so days. Then BIu-
sick went up with flight me-
cbanic Johnnie Donahue (now in
the Miami Section offce) to get
another ship and Hughie Wells
flew the mail for about a month.
I'VE would have up to 100
pounds Of mail and maybe room
for one passenger to squeeze IN
among the mail sacks. if we
could get anybody to go. But.
gosh, we sure carried MALI The
Post Office gave Us all the first
class mail off the railroad-aH
the Cuba mail
After a little while Leuteritx
and Sullinger came along with
the radio and the darn thing
weighed IT. pounds. They had
to figure out a new one which
was lighter.
sThen Andre Priester, and Vic