Evening star., 1941-12-10
Pan American Gets
Staff Of 70 Safely
Off Wake Island
Philippine Clipper Saves
Own Men; Construction
Force Believed Left
BY the Associated Press.

Nv the Associated Press.
SAN FRANCISCO. Dec. 10.-Pan
American Airways has successfully
evacuated all its personnel from
Wake Island, it was learned last
night. but an undetermined num-
ber of construction workers may still
be on the island.
1--WE got our own people OF the
island" said George Gardner, Pan
American spokesman.
Il can't say about the construc-
ton workers. They may still be
there"
The construction crews were COM
prised largely of Idaho youths, re-
cruited by a contracting firm Tor
work on Wake, Midway, Palmyra
and other Mid-Pacific islands. There
was no estimate on how many orig
inally were sent to Wake.
The Pan American representative
said his information, scant because
of censorship, was confined to what
happened to the company personnel,
They were taken to Honolulu from
Wake.
There were more than 20 of them
and they are all safe" he declared.
Clipper Makes Rescue.
In New York it was learned that
the Philippine Clipper reversed its
course to make the rescue at Wake
Island.
When the japanese attack on
Pearl Harbor began word was f1ashed
to clipper captains to proceed on
a previously arranged plan.
Under command of Capt. J. H.
Hamilton, the Philippine Clipper,
with no passengers aboard, but with
a heavy cargo Of defense materials
consigned to China, was westbound
from Wake Island.
Capt. Hamilton Wheeled about.
On reaching Wake he found that
Japanese bombers had completed
an attack and disappeared. He took
aboard all company personnel and
flew to Midway Island, to the east,
then proceeded to Hawaii.
The Anzac Clipper, which had
been approaching Honolulu at the
time of the Japanese attack, landed
at an alternate port in the ISLANDS.
The Pacific Clipper. westbound, ar
rived at Auckland, N. T., on schedule.
Passengers Go On.
The bombing of Honolulu failed
to frighten II passengers on the
Anzac Clipper and all refused to re-
turn to the United States, the cap
tain said on bringing the big flying
boat back here to port.
Capt. Harry Lanier Turner of
Oakland said the Clipper was only
400 miles out of Honolulu at 7:55
am. Sunday when it heard the city
was being bombed.
1t few to a predetermined port,
which the captain declined to name,
unloaded its passengers, refueled
and returned without ever seeing
Honolulu, any war planes or war
craft.
The passengers, including three
women, were told that war had
broken out but insisted on continu-
ing to their destinations in Honolulu
or the Orient.
Difficulty In Refueling.
While lying camouf1aged in the
Hawaiian port, the Clipper took on
4.300 gallons of gasoline with great
difficulty. The Clipper couldn't ap-
proach a dock and the port was
equipped to furnish only 400 or 500
gallons in refueling aircraft.
Turner and his crew were on
duty 70 hours with scarcely any
sleep.
On the return flight the ship
ducked into clouds whenever 1t could
find them, as a screen from possible
enemy ships. Turner said he few
close enough to the water to see
warcraft, but sighted none.
One Plane Destroyed.
All but one of the Clippers which
were in the air when the war be-
gan are safe, a check at ports of
entry showed.
The exception was known as
"Betsy," an obsolescent Sikorsky
Clipper which served faithfully on
the New York-Bermuda run, flew
for a time between Seattle and
Juneau and finally was transferred
to the Far East.
japanese bombers destroyed it at
Hong Kong. Neither crew nor pas
sengers were aboard at the time.