Evening star., 1942-03-08
By HAROLD B. ROGERS.

BY HAROLD B. ROGERS.
Extending for nearly 5000 miles
over jungle. sea and the highest
mountains in the Western Hemi-
sphere, an air trip from Chile to the
United States furnishes wide va
rlety of striking scenery and thrills.
Such a flight recently consumed
five days of flying, in daylight only,
passing over the Caribbean, where
enemy submarines have been operat-
ing against United Nations tankers.
From the Pan American Airways
stratoclipper, high in the air. we
saw no actual fighting in the Carib-
bean. But at certain places we saw
United States bombing planes TAX
ing off in pursuit of Axis U-boats.
Strange looking oil Sticks appeared
once or twice on the surface OF the
Caribbean below, but we had no
yav of knowing whether they were
from damaged submarines or from
some other source.
The long flight from Santiago,
Chile. to Miami along the east coast
is 1911 miles, further than across
the United States and back again
Stopovers in Buenos Aires. Rio de
Janeiro. Belem and Port Of Spain,
provided fascinating glimpses INTO
the life Of peoples.
Mountains Provide Thrill.
From hospitable and charming
Santiago, where group OF news
papermen from the United states
had spent about month as guest
writer's for Chilean newspapers, the
flight to the United States began at
an airport within sight OF the tow
ering, snow-capped Andes.
AS we took of in a two-motored
Douglas DC-3 transport for the pig
pull over the Andes, 1t was Dit
cloudy. Soon the mountains loomed
up through the low-hanglng mist
and we few through great pass
headed for one of the best thrills
of the trip. Rocky crags. sharp
peaks and steep cliffs rose all
around us. Our ears began to
feel the height. Rising higher
and higher we scared past barren
mountains, others topped with snow,
until finally, up to the left, as we
climbed still further into the thin
ner air, there appeared far above
the majestic peak Of Aconcagua'
mightiest mountain in the Western
Hemisphere, 22,834 feet high. This
compares with the highest noun
tain in North America, Mount Nc
Kinley. Alaska, 10000 feet; the
highest in Virginia, Mount Rogers,
5.71e. and the highest in Maryland,
Backbone Mountain, 3,340.
Air Is "Bumpy."
The air was "bumpy'' as we cut
through the pass, but the plane
held to a comparatively even course
considering the updrafts and air
pockets. Oxygen" said the stew
ard, lis good thing to take at this
altitude" So we blew some pure
oxygen into our faces out of tiny
tubes near each seat. We felt bet
ter Immediately.
Suddenly on our right appeared
one of the greatest statues in the
world, one whose picture is familiar
to every schoolboy-"The Christ OF
the Andes" Erected on the noun
tain boundary line between Argen-
tina and Chile, this peaceful symbol
stands as a monument to the de-
termination of these peoples to pre-
serve the peace established between
them early in this century. Near the
statue arose two tall radio towers
of "Panagra," sending messages to
our plane to help take us safely
through one of the most magnificent
stretches of scenery in the West
ern World.
Sliding down from the Andes into
the high plateau country of the Ar
eentine we finally reached the cities
of Mendoza and Cordoba, where we
landed for fuel before continuing on
across the great fertile plains of the
pampas. Checkerboard fields fitted
by beneath. Neat homesteadS with
we'll painted barns were surrounded
in most cases by rows Of trees,
planted to break the winds OF that
fiat country. Finally we neared
Buenos Aires, largest city of South
America, growing rapidly out into
the level countryside.
G. L. Graduate With Airline.
OF particular interest to Washing
tionains is the fact that Pan Amer
lean Airways in Buenos Aires is
under the direction of a graduate OF
Georgetown University, Sylvester
Roll, known to his best friends as
'Spec" His wife, Mrs. Barbara Roll,
is a graduate of George Washington
University Helpful, too at Buenos
Aires, was the hospitality OF Douglas
Clark, who showed us the sights Of
tHe great city.
Leaving Buenos Aires we had
magnificent view of the great city
and its wide River Plate. Buenos
Aires is a crossroads of traffic, both
sea and air, as 26 times each week
giant transports fly in and out.
Over the rich lands of Uruguay