Evening star., 1942-01-08
Clipper Officers Here
After GIobe-CircIinq
Flight From War
z Flyers Tell Only Part
Of Their Story on Orders
Of MiIitory Intelligence


Airways' Pacific Clipper, which new
around the world to get back to this
country from the Far East war zone,
settled down in suburban Washing
ton today to see what they could do
about regaining the weight and
equilibrium they left scattered along
the 31,50O miles of their journey.
With great understatement, the
two wan, weary flyers told the story
of the flight-the first ever made
around the world by a commercial
transport
First Officer John H. Mack and
Second Oficer Roderick Norman
Brown of the Pacific Clipper are
guests of Dr. and Mrs. Roscoe Spen-
Ger, No. 6 West drive, Bethesda, Md.
The flyers wives are with them and
Mrs. Brown is the former Mary
Garland Spencer, daughter Of DR..
and Mrs. Spencer.
! Here at Request Of Military Men.
The two came to Washington,
with other members Of the Clippers
crew, to be interviewed by officers
of Army and Navy intelligence serv-
Ices. The military men sealed the
flyers lips on many aspects Of the
flight.
The Clipper left San Francisco
December on a routine flight which
was to go to Hawaii and New Zea-
land and return. When the plane
was between New Caledonia and
Auckland, New Zealand, word OF the
japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
cracked through the air.
The plane reached Auckland safely
and waited week for orders. Then
came word that the plane was to
proceed back to the United States
by way of Africa and South Amer
lea.
I'VE didn't know what we were
getting into" said the flyers today
I'VE knew it was going to be long
trip, but"
Reticent on Hardships.
The men weren't inclined to talk
much about the extreme hardships
of the trip. but their wives and Mrs.
Spencer filled in some Of the details
They didn't reach this country until
day before yesterday.
They had set their huge flying boat
down in ports where plane of such
size had never been seen. They had
lived on diet consisting almost ex-
clusively of fSh-for breakfast,
lunch and dinner-for three weeks
They had been drilled by mos
quitoes, roasted in the tropics. gone
without baths or clean clothes,
worked like slaves and flown by
prayer-and had landed in New
York in the bitter cold, with only
the thinnest of garments.
Mr. Brown lost 20 pounds on the
trip and Mr. Mack lost Is pounds
They weren't allowed to disclose the
route they took. Once, they passed
within 200 miles of an area where
Japs were operating, but no enemy
planes saw them.
Passed an Enemy Craft.
Once, they passed an enemy craft,
but on this subject they were sworn
to silence.
Mr. Brown had some extra clothes
which he handed over to a native
wash woman in a Far Eastern port
Before the clothes came back, the
Clipper got orders to take of. Mr..
Brown spent the next couple OF
weeks in the clothes he was wearing
In most of the out-of the-way
ports where they stopped, living con-
ditions were nearly unbearable and
the two officers developed an over
whelming yearning for American
standards
On Christmas Day, they worked
like dogs in port loading 1000
gallons of gas into the plane by
hand They had to carry 1000 cans
of gasoline by hand and by row.
boat out to the ship. On New Year,
they were down in an African port
too weary and unhappy to care
Coming up from South America,
they ran into rough weather and Mr.
Brown-along with almost every one
else on the plane-got air sick for
the first time in his life.
1T was the kind of ordeal that you
are glad you can look back on-and
can hope you never go through
again." said Mr.. Mack.
Almost Shot Down by Dutch.
Coming into one Far Eastern port,
they were met by Dutch fighter
plane. They were under orders not
to use their radio and therefore
couldn't identify themselves. For
some time the fighter hovered near
them, inspecting the ship warily
Then the fighter signaled to the
ground for reinforcements.
The Clipper few circumspectly
and landed and the crew learned
that the Dutch fighter had almost
shot them down.
The unhappiest man aboard was 8
radio technician who'd gotten or
the clipper in Los Angeles to make
some repairs He hadn't finished
when the ship was scheduled to TAXI
off for San Francisco, so phonee
his wife and said he would trave
to San Francisco and get back fol
dinner.
When he reached San Francisco
1t was discovered that the radio
officer was sick and the techniciar
was pressed into duty for the flight
For the next month, the mans wifi
got messages from him from al
parts of the world-carrying th'
strong hint that he wouldn't b.
home for dinner, after all.
Mr.. Mack and Mr.. Brown viii
spend the next few days in Wash
ington. Mrs. Browns father Is ,
Public Health Service physician ant
she went to school at the Bethesda
Chevy Chase High School.