The Wyandotte news-herald. (Wyandotte, Mich.) 1943-1963, 1945-03-08

storage space, passengers seats. four
comfortable looking beds and small
but complete galley.
After the crew had come aboard
and scattered throughout the ship I
made myself comfortable by a small
window where could observe every
thing. A small but noisy little motor
started its peculiar squeal some
where in the entrails of the ship
I never did find out exactly what it
was.
AT last the huge motors caught the
spark of life from the whining start
er - the two on the left wing first,
then those on the right. AS the
propellors were feathered they did
not bite into the air but simply
rotated at an ever increasing speed
while the engines warmed to their
work. AS watched I was fascinated
by miniature waterspout that at
tempted to rise among the air cur
rents beteen the whirling blades. The
ship continued to rise and fall with
the gentle afternoon swells in the
harbor.
At a signal from the pilot the
mooring lines were cast off and the
propellors gently bit into the air.
The boys on the dock waved good
bye and the plane TAXED smoothly
through the water down to the far
end of the runway. We turned
around and paused momentarily
while the men clustered in the waist
Of the ship to balance the load for
the take-off. The engines screamed
in roaring crescendo and the plane
charged forward. Sheets of water
rose from the plunging bow, splash
ing and washing the sides of the
plane. Suddenly the water dropped
away We were airborne!
AS We gained altitude I looked
back at Pearl Harbor, the same view
the Japanese bombers had on that
fateful December seventh. I mar
yelled at the size of that great naval
base! Honolulu also was visible and
its streets and buildings faded quick
ly away as We headed out to sea.
The sky was dotted with clouds.
1t was as If we passed through clouds
of steam from mothers teakettle in
stead of aerial condensations, but
the hot naked sun above soon spoiled
the illusion.
The ship continued to rise until
an altitude Of seven thousand feet
was reached. The engineer continued
to watch the new motor on the
Starboard side. Wandering back to-
wards the rear Of the plane I found
the meteorologist in the very tail
of the ship enjoying the splendid
view. The clouds stretched enlessly,
presenting a totally different ap-
pearance from above than they did
from below. Like piles of freshly
picked cotton they beloved up in
heaps and mounds, in every con-
ceivable sic and shape. The meteor
ologist called my attention to one
cumuluS cloud in the distance that
rose many thousands Of feet in the
air where it was rapidly spreading
out into the long slender stretches
of alto-stratuS clouds. The whole for
nation was shaped like a mighty
anvil, and one almost expected the
ancient Roman god, Vulcan, to make
it ring with his mighty blows as
he fashioned new tools of war for
Mars.
Below through occasional riffs
in the clouds, I could see the blue
Pacific. A mighty warship was APP
parently reduced to the size of a
row boat. The Island of Oahu was
still visible for we had been circling
in wide, lazy arcs. Now and then
I caught a glimpse of Molokai, the
Leper Island, and of Lanai, the
Pineapple Island, both of them hazy
in the distance.
AS a final check for the new motor
the pilot opened the throttles wide
and we headed back towards Oahu
at a speed of over two hundred miles
per hour. The roar was deafening,
and not only blotted out ones
speech but actually seemed to dam
pen the mind, too. A couple of
ladies, hanging together in the gall
ley, set up a vibration in resonance
that threatened to overpower the