OVERNIGHT TO HAWAII

[Music] pan-american airways pioneers of america's great merchant marine of the air and the world's largest aerial transport system operates many trans-oceanic air bases in the united states such as these ultra-modern terminals at miami the pacific terminal at san francisco [Music] and the huge atlantic base at new york in times of peace from these important air terminals famous flying clipper ships winged their way outward on almost daily schedules to china singapore new zealand and australia in alaska its fleet airlines have opened up the vast riches of this important territory giant four engine 40 40-passenger clippers speed across the caribbean to cuba jamaica haiti puerto rico colombia trinidad and the east coast of south america across the vast pacific where one could fly on to the dutch east indies or india [Music] huge land planes fly from miami to puerto rico trinidad brazil to rio de janeiro and buenos aires while great 42-ton boeing clippers the largest commercial airliners in the world leave new york for europe ireland and far off africa [Music] almost overnight america's sky road across the pacific faded into the smoke-filled skies of war [Music] with roots disrupted pan-american airways turned its great fleet of flying clipper ships toward the full-time war effort the gay crowds of passengers and spectators no longer throwing the airport arrivals and departures are made on unannounced schedules even the routes the clippers fly are kept secret and their one-time silver bodies are now covered with weird war paint such are today's flights of the flying clipper ships victory will again rebuild these famous routes over which the clippers recently flew and this great merchant marine of the air will carry on for america's leadership on the trade routes of the world in the meantime let this saga of the flying clipper ships take us back to those pre-war days for a picturized story of the trans-pacific roof [Music] from nearby transcontinental airports special limousines brought trans-pacific passengers to this huge san francisco terminal almost every day was departure day for one of pan americans big flying clipper ships which sped international mail express and passengers to over half the world america's great merchant marine of the air [Music] every clipper carried tons of important air express across the pacific on the swift wings of modern trade their cargo comprised a vast variety of goods including shipments of baby chicks which would arrive the next morning at their new home in honolulu and with what ease on the whole trip the ventilated crates would require no attention whereas by the old slow method days of feeding were required and many used to perish [Music] just before departure time the united states air mail arrived bringing last-minute air mail for the clipper to carry to its far-off destinations destinations which were once days and weeks away were now but a few short hours china recently four weeks away was brought within five days from san francisco new zealand three weeks away is now but four days europe is now but a day from new york and far off africa but a little over two days [Music] every departure day brought hundreds of visitors to watch the takeoffs of the clipper ships the already signal given the captain and his highly trained crew of flight officers marched to the waiting clipper its multiple crew was comprised of specialists in aviation navigation radio communication engine control and seamanship the passengers followed the flight crew aboard the clipper many different and interesting types of people from all parts of the world made up the passenger list diplomats taking the speediest way between washington and their native countries financiers of oriental trade sugar planters from hawaii wool merchants from new zealand and australia mining engineers from the philippines and army and navy officials who relied upon the speedy clipper ships to get them to their far-off destinations in just a matter of hours such was the magic carpet of the airways four of these ships were constructed the world's largest engine with great 14-foot automatically controlled propellers each engine can develop 1600 horsepower at the take-off more than the power of an average locomotive [Music] with least power the great ship lifts itself into the air with the ease and grace of a bird [Music] do the thrill of the takeoff passed the passengers comfortably settled themselves in the soft roomy seat the interiors of these flying clipper ships are the ultimate in pleasing and luxurious surroundings san francisco was the first treat on this wonder cruise of the sky its tall building seemed dwarfed from our high vantage point and the whole city appeared as a miniature toy town [Music] the wings of the flying clipper ship sped us on to new horizons [Music] the skillful and courteous stewards of pan-american were on hand to take care of the passengers every comfort here was travel magic aladdin never dreamed of a practical yours to command magic that in the same time you would spend on a hurried motor trip to a nearby resort carried you across the world to the very doorway of the glamorous orient over the world famous golden gate with its new bridge leaving behind the mainland of the united states to cross the vast open seas to breakfast in honolulu 2 400 miles ahead [Music] in a mere matter of five days this giant flying clipper ships bet us across the vast pacific overnight to hawaii next day to midway island then on to wake island that tiny dot on the pacific which was such an important stepping stone in this great aerial route then on to the island of guam manila heart of the philippine islands and across the china sea to macau and hong kong [Music] dinner is always a great treat on any pan american airliner a meal served on tables gay with spotless linen flashing china and silver imagine eating such a dinner 8 000 feet in the sky while speeding along at nearly 200 miles an hour yet this was but a routine matter to pan american whose years of pioneering in the air had taught them to handle all such details with perfect ease and efficiency nothing lacking from delicious hors d'oeuvre to sizzling hot filets with vegetables and delectable salads and desserts fit for a king a dinner which was but a forerunner of many similar meals that pan americans served on the flying clippers all the way across the pacific and back [Music] but through the fleeting hours of the night the clippers captain and crew as well as the radio and ground stations on both sides of the ocean were constantly alert carrying out their appointed tasks on the upper flight deck of the great clipper ships the large control room contains myriad instruments and dials mechanical devices and telephones so that the captain could keep in touch with the entire crew and the operation of the ship without leaving his post each moment the operation of the clippers four great engines was registered on dials and instruments before the flight engineer so that he could keep them running at top efficiency in addition to the radio direction finders and navigation charts a still further check of the ship's position was made by celestial observations of a fixed star at night and of the sun by day by means of a special octant an instrument which in relation to exact time reveals the ship's latitude and longitude [Music] all of this data was plotted on the chart by the navigator hour by hour this efficient check and counter check sped us on through the night after dinner the clippers passengers spent the swiftly fleeting hours until bedtime in many ways writing letters to friends at home telling them of the wonders of this newfound air travel or a game of cards while the passengers were relaxed with their various pursuits of pleasure the stewards converted the five spacious cabins into sleeping compartments what progress a few short years it made air travel by the flying clipper ships offered every possible comfort enjoyed at home or at fine hotels even electric razors in the gentleman's lounge added to the latest appointments of travel comforts [Music] in the ladies dressing room the extremely modern appointments rival the most luxurious hotels again it was hard to realize that we were aboard a plane so smooth was the flight and so spacious and luxurious worthy accommodations [Music] and so to bed and to sleep to dream of new lands beyond the sunset [Music] stepping ashore overnight from san francisco it seemed that we had hardly left home yet in a few short hours here we were far off in these beautiful tropical isles of hawaii [Music] as the sweet music of the island greeted us we felt the aloha of the flower glaze in which the romance and hospitality of hawaii is symbolized thus the flower lays colorful rays of carnations plumeria white ginger and hibiscus were presented to each passenger in the age-old hawaiian custom [Music] the hula has always been as complete a part of hawaii's welcome as its flower lays a beautiful native girl wearing a tea leaf skirt interpreted the words and rhythm of their song of welcome [Music] even in the city itself the touch of the tropics has invaded the commercial district where graceful palms blend harmoniously with more modern business structures the old royal palace was the seat of royalty its throne room is the only one under the american flag another landmark is a statue of king kamehameha wrapped in his golden feather cape from the top of punch bowl an old volcanic crater one looks out upon a living panorama of the city of honolulu from the brilliant blue waters of the pacific to the now historic pearl harbor one of the outstanding scenic attractions of hawaii is the famous pali at the time of king kamehameha the first this pali was a scene of great destruction kamehameha and his followers overpowered the natives of this island and force them to plunge over its edge to their destruction on the rocky ledge bar below in the rich volcanic soil of hawaii grow the finest pineapples in the world an ingenious harvesting machine has recently been put in operation the picked ripe pineapples are carried on a belt to packing tables on a platform where they are packed in field crates for transportation to the calories the growing and canning of pineapples is the second largest industry on the island sugar takes first place in the islands industries when the cane is ready to be harvested a section large enough for one day's supply at the mill is set a fire to burn away the useless leaves the stalks which contain the sugar are left unharmed huge mechanical hands tear the blackened stalks from the ground and deposit them into cane cars for transportation to the mills hawaii is a land of scenic grandeur along the coast are many lovely vistas of mountains sky and sea [Music] through the fringes of coconut palms whose leafy rocket-like tops yearn toward the sea stands diamond hen the famous landmark of hawaii it rises abruptly out of the sea and guards lovely waikiki the world's most famous beach famed even in the days of the kamehamehas and on whose shores the ancient kings of hawaii used to dwell overnight and we were transplanted to this glorious mid-pacific paradise such a few short hours from the drab coastline of the mainland to lie on a beach of white coral sand and gaze out onto waters of brilliant turquoise everyone forgets their cares and plays at waikiki [Music] hey [Music] a favorite sport is outrigger canoeing outrigger canoes are the original boats of the hawaiians even today the natives make them out of a single trunk of a specially selected koa tree by the same methods their ancestors used [Music] the long coral reef protecting waikiki from the outer ocean causes smooth waves to roll into shore upon the crest of these speeding hills of water native hawaiians as well as all good swimmers may ride these mighty chargers of the surf there is no sport more thrilling a sport which was the sport of kings in the past just another of the fascinating experiences on the roots of the flying clipper ships [Music] and so we bad aloha to this wonderful land of hawaii as our great flying clipper ship carried us again into the sky [Music] on the way to midway island so named because its location is just midway or halfway around the world from greenwich england from where all international time is calculated a small dot in the vast pacific yet its geographical location made it a natural mid-ocean base for pan-american in less than eight hours from hawaii we stepped ashore on this island where until the coming of pan american scarcely a hundred white men in all recorded history had ever set adventurous foot cars awaited to drive us to the hotel the only two cars on the island brought there by the supply ships along with diesel motor generator plants refrigerators in fact everything necessary to turn a coral atoll into a modern community so that we could have every convenience on this little isle against white coral sands and clumps of green magnolia trees a fine hotel was built by pan-american airways system the same currents which help form the island bring to these glistening shores little hollow glass balls of many sizes and shapes floats from japanese fishnets which have become loosened and have drifted halfway across the pacific [Music] midway island is truly a bird sanctuary for many thousands of aquatic birds raise their families on this tiny spot in the mid-pacific the fairy turns are spotlessly white little creatures and like lovebirds are generally found in pears there are friendly little birds and very curious they seem to stand still in midair with their rapidly beating wings the turn is another interesting bird which inhabits midway in great flocks [Music] the island is honeycombed with holes dug by morning birds the babies are cute little balls of fluffy down [Music] here too on midway island the famous gooney birds live for many months of the year technically these birds are laysan albatross but due to their crazy attics they have been nicknamed goofy goonies it is certainly amazing to see these goonies go into their hilarious song and dance routine natural jitterbugs they keep this up hour after hour day in and day out never seeming to tire of it [Music] [Applause] [Music] they will start dancing and along will come a third who attempts to join even four may be dancing together but generally in that case they break up into pairs goofy goonies is right [Music] another goofy amusement on this surprising island was goony golf played with red golf balls on a stretch of the always cool soft porous sand however this course had some unusual hazards in the goonies when you no longer could spot the little red golf ball on the coral sand you could be sure it was hiding beneath some baby goonie here the healthful rays of sun from the azure blue of the sky reflected from the clear ocean and white sands made this unique island a veritable paradise for sun worshipers [Music] shortly after we left midway island we crossed the international date line which arbitrarily takes a day away from us a place where today becomes tomorrow scarcely eight hours of easy sky cruising and we covered the 1185 sea miles to wake island a land unheard of until a few years ago uninhabited until the coming of the airway pioneers little did the world realize that this tiny island would forever go down in history a monument to those brave and gallant men who so courageously fought to defend it against the enemy invaders [Music] the much talked of chemical garden was another new scientific development which pan americans sponsored here on wake an ingenious method of growing vegetables in solutions only a freshly sprouted corn seedling was carefully placed over the chemical tank so that its roots pass through the screen into the solution excelsior and shavings held the plant upright and from then on the growth was extremely rapid [Music] tomatoes were successfully grown as well as cucumbers and many vegetables here another unlooked for surprise was in store for us the wilkes island railroad two city blocks in length called the shortest railroad in the world it was over this railroad that all of wake's supplies were hauled from the sea landing to the lagoon for ferrying to peel island although the distance was so short that one could easily walk it in a couple of minutes it was much more fun to ride this unique railroad [Music] at the extreme end of the line pan americans fishing launch awaited this offshore [Music] a wooden imitation fish with two large hooks called a topperino was the lure used to capture the sporty fighting game fish which inhabit the waters of this angler's paradise where almost all species of the finest big game fish are found in abundance [Music] hardly had the lines been unreal when you felt the thrill of your first strike often oftentimes one passed through a school of yellowfin tunas and so little fishing had been done in these waters that it was not uncommon for every line to be struck at the same time by one of these gamey fish and it was some sport to pull them into the boat just as fast as you possibly could [Music] not so bad for on our sport enough fish for one of wake island's famous fish barbecues beneath the full moon and brilliant stars of a tropical night nowhere else in the world is there such crystal clear water as wake's lagoon and such a magnificent and brilliant array of hundreds of tropical fish which live in and about the great coral heads here we found new thrills and greater beauties in a fantastic shimmering world beneath the sea by putting on a watertight sea glass one was able to invade father neptune's kingdom and discover in its clear coral pool's hidden treasures of unbelievable splendor [Music] these exotic creatures are a colorful type of trigger fish and have the hawaiian name of humahuma nukanuko apawa there seems to be no limit to the size shapes colors and markings with which nature has adorned some of these lovely specimens [Music] this brilliant specimen which looks so much like a huge goldfish is really a squirrel fish where it ever got such a name is a mystery these are a type of butterfly fish words seem inadequate to describe these gay-looking fish their exotic designs and colorings are so bizarre that one would almost believe them to be artificial among the branches of coral lived thousands of these little fish because of their stripe markings they are called prisoner fish like mermaid jewels these gay little fish flip through the shifting green and gold lights on the white sand in and out of their fairy palaces of coral and anemones one of the most amazing creatures of the coral gardens is the hermit crab the housing problem is one of his major difficulties having no shell of his own to protect his soft body he must find one suitable for his needs finding one he snuggles into his new home and crawls away [Music] having glimpsed this fantastic garden of the deep we turned our sailboat into the setting sun where the hotel and dinner beckoned another island another day enjoyed to the fullest on this new high road of the sky early the next morning our great flying clipper ship lifted us once more into the sky in 10 hours more our silver wings fed us 1508 miles from wake to the picturesque tropical palm-covered isle of guam here again pan-american brought you to a wholly different land another land all but unknown until the coming of the flying clipper ships [Music] the city of agarnya was the commercial center of guam as well as the home of the naval governor of the island and the government schools buildings and hospitals in the sun gold of a tropical sky it lies in the path of the trade winds in the mid-pacific [Music] aganya a typical tropical town although modernized retained an atmosphere which recalled that at one time it belonged to spain especially the old cathedral built by the early missionaries [Music] the gracious hospitality of this beautiful little island was reflected in the pretty native girls with their colorful costumes of brilliant silks satins and flowery brocades their dress-up costumes were patterned after gowns worn by spanish ladies when the island was under spain's control [Music] guam's fine highway led past many spots of interest in this beautiful coconut-covered island [Music] eleague bay where the ultramarine water and white surf spread patterns over sands of coral and lava in those spots where there was no highway the carabao carts passed along the smooth shores of the lovely palm-fringed beaches like most children the world over the boys of guam were happy youngsters and have few cares [Music] ancient carts trundled along the beautifully shaded roads drawn by lazy water buffalo their cargos traffic foods masses of lovely blossoms or like this one a family on its way to town for a shopping tour all streets and houses in guam were very clean picturesque little dwellings roofing a house in guam was a community affair all the men of the neighborhood turned out in full force and in a very short time the tedious work of lifting and tying each leaf onto the framework of the roof was accomplished [Music] this was always followed by a happy celebration and the pretty girls danced the native fandango in this way what might have been a tedious work became merely the prelude to a happy holiday [Music] then on our speedy way again to manila the next stopping place in pal american sky road to the orient arriving there in scarcely 10 hours of cruising over the ultramarine blue of the sea and through skies filled with beautiful cloud formation [Music] heading straight across the island of luzon we flew over the city of manila spreading along the pasig river from our vantage point we saw at a single glance the old city enclosed within the age-old wall the new city with its splendid buildings spacious parks and lovely boulevards from the moment we set eyes on this historic land on the other side of the world there were a thousand and one interesting sights and scenes to claim our attention a few moments more and our great clipper ship landed gently upon the smooth waters of manila bay at cavite where the pan american base was located the pasig river passes through the center of the city it was the port for steamers from all parts of the world which made manila an important stop at this crossroad of the seven seas native casco's and bankers the island's picturesque riverboats upon which whole families lived lined its banks the legislative building was one of the finest in the philippines its impressive white granite walls housed the new commonwealth government probably nowhere in the vast orient was there another building so impressive and as architecturally beautiful the new bridge over the pasic river was one of the main arteries into town most typical of the philippines were the picturesque little horse-drawn carriages or karamatas the modern business section of manila was a busy center of commerce banking shops theaters and heavy traffic [Music] in 1572 the spanish captured the city from the morrows and built a great wall around their newly conquered prize [Music] inside this wall the manila cathedral retained much of its original charm one of the few edifices in the east where true spanish architecture predominated here fascinating primitive life and customs blended with the modern in this 20th century gateway to the far east [Music] outstanding among all scenic trips near manila and certainly the most thrilling was an excursion to parks and han fall the beautiful river runs through thick green jungles where wild monkeys play and jump among the high trees [Music] native bunkers with two boatmen and one passenger negotiated these whirling rapids [Music] gliding into the smooth water at the head of the river the fall suddenly loomed before us [Music] up in the high mountains of northern luzon are the famous rice terraces of banawi one of the great wonders of the world the igarot people have terraced the entire sides of this deep valley for rice paddies how many centuries have passed from the time of their construction to the present day and how many centuries it took to build them no one can say certainly their beginning is lost in the remote past around the little egg wrote stone houses the women who do most of the work put out the harvested rice to dry in the sun the igarot men are much more savage looking in fact up until recently they were head hunters which doesn't mean they were cannibals in the true sense of the word but they simply took heads from their native enemies as a punitive measure against anyone who encroached on their rice terraces the feuds which raged from time to time among the various tribes culminated in one side capturing a head from the other this is a signal for a dance of victory the warriors put on their best regalia and reenact in this dance the story of their great achievement it is called the head dance because it symbolizes the capturing of a head the warrior who plays the leading role in the dance at the end picks up the head as his prize hollow in the heart of the sulu sea was the home and capital of the sultan of sulu the only sultan under the american flag here an entire city was built up on stilts over the water hundreds of natives called morrows were born lived and died on this strange pier without ever leaving it [Music] the morrows are mohammedans and these three lads give ample proof of their love for bright colors a native wedding was about to take place in the village the women always escort the bride from her home to the wedding place an interesting native was the gong ringer a pure morotype who wore a typical costume of silk tight trousers decorated along the ankle with rows of white buttons tomorrow men filed their teeth to a sharp point and stained them black with betelnut a strange and painful custom [Music] the men of the village escort the bridegroom and priest to the ceremony in this ceremony the bride seemed to play a very unimportant part [Music] the wedding consisted of a contract between the bride's father and the bridegroom this was solemnized by the priest covering their clasped hands with a cloth apparently with some sacred significance [Music] and here's the happy bride and groom [Music] the native orchestra rang out exotic music on its oriental flutes shrill string instruments and xylophone-like bells dancers not unlike the dancers of java except in costumes interpreted a wedding dance in their sharp angular movements [Music] the wedding over the people returned to their own islands in a fleet of moro ventas found only in this part of the philippines undoubtedly these picturesque and colorful craft are among the most beautiful ships on any sea whole families cooked ate and slept on these ventus which often traveled as far north as manila and as far south as borneo the designs and colors of the sails indicated the tribe and island the ship is from most of the men were pearl fishers from this picturesque land the clipper winged out carefully five hours more across the china sea was the fabled land of the ancient world china macau the oldest foreign colony in china was our entrance to the orient this settlement of ancient portugal was our first port of call on the land that lies at the other end of the world from our own how we thrilled at that first sight of asia situated at the mouth of the canton river macau was for centuries a bustling port for european merchants trading in china it resembled some european resort on the sunny mediterranean but this illusion was shattered by the rickshaws uniquely chinese which were one of the city's main methods of transportation many lovely old temples added their exotic appearance to the city one of the most beautiful the temple of the goddess amma queen of heaven after whom macau was named is centuries older than the portuguese occupation this highly decorated entrance is typical of many similar such doorways all over the celestial empire many festivals took place around these temples large oriental banners and flower bedec shrines were carried through the streets to the weird music of a chinese orchestra [Music] just outside the city is the main road from china manpower was cheap in china and in the early hours of the morning the road was a massive chinese peasants trudging along on their way to and from the marketplaces heavily burdened with loads of vegetables fruit and merchandise which most of them carried on poles balanced over their shoulders junks are china's seagoing native ships with their queer rigged sails so numerous are they that the entire harbor and coastline is constantly filled with them [Music] these picturesque craft with such low bows and high sterns give the appearance that they are sailing backwards yet the chinese navigate them with the greatest of skill and apparent ease everywhere sights and sounds made us want to stay a while longer in this unusual city of the east but hong kong only 40 miles away back in the sun as the great engines of our flying clipper ship lifted us once again into the sky above the china sea we were about a few minutes from victoria island upon which the british city of hong kong is situated our great clipper in less than a week had taken us 9 000 miles from san francisco to hong kong landing upon hong kong's bay we could not help but thrill to this great aerial adventure hong kong has one of the finest harbors in the world vessels from many ports the world over and the ever-apparent junks flied back and forth between the two sides of the bay transporting natives and supplies [Music] the waterfront was always jammed with junks of all ages and varieties 10 million of china's population lived aboard these junks which went up and down the china coast carrying freight or fishing one of china's major industries in the orient women work as hard as the men their way of life is quite reversed to our own breaking rocks for roadway construction is just one of the many jobs they handle strolling through these strange streets with the age-old spectacle of oriental life milling about us we had to keep reminding ourselves that we were in america just five days ago that we have looked upon half the world in the space of a single week a colorful and interesting spectacle of china is a native funeral wealthy orientals often spend thousands of dollars on this occasion in the procession are many banners lanterns and shrines decorated with flowers and food all carried through the streets to the whales of native music the wearing of white is a sign of mourning in china and in order to give sufficient prestige to the departed professional mourners are hired the food is taken to the grave so that the soul will not go hungry on its long journey to heaven [Music] streets and buildings in the native quarter have the colorful touch of the orient in their signs and doorways streaming banners wave by the score hundreds of busy natives clatter along in their quaint wooden heel slippers and the air is filled with the odors of sandalwood and incense such as the fascinating never-ending pageant of the orient in the commercial section of hong kong built by the british the buildings changed to typical english architecture and design even to the statue of queen victoria for whom this island was named here were housed great business firms representing companies from the five continents such as this beautiful white granite structure of the national city bank of new york at kai tech hong kong's modern air terminal big airliners made scheduled connections with the flying clipper ships this plane of the chinese national airways and whose operation pan-american airways is a partner with the chinese government just arrived from the great interior of china near the border of tibet and although these new high roads of the sky have had to be temporarily abandoned they afforded the opportunity for great research and technical experience which is now being utilized by pan-american airways in their newer and greater wartime routes to the four corners of the globe soaring across the high roads of the sky back from the other side of the world the flying clipper's silver body embellished with the emblem of the stars and stripes was a climax of all of pan-americans years of pioneering over great oceanic roofs when victory once more spreads peace out across the pacific and around the world the silver wings of the flying clipper ships will quickly follow once more carrying international commerce and the goodwill of the democracies to these lands beyond the sunset [Music] you