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THE CHINA MAIL, APRIL 28, 1987,
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HISTORIC CLIPPER FLIGHT Colony Linked Up With United States By New Service
HUGE CROWDS WITNESS KAI TAK CEREMONIES
Fifteen Dead In U.S. Floods
New York, To-day. Fifteen are dead and five miss- ing in widespread floods in six Eastern States, while the dam- age is enormous:
The waters are now receding, with the exception of the Ohio RiverReuter.
me much pleasure indeed be here to-day on this memorable occasion, of the first arrival of the *- Hong Kong Clipper from the United States.
It is at the same time, the first direct air mail between erica, and China via Hong Kong across the vast Pacific ocean, truly a historical feat which few of us thought pos- sible, even in this century of pro- gress.
This marks another stage. in the history of aviation, and is great achievement of the Pan-
THERE WERE WELL OVER 5,000 SPECTA- TORS AT KAI TAK AIRPORT THIS MORNING TO PAY TRIBUTE TO CAPTAIN A. E. LA- PORTE, PILOT OF THE HONG KONG CLIP-MORIAL MEMBER PER, AND HIS COLLEAGUES, ON THE COM-N. L. Smith's speech and was greet-American Airways, which will link PLETING OF THES INAUGURAL FLIGHT ed with thunderous applause. China, the British Empire......... and ACROSS THE PACIFIC TO HONG KONG.
He stated that it was a very great America more closely together, and pleasure for him and his crew to at the same time will be a link of Hundreds lined the foreshore while in the sub-come to Hong Kong to close the goodwill, and further promote in-
communications ternational frienship (Applause).
regret, if I
sidiary hangar, the official guests, who numbered last gap of air
round the world... He hoped to “It is matter about 400, were asembled awaiting the arrival of cement friendships already made may say so, that a friend of China, His Excellency the Officer Administering the Gov-here, and to make new ones. who ernment, Hon. Mr. N. L. Smith, and later the intre- Francisco across the Pacific to the pid airmen.
PEARED OVER THE HARBOUR SHORTLY BEFORE NOON,|ground staff including Mr. Bixby. I am sure you will few days ago.
"Gentlemen, on behalf of China, I take this opportunity to wish the crew of the
with the
a successfey hspeed and
extent is respon- The flight was No. 103 from San
sible for this gathering, cannot be here with us to-day, I refer to Sir. Orient, and was an uneventful one.
Andrew Caldecott, who has. left The credit for the project must, we RIGHT ON SCHEDULED TIME THE GIANT PLANE AP-boys feel, go
Hong Kong only a to our excellent
agree with me HAVING COMPLETED THE JOURNEY FROM MANILA IN 6 who contributed much to the suc-when I say that we should have HOURS 55 MINUTES, INCLUSIVE OF A SHORT STOP IN cess of the flight," he concluded liked to see him here among us on MACAO
amid loud and prolonged applause, this great occasion. THE SPECIAL DAIS WHICH WAS ERECTED IN THE CEN-
MR. BIXPY'S SPEECH TRE OF THE HANGAR FACING THE SEA, WAS TASTEFULLY Mr. Bixby said: The Union DECORATED, A UNION JACK BEING IN THE CENTRE OF THE Jack is not a strange flag to Pan- WALL BEHIND THE DAIS SUPPORTED BY THE STARS AND American pilots. For several years hope that they will continue to con STRIPES ON ONE SIDE AND THE CHINESE NATIONAL FLAG our company has had the privilege tribute their share towards interna- ON THE OTHER. A MICROPHONE WAS SITUATED IN FRONT of serving ports of your vast
tional peace and friendship among OF THE DAIS.
Empire-the Bahamas, Jamaica, all nations. (loud applause). The approach to the aerodrome, is very appropriate that, by another British Honduras, British Guiana, and now was packed with a huge crowd, miracle of modern science, it has the Windward Islands," which the Police had great trouble been made possible for to-day's Hong Kong. in controlling. Outside the main proceedings to be directly audible “It is significant, however, that concluded, the official guests filed: hangar was the Sikorsky flying throughout the United States of to-day at this magnificent airport, in out onto the foreshore where they witnessed His Excellency the bours, you have witnessed the first Officer Administering the Govern- ment and Miss Judith Smith, and direct connection between the ser- Mr. Bixby and his party board the vices of Pan-American and your Government Launch Lila, which great Imperial Airways. Soon these conveyed them to the Hong Kong companies will jointly operate across Clipper, which was resting peace- the North Atlantic, and it will be fully at her anchorage.
boat of the China National Air-America as well as in Australia this most beautiful of all, your har- ways Corporation, waiting to carry and other nearer places, mail from the United States by the Clipper, to Shanghai and North China, thereby forging the last link between the Old World and the New.
ENTHUSIASTIC, WELCOME
One is sometimes tempted to wonder whether the speeding up of life entailed in what we call the progress of civilization has în fact added anything to man's happiness: but one thing is certain, that any lessening of the physical gap that divides nation from nation, whether by flying or by wireless, is the surest means of reducing those national misunderstandings which in the past have too often led to animosities and even to wars.
"ON THE AIR MAP
THE CHRISTENING As soon as the last speaker had
possible for you to fly around the There Miss Judith Smith broke a world without an interpreter that bottle of champagne over the nose is, if you can understand Ameri-of the Clipper, naming her officially can." (laughter).
the "Hong Kong Clipper.” Your Excellency, may we take this
OFFICIAL GUESTS opportunity to express our very-sin- The official guests present at the cere thanks for the friendly and function were: "
wholehearted co-operation which the tering the
His Excellency the Officer Adminis-
Mr.
Government, Mr. N. L Colony has extended us so cordially. Smith, Mrs. N. L. Smith and Miss J. To your excellency,
Wynne-Smith, Rear Admiral-and Mrs. C. G. Jones, and to the Post Office officials, Sedgwick, H. E. Major General and the Director of Air services,
Mrs. A. W. Bartholomew, Brigadier and
and Mrs. H. G. Seth Smith, Lady Mac- his hard-working, efficient staff
and Gregor, Mr. E. I. Wynne-Jones
A great shout went up from the foreshore at 11.48 when the Hong Kong Clipper was first sighted moving in the direction of the har- boar over Green Island. She was exactly on time and circled over | the water front at 11.50 a.m., final- ly coming to a rest at 11.55 in a perfect landing. Loud cheers and applause greeted the airmen as they left their vessel and proceed-
Hong Kong is only a tiny place ed to the slipway where they were
but our magnificent harbour has greeted by Mr. Moss, the Civil Su-
been on the map for quite a long. perintendant of Kai Tak Airport.
time. I wonder how many of my we are deeply grateful. We regret Mrs. Wynne-Jones, Comdr. Newill, Mr. Mr. Moss escorted' the fliers to
Miss Alabaster, Hon. Mr. and Mrs. R. the subsidiary hangar, where their more distant listeners realise that that Sir Andrew Caldecott cannot Moss, Hon. Mr. and Mrs. C. G. and ocean-going tonnage be here to welcome the inauguration A: C. North, Hon. Mr. W. J. Carrie, arrival was greeted with a burst of our annual
and Lady Pollock, Hon. Sir applause from the distinguished figure is only a little behind that of of this service, which, with you, he Hon. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, Hon. Sir
New York and Liverpool.
so greatly fostered and encourag-H. E.
Shou-son Chow, Kt., Hon. Mr. and Mrs. gathering.
that ed.
J. J. Paterson, Hon. Mr. R. H. Kote- After Mr. Moss had effected the And now it is our hope
"Surrounded here by our English wall, C.M.G., LL.D., Sir William introductions, they were
one and Chinese friends, it seems to Hornell, Sir Robert Ho Tung; Hon. Mr. official air map, with London
direction only nine days away and day that we can forget the words and Mrs. T. H. Kings Uon, Mr. T. N. a, Chăn, Hòn Mr and Mra, W. East Hughes, Hon. Dr. and Mrs. Li Shu-fan, with New York in the other of your immortal Kipling direction only six and a half days is East and West is West, never the Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Shields, and prac not tically the entire official community HIS EXCELLENCY'S SPEECH
away. For this happy situation twain shall meet." May we
foreign consuls, heads of firms, and His Excellency said: Captain we have largely to thank the organ- rather hope, that this event will representatives of the various oil and La Porte: In the name of the zing genius of Mr. Bixby and the hasten the day when men will ac-petroleum companies in the Colony. British Colony of Hong Kong Istaff of the Pan-American Airways; cept and be governed by the simple
MAIL BAGS offer you and your crew our warm- and the skill and courage of you, truth expressed by that older and est welcome and our congratula- Captain La Porte, and four crew wiser philosopher, Confucius "In The Clipper brought to Hong tions on the successful completion Again I offer you our welcome and the Four Seas, all men are brothers." Kong from America thirty bags of of this historic flight.
our congratulations and I trust (loud and prolonged applause). mails, totalling 478.114 kilos.
the special dais fored on Hong Kong will be equally on the
晨
party and Hon. Mr. N. L. Smith be gan his official welcome.
To-day we celebrate the final that the new service will prove to welding of perhaps the most im- be not only commercially successful portant link in the chain of world but also yet another bond of Anglo-Director General of Posts at Nan-Kong to the United States, and
She leaves to-morrow morning at NANKING OFFICIAL
9 a.m. to inaugurate the service in Mr. Chu Chang Sing, Deputy the reverse direction, from Hong
king, said:-
will carry the biggest air mail in Imperial Airways serve a total dis- Captain LaPorte rose to his feet "As the representative of the Chin-the Colony's history. The mail rance of about 22,000 miles and it soon after the conclusion of Mr. Jase Postal Administration, it gives closes at 6 a.m. to-morrow.
communication. Between them the American goodwill. Pan-American Airways and the
PILOT'S TRIBUTE
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