EXPECTANT CITY |j

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 157, 31 December 1937, Page 12

EXPECTANT CITY |j

t CROWDS EVERYWHERE s

VOCIFEROUS WELCOME \

_■».. ■ . ■ ■ ■ Kadios all over Wellington... had broadcast the delayed... take-off from Auckland and the expected time of * arrival in the harbour, and by 9 o'clock the streets Of the city had started to drain—of those who were free to do so —and the main waterfront road was c jammed with cars and pedestrians. Cars were not allowed to enter Aotea Quay from the south because of spec- ' tators, and- the sultry heat was accentuated by the shifting; clouds of dust as traffic was diverted to an unsealed road. Practically every ship of size in port nad donned! its party dress, and laden 'aunches cruised aimlessly in the wait,ng period! By 9.45 most of the vantage points had been claimed, although 'dded height was unnecessary because >f the excellent view obtainable from he quay itself., Motor-cars flanked the vill road leading to the Wadestown j Extension, and anything in the nature it an elevation was claimed,.' sheds, i blanks—some of which snapped under , he strain—and iron rails held on upports. '■■'■■ ' < THE SHIP SIGHTED. t ' The atmosphere was stifling. Petone ] nd the Hutt ■ Valley, shimmered, and •■ he far bays merged their outline; in ' nist. Grey; blanketing clouds cloaked c he. northern hills above Ngaio and Chandallah, and it was through these : hat'the Centaurus was-first sighted. ] ["he, low hum of conversation . was ■« tilled as on.a, man yelled the news', '* >Ut it was immediately supplanted by c ;n excited ripple. ' I The flying-boat hung . like a huge, c anderslung . dragon-fly growing' larger * ,vith the seconds, but although the 1 freeze was'from the north" the en- * fines'-had'none of the1 penetrating quality of those of the Lockheed Elec- £ !ras. For a time. nothing could be £ heard, and then a,, muted, mumble fit- t tered to the watchers and listeners. I The machine was noticeably swaying, ) md as necks strained backward for i \ better view of the, mammoth under- c carriage the full roar of the boat 1 pulsed downwards. A train in the ( Thomdon yards shrieked a welcome, - and an overseas steamer pumped its i siren, forerunners of a chorus that was 1 taken up right round the waterfront, i Slipping easily at low altitude,: the 1 Centaurus headed across the bowl of 1 the city, inclined gracefully, and was ] lost behind Mount Victoria, from \ where Captain Burgess would be able < to see his Hataitai home. Its' absence from those on the quay seemed inter- , minable, and just as it was expected to ; reappear an aeroplane was sighted far \ across Evans Bay. Immediate thoughts j were of the Centaurus, but the machine was a usurper—a low-wing monoplane i out for a bird's-eye view. Then back \ came the flying-boat, appearing over j the Roseneath arm' at a measurably x lower altitude, a height that made her full proportions apparent; The huge ] central pieces of the four propellers ] made unwinking eyes, and the bull- , nosed, tapering hull gave the impres- ' sion of an air-minded shark. A flash of £ sunlight caught and fingered the bow !j of the boat as once more it banked y citywards. This time the circle was smaller, and the Centaurus came out 1 of the arch for the landing slide into ( the wind. PERFECT LANDING. ; Poles, power-lines, and buildings J took on huge dimensions, and when it j appeared that the lean spread of wing would touch an obstruction the boat -J was dropped skilfully into the open , and charged for the surface of the harbour. At eye-level the speed of the flying-boat was tremendous, and each moment it seemed that the bulky undercarriage^ would smash into the water. But the impact was negligible. Spray flew as the surface was cleaved,. and quickly the bulk settled into the trough, whipping the wake into foam. Slowly the speed was eased, braked by the water;> and the slackening blades of the propellers could be seen. It was a perfect landing—smooth and effortless. ■".:•.,- When the landing was apparently over the engines roared under the throttle and the boat: slewed round, churning the water, and taxied to its : moorings. A white-clad figure appeared at the small mooring-hatch in the nose and a line was thrown to two men in a rowing-boat, which was bouncing in the swell. ■ Three biplanes, flying in formation, appeared from the south and dipped in salute. The Centaurus had previously dipped, at- Rongotai, followed by a swooping cloud of birds. The three or four aeroplanes that were now disporting themselves over the harbour moved over as the Cook Strait Airways machine left the cqncealing hills and made straight for Rongotai. The Centaurus was now safely moored, and all sizes of launches immediately closed in on her. Captain P. S. Peterson, the harbourmaster, who was on the launch Princess with an official party, shook hands with Captain Burgess through one of the windows of the boat. The Centaurus was flying the New Zealand ensign, a pepnant, and a house flag. : The crew... of -the flying-boat were taken to the floating dock, near which flags and bunting were flapping,, and

after a short welcome were taken by road to a reception in the offices of the Harbour, Board at Queen's Wharf. Apparently misled by a -published statement that the Centaurus would land at 10.30, hundreds of cars and pedestrians were ' arriving half an hour after the mooring, and the influx clashed with the outward traffic. It was all hustle, bustle, and dust; trams were stormed, several bicycles were nearly crushed beneath cars, and many pedestrians missed injury only by alertness. . ..-.--.■■■ '■•■'.; Later in the. morning the crush had eased, but Aotea Quay was still crowd-ed-with sightseers. . ■