CLIPPER DELAYED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20493, 1 March 1941, Page 6

CLIPPER DELAYED

CYCLONE IN PACIFIC LONG STAY AT ISLAND HESLD UP 10 DAYS (Per Pvuss Association.) AUCKLAND, this day. Fifteen days behind schedule owing to exceptionally bad weather off the Californian coast and in the southwestern Pacific, Pan-American Airways Honolulu Clipper arrived at Auckland yesterday afternoon after a passage of 15 days from San Francisco, the longest trip since the inauguration of passenger flights in the service.

The Clipper was due to leave San Francisco on February 9 for Los Angeles and Hawaii, but unable to get away until four days later. This delay was due to the weather which was typical of the severe winter that California has experienced. There was a hold-up of one day at Honolulu owing to unfavourable conditions at Canton Island. Rained in Torrents Having arrived there on February IC. the Clipper was held up lor the unprecedented period of nine days. It rained in torrents nearly all the time, but her 10 through passengers did not find their enforced stay boring. Some of them spent days in fishing which is usually good at Canton and sun bathing whenever the fain lifted. Games of bridge in the hotel helped the evenings to pass. Leaving Canton last Wednesday, the Clipper was held up one day at Noumea and reached Auckland yesterday after a passage of fifteen and three-quarters hours. It was explained by Mr. E. B. Buxton, PanAmerican Airways meteorologist at Auckland that the long stay at Canton Island was made necessary by a severe cyclonic depression which was moving south-eastward along a curved path to the east of and parallel with the course followed by the Clippers between Canton and Noumea.

The depression had been responsible for the hurricane in the neighbourhood of Suva on February 21. Such disturbances were usual at this time of the year, but this was the first one that had travelled close to the flyingboats’ route for so long a period. The Honolulu Clipper brought It passengers, most of whom are proceeding to Australia.