AVIATION TRAGEDY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 13 January 1938, Page 6

AVIATION TRAGEDY

THE 1 oss of the Pan-American Airways’ Samoan Clipper with all her crew is a sad blow to transmarine aviation. Captain Musick and his men were bound from the United States to this country, and were expected to negotiate the last stage of the journey between Pago Pago and Auckland to-day, for it was reported that they had reached the former place yesterday ; but, as published in our news columns of this issue, the Clipper has been lost with all hands. Thus another band of aerial pioneers have given their lives in the cause of aviation and transoceanic communication. But such loss, grievous though it is, will not deter other brave pioneers from attempting to establish regular aerial communication between the western States of America and Australia, via New Zealand. That praiseworthy endeavour will be greatly assisted by improvement in aircraft construction, and it would seem to be along lines of j such improvement that success of transoceanic flight, will be reached. There will be universal grief at the loss of Captain Musick and his dauntless aviators. He and they have lost their lives in a great cause—the establishment of regular aerial communication between two great branches of the English-speaking race—and their loss will be deeply lamented in America, and in Australia and New Zealand.