OCR Text |
Show Versatile Isles of BermudaI BermudaNow Bermuda BermudaNow BermudaNow I Now Enter the Air Picture "Opening Opening " of regular passenger passengerair aIr service between the Umted United UmtedStates UnitedStates UnitedStates States and Bermuda throws the theaVJabOl1 theaviation theaviation aVJabOl1 aviation spotlight on the tInY tinysemi , semI tropical Bntlchcolony Britishcolony British Bntlch ; colony out m in mthe inthe inthe the open Atlantic , " says a bulle bulle- bulletm bulle- bulle bulletin bulletin - - tin tm from the National NalIOnal National Geographicsociety Geographic GeographicsocIety Geographicsociety socIety . "Versatile Versatile " Bermuda Bcrmuda thus adds addsto addsto addsto to its role of health , pleasure , and andyachtIng andyachting andyachting yachtIng importantfunction center , an Important functIOn as a 'stepping stepping ' stone * ' on onthe onthe onthe the projected southern transatlan transatlan- transatlantic - - tic air route , " the bulletin con con- contmues continues continues - tinues tmues "At At " present , only the 770- 770 770mIle 770mile 770-mile 770 mile - mIle section between Port Wash Wash- WashIngton Washington Washington - ington , NY N Y , and Ham Hamilton ton , Ber Ber- Bermuda Ber- Ber Bermuda Bermuda - - muda , is in m operation , and thetraffic the thetraffic thetraffic traffic is being bemg shared by Pan PanAmerIcan PanAmerican PanAmerican AmerIcan Airways and the BrItIsh BrItIshImperIal BritishImperial BritishImperial ImperIal AIrwaysOnce AirwaysOnce Airways AirwaysOnce Once Scene of Many Shipwrecks . "Although Although uAlthough " Bermuda is such a atInY atiny atiny tInY pinprick pmprIck on the map of the theAtlantIc theAtlantic theAtlantic AtlantIc ocean that radio direc dlrec- dlrec direc- dlrecbonal directional directional - - tional bonal beams are needed to togUIde toguide toguide gUIde modern flying boats to Its Itsshores itsshores itsshores shores , in m earlier earher days it was a athorn athorn athorn thorn in 111 the side of marinersSince marIners marInersSmce marinersSince Smce Since its discoverer , Juan de Ber- Ber Bermudez Bermudez Ber-mudez Ber mudez - mudez , piled plIed his ship up on Its Itstreacherous itstreacherous itstreacherous treacherous coral reefs in 1515 1515Bermuda , Bermuda has been the scene of ofcountless ofcountless ofcountless countless extendingdown shipwrecks , extendIng down to last Jast year when the Span Span- SpanIsh Spanish Spanish - ish liner Imer Cnstobal CrIstobal Colon was lost lostoff lostoff lostoff off North Rock . "Channels Channels " d dredged red r e d g e d through throughreefs throughreefs throughreefs reefs , powerful lighthouses and other othcr navigational aids , however howeverhave , have virtually eliminated hazards hazardsto hazardsto to navigation , and today thou thou- thousands thousands thousands - sands of tourists from the Umted United UnitedStates UmtedStates States , Canada and England VISIt VISItthe visitthe visitthe the little httle mid ocean island group groupannually groupannually groupannually annually . "Industries Industries " are generally barred barredin 111 in the islands , yet Bermuda has hassome hassome hassome some of the largest and finest re- re resort resort re resort - - sort hotels in m the world , numer numer- numerous numerous numerous - - ous shops and stores , and a per- per per - perfume fume factory Of increasing un- un im- im unportance importance im importance - - portance is its export trade of ofEaster ofEaster ofEaster Easter vegetablesAir lilies and early vegetables AIr Base on DarreU Darrell Island . "Perhaps Perhaps uPerhaps " the most conspICUOUS conspICUOUSrecent conspicuousrecent conspicuousrecent recent change is the new air baseon base baseon baseon on Darrell island , in the sound soundnear soundnear soundnear near Hamilton , the capital . . One Oneend Oneend Oneend end of this rocky , cedar-coveredbit cedar coveredbit cedarcoveredbIt cedar-covered cedar covered - bIt of land has been cleared . Two Twoconcrete Twoconcrete Twoconcrete concrete slipways sl1pways run up from the theblue theblue theblue blue waters of the sound to an anopen anopen anopen open space before a huge steel steeland steeland and glass hangar"At hangar"At hangar hangar"At "At At " the other end of the colony colonyin , In returningtraveler St St . . . George's Georges ' , the returnIng traveler may notice nobce large linersanchored lIners lInersanchored linersanchored anchored within wlthm the almost land land- landlocked landlocked landlocked - locked harbor of the ancient capi capI- capi- capi - - tal capital of Bermuda They have en- en entered entered en entered - tered through the Town cut , .l l a : . .lnewly anewly anewly newly dredgedchannel dredged channel , like a amInIature aminiature aminiature mInIature Panama canal , bet\\ bet bets beteen betweenthe \ een eenthe eenthe the main mam island of St . George's Georges George'sand George'sand George'sand Georgesand ' and Paget Island"Across island"Across island island"Across "Across Across " St St . . . George's Georges ' harbor an anImposmg animposing animposing Imposmg imposing new steel and concrete bridge now links St 8t David's Davids ' , the thearrowroot thearrowroot thearrowroot arrowroot George's"Bermuda isle , with St . . George's Georges ' "Bermuda Bermuda " will become an even evenmore evenmore evenmore more important air base when the thesouthern thesouthern thesouthern southern transatlantic air hne l.me lme line . IS ISput isput isput put . into .mto mto operation The next lap lapeastward lapeastward lapeastward eastward on this route is a 2,240- 2,240 2240 2,240mde 2,240-mile 2,240 2240 mile , - . mde mile jump to Ponta Delgada , 111 in 111the inthe inthe the Azores , followed by a 900 mIle hop milehop to Lisbon , Portugal , and a a9Som a980mile a980-mile a980 mile 9So-m 9So m 980-mile 980 mile - - e final link lmk to London London"Meanwhile London"MeanwhIle London"Meanwhile "Meanwhile Meanwhile " plans are going for- for forward forward for forward - ward for a north Atlantic lIne , hnefollowing followmg following a projected route VIa VIathe viathe viathe Newfoundland the Irish Free State , Newfoundland Newfound Newfound- Newfoundland - land , , New Brunswick , and Mon Mon- Montreal Mon- Mon Montreal Montreal - - treal or New York This latter latterroute latterroute latterroute route is shorter than the Ber Ber- BermudaAzores Ber- Ber BermudaAzores BermudaAzores - - muda-Azores muda Azores buthas thas - Portugal line lme , but b u t has fewer days of favorable flymg flying flymgweather flyingweather flyingweather weather . " |