MIDWAY HISTORY & TRIVIA

A lucky Visit

We traveled in a small turbo-prop plane from Hawaii 1200 miles to reach Midway Atoll. At that time Phoenix Air had the exclusive air contract for Midway Island. It is the largest operator/owner of Lear jets in the world.

On July 4, 1903 President Roosevelt sent the first around-the-world cable which took nine minutes to complete from this station.

Pan Am Airlines set up a base for its Clipper Seaplane Service on Sand Island in 1935. Midway was a regular fuel stop for Pan Am’s Trans-Pacific route which included Honolulu, Wake Island, Guam, and Manila. This operation, including a hotel and restaurant, was short lived—only 1935-1941.

Before the days of advanced radar, planes on Midway Island were loaded with 4000 pounds of fuel instead of bombs to use the planes for reconnaissance. Generally they flew a 7-mile radius around the atoll and could fly 2700 miles in a 27 hour period. This was their early warning system.

The Halsey-Doolittle bombing raid of Tokyo in March 1942 made the Japanese determined to wipe out US carriers.

Midway was also bombed on December 7,1941, but the Battle of Midway didn’t take place until June 4-6, 1942. Most of the battle took place 100 miles from Midway, but the atoll was bombed again.

During the Korean War Midway played an important role as a defensive outpost in the Distant Early Warning (DEW) System.

During the Vietnam War Midway was a port of call and air traffic center.

Midway now is administered by U S Fish and Wildlife Service. Presently there is no visitation available for Midway.

The Navy spent three years and 80 million dollars cleaning up Midway before they departed in early 1997. Tons of debris were removed from the lagoon. Antennas, a bird hazard, were removed. Lead paint from the buildings was removed because playful chicks would nibble on it. Over 100 fuel tanks were removed. Tons of sand was cleaned of toxic fluids, often pulling 200 gallons a day from the sand for several months.

Midway is one of the world’s most incredible wildlife spectacles. It is a living laboratory and ecosystem under constant study. Island ecosystems are extremely vulnerable to the introduction of non-native and alien species. Native wildlife has not evolved with predatory mammals and reptiles and therefore lack adaptations that allow them to co-exist with dogs, cats, rats, mongoose, snakes, or iguanas.

Millions of birds nest on the atoll. Millions more migrate through the area.

There is a spinner dolphin colony that inhabits the surrounding waters.

Both the endangered Hawaiian monk seal and the threatened green sea turtle live at the atoll.

I feel fortunate to have lived on Midway for three weeks participating in dolphin and monk seal research projects before travel to the island was halted. We were also lucky to be there during the gooney bird mating season.

MONTREAL TRIVIA

                                             City Odds and Ends

Montreal comes from Mont Royal.

People were very friendly and helpful. Several times people would stop to ask if they could help when they saw us studying a map. English was not a problem as it seems everyone is bi-lingual doing very well with both languages.

In the city’s heyday of the 1920s, Saint Jacques Street was known as Canada’s Wall Street. The Royal Bank’s former head office, with its 23 stories, was the tallest building in the British Empire when it was built in 1928.

Lots of stairs to climb getting in and out of Metro stations. Escalators are available only after getting down into the station.

Except for the streets, Montreal does not appear very handicap friendly.

The city is very easy to get around, as it’s pretty much laid out on a grid. It is also a very easy city to walk. The city and Metro maps are excellent, complete and easy to follow.

Canada is the world’s largest producer of mustard.

The French Pavilion from the 1967 Expo is now a casino and one of only two buildings from the Expo that survived.

       McGill U was all white male until the late 1800s when a benefactor gave money to educate women.

      Sainte Catherine Street, stretching 15 kilometers across the city, is Montreal’s renowned commercial thoroughfare. Lined with major department stores, shops, and restaurants, it has been the pride of Montreal for over a century. There are eight metro stations on the street.

Poutine, French fries with cheese curds and gravy, is a typical dish unique to Montreal.

Canada also produces 70% of the world’s maple syrup and Quebec accounts for 90% of that.

With the flavors of many cultures on every street corner, eating in Montreal is a culinary adventure. The city has 5000 restaurants that represent 80 different countries.

We noted very few cell phone users and actually saw many regular phone booths around the cities.

People seem to follow a relaxed routine. In the Metro the on and off process is very orderly with no elbowing one’s way. Let the people off, then board.

Exactly seems to be a frequent and proper response to a statement or question. It is often delivered with a tilt of the head and an emphatic expression.