Birth Of A Pacific Island
p. 51 · Read in the full issue
The crew of a TRAPAS Catalina on the Noumea-Vila-Santo route on September 13 can almost be said to have officiated at the birth of this South Pacific island. When near the Island of Epi on that date. Chief-Pilot J. A. Pommier saw a pillar of smoke rising to 3.000 feet. Thinking that it must be a ship on fire, he ordered the rubber rafts of the plane to be inflated and descended to investigate. There, out of the bubbling sea was emerging an island, on the north side of which was an active volcano. Chief-Pilot Pommier fixed the position at 16 deg. 50 minutes south latitude and 168 deg. 32 minutes east longitude. 300 This photograph was taken on October 18 by the same plane. The island, by that time, was 800 Mr! Oscar Nordman, of Papeete. Tahiti, who sent us these notes, suggests that the island he called TRAPAS.