| The Palmyra Gazette |
| Welcome to: PalmyraGazette.org Created by: Michael E. Murray January 2008 Enjoy your visit! |
The following story is from an except from a chapter written
sometime during or after 1940. I believe the book title was
“Johnston Atoll” but I'm not positive. The author is also
unknown at this time but perhaps a reader at some point
might shed some light regarding this valuable information. I
found this story to be very compelling since being a
construction builder most of my life … this story sheds an
important light on the life and times of those note worthy
construction workers so many years our junior. At 53, I wasn’t
even thought of at that time. (1938-1942) I’ve taken the
liberty to transcribe the text from photo copies of the original
works. I feel this is far to valuable a story to be lost in the
annals of time in some forgotten history vortex. It is my
sincere pleasure to revive and breathe new life into this
written testament to the development of Palmyra by the USA
Navy at a cost of over four million dollars courtesy of the tax
paying citizenry. Now … onto the story …
Paradise Island
From OINC Pearl to ROING Pal X To contractors for
William Sam Fong badge eighty five from Mrs. Margaret Fong
quote conditions are all right X expect you in November X
Be patient and stay unquote
This message was sent in June (1938). Fong was a cook and
wanted to come home in time for the baby. Mrs. Fong was
telling him to take it easy and wait. Behind those few words
was Palmyra’s utter loneliness. It was getting Fong down.
Most of the men loved Palmyra, for it was the opposite of
Johnston in many ways: a true South Sea Island. Its tall
coconut-laden palms thrust their graceful curved trunks from
tiny tropical islets out over emerald lagoons; its far-flung oval
reef ringed the little paradise in white surf made brilliant by
the sun. At least it did when the sun shown. There was
considerable rain at Palmyra. About two hundred inches of it
every year.
No matter what they did, the Contractors ran into something
totally fresh and untried with each new island base.
Ernie Gray arrived off the island in November ’39, aboard the
destroyer Preble, after a two-day steam from parched little
Johnston. He had with him six husky Kanaka skin divers,
some iron pipe and dynamite, and a group including Ed Brier
and Edwin Brenner, a one-time resident. Under Brenner’s
direction they briefly explored the geology of the reef and
picked the most likely spot to cut an entrance. Conditions
here were different [109] from any they had met before. For some
two thousand feet the reef was one extended shoal not more
then six inches under water. Ernie and his divers clambered
onto it from the
sometime during or after 1940. I believe the book title was
“Johnston Atoll” but I'm not positive. The author is also
unknown at this time but perhaps a reader at some point
might shed some light regarding this valuable information. I
found this story to be very compelling since being a
construction builder most of my life … this story sheds an
important light on the life and times of those note worthy
construction workers so many years our junior. At 53, I wasn’t
even thought of at that time. (1938-1942) I’ve taken the
liberty to transcribe the text from photo copies of the original
works. I feel this is far to valuable a story to be lost in the
annals of time in some forgotten history vortex. It is my
sincere pleasure to revive and breathe new life into this
written testament to the development of Palmyra by the USA
Navy at a cost of over four million dollars courtesy of the tax
paying citizenry. Now … onto the story …
Paradise Island
From OINC Pearl to ROING Pal X To contractors for
William Sam Fong badge eighty five from Mrs. Margaret Fong
quote conditions are all right X expect you in November X
Be patient and stay unquote
This message was sent in June (1938). Fong was a cook and
wanted to come home in time for the baby. Mrs. Fong was
telling him to take it easy and wait. Behind those few words
was Palmyra’s utter loneliness. It was getting Fong down.
Most of the men loved Palmyra, for it was the opposite of
Johnston in many ways: a true South Sea Island. Its tall
coconut-laden palms thrust their graceful curved trunks from
tiny tropical islets out over emerald lagoons; its far-flung oval
reef ringed the little paradise in white surf made brilliant by
the sun. At least it did when the sun shown. There was
considerable rain at Palmyra. About two hundred inches of it
every year.
No matter what they did, the Contractors ran into something
totally fresh and untried with each new island base.
Ernie Gray arrived off the island in November ’39, aboard the
destroyer Preble, after a two-day steam from parched little
Johnston. He had with him six husky Kanaka skin divers,
some iron pipe and dynamite, and a group including Ed Brier
and Edwin Brenner, a one-time resident. Under Brenner’s
direction they briefly explored the geology of the reef and
picked the most likely spot to cut an entrance. Conditions
here were different [109] from any they had met before. For some
two thousand feet the reef was one extended shoal not more
then six inches under water. Ernie and his divers clambered
onto it from the
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Page 1
Paradise Island
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |