In part 26 of this series, published on Nov. 14, I described how the then governor of Puerto Rico gave the 1950s Beef Island airstrip project a Caterpillar bulldozer, delivered to Trellis Bay, all free of charge, following a suggestion to Trellis Bay developer Captain Wladek Wagner by Alberto Bachman, a Puerto Rican yachtsman.
The shipyard and clubhouse were busy when Mr. Bachman and his son arrived unexpectedly on their new luxury 67-foot yacht, but Mr. Wagner and his wife Mabel found time to take them on a tour of the airfield site, according to Ms. Wagner’s 2012 memoir Lest I Forget. Mr. Bachman was amazed at how much had been done with such limited funds and resources.
He was so impressed he even took a ride to the ferry landings to see for himself how Beef Island had been connected to Tortola in readiness for an operational airport, and he assured his hosts that he would tell his friend Luis Muñoz Marin (who served as governor of Puerto Rico for four-year terms from 1948 to1964) how much the Caterpillar had helped clear the site.
St. Thomas trips
By March 1957, Ms. Wagner was running their powerboat Trellissa to St. Thomas herself, usually taking Henry Varlack and Myrtle Penn to help with the shopping, as well as loading and unloading the vessel. Mr. Wagner and one of their staff cared for the children while she was away for the day.
Ms. Wagner found it hard to keep up with everything herself, so Herbert Lee advertised for a club manager. After hearing what their duties would entail, two applicants she had collected from The Yacht Haven in St. Thomas replied that they loved Trellis Bay but were looking for a more mainstream marina in a less remote area. She wrote that they seemed unready to make any major adjustments in their lifestyle.
As Trellissa brought them to Bellamy Cay one day, another powerboat entered Trellis Bay carrying Ethel and Julian Morton, friends from Knoxville, Tennessee, who had hired their boat in St. Thomas towards the end of a vacation.
Ms. Morton was astonished at how much Trellis Bay had changed since her last visit two years before, while Mr. Morton, recalling its desolate look slightly earlier, was amazed to view a yacht standing high up on the marine railway with about five other large boats moored alongside the Wagners’ Rubicon waiting their turn.
Wagner children
Ms. Wagner quotes from Ms. Morton’s description, in a letter, of her reunion with the children. She remarks that both 7-year-old Suzanna and 5-year-old Michael had such a quiet dignity and reserve that she just shook their hands and greeted them by name. They stood by their parents with small packages in their hands.
Suzanna had handed Ms. Morton a little sea fan daubed with paint, tied by a bit of red ribbon to a package containing a fragile white shell she had found on the beach. Michael looked on, with grey-green eyes like his mother’s, and then timidly gave her a package he said was for Mr. Morton and herself. It held two small cookies with pink and green icing.
Ms. Wagner told the Mortons that she and her husband were planning to give Michael a long- promised pedal car for his sixth birthday on April 3, 1957, so they decided to stay on a bit longer, and Mr. Morton accompanied Mr. Wagner to St. Thomas in Trellissa to buy the car and other gifts.
On April 3, after Ms. Wagner had finished her lessons at the schoolhouse by their home for the day, Suzanna came over to the club to help Ms. Morton cover Michael’s presents, including a pair of swimming fins and a diving mask, with some bits of string and coloured paper in place of proper gift wrap. Ms. Morton had already prepared some gifts for Suzanna so she would not be left out.
After inspecting the new airstrip, Mr. Morton returned for lunch at the club. Afterwards, Ms. Wagner took the children home to dress for the party, scheduled for 3 p.m. Then, Mr. Wagner brought over to the cay, for assembly, the parts of what was no ordinary pedal car, which Michael might have already outgrown. It was a serviceable wrecker, complete with crane, with yellow lettering on its blue sides announcing a “Twenty-four Hour Towing Service.”
Opening presents
While Mses. Penn and Morton set the table and decorated it for the party, Reuben, a new cook, iced and decorated the birthday cake in the clubhouse kitchen. When everything was ready, the young guests hopped and skipped up the path in their Sunday best.
Michael was sat at a low table displaying all his presents, except for the little car, which was hidden around the corner. After opening them, he sat breathlessly, surrounded by torn and crumpled paper. Then Ms. Wagner suggested he look for his parents’ gift.
He eventually found its hiding place, tore off the crude wrapping and stared amazedly at the shining blue car. They helped him lift it out onto the terrace where there was room to ride it. Speechless with joy, he climbed into the front seat and began to pedal up and down.
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