208 - MERMOZ, Jean

MERMOZ, Jean L.A.S. “Your little Jean,” Recife, Pernambuco, May 16, 1930, to his grandparents, the GILLETs; 3½ pages, in- format, on Via Aéropostale paper. A superb letter, written the day after he set the record for the longest straight-line flight in a seaplane (May 12–13, from Saint-Louis to Natal, aboard the Comte-de-La-Vaulx, covering 3,173 km in 21 hours and 10 minutes). “A splendid journey despite numerous difficulties caused by very bad weather—but these are not insurmountable when you truly want something. And besides, I felt well protected… I don’t know why… or rather, I know that so many prayers were rising that evening, very intimately, toward the higher power that governs the destinies of each of us, and I knew I would arrive… just as I always will whenever I set my mind to it. Danger is a human sensation of fear. For me, it is merely a trial… and a trial is always overcome by willpower. And I had some very difficult moments during those twenty-one hours between sky and sea… minutes that feel like centuries… but so beautiful to experience when one feels above oneself. The letters arrived in Buenos Aires in less than four days. Laurent Eynac tells me that I have served France well… I don’t know if I deserve anything… but I am happy, very happy, thinking that others will soon follow my example regularly and that the experience of my first attempt will serve them and help them complete the work I began. I’m leaving Natal on June 8 for Saint-Louis, Senegal, to make the return crossing—the very first of its kind—and I will succeed. My engine and aircraft are undergoing a complete overhaul in Natal. Meticulous fine-tuning is required before every trip to ensure a successful outcome. The government of Recife-Pernambuco threw me a grand reception. My fiancée arrived on the 14th aboard the liner Mendoza, which stayed in Recife for two hours; so I had the pleasure of seeing her along with her mother. I knew the Mendoza would call at Recife, and I had sent a telegram from Saint-Louis, Senegal, stating that I would be in Pernambuco at the appointed time… which I did after crossing the Atlantic. How many would not dare to make such a commitment!!! Tomorrow I’m heading down to Buenos Aires, where everyone is asking for me… and then, to try to soften the bad impression left after the accident we had in Montevideo—where Pranville, the head of operations in the Americas, Négrin, my temporary replacement in Buenos Aires, and three passengers lost their lives overnight when the ship struck the sea in the fog”… Source: - Jean Mermoz (1901–1936); - Gabrielle Gillet-Mermoz (1880–1955); - Then passed down through the family