Jami ary 10, 1957 
AIR MAH, 
grt p mwai i .wunui w 
Mr. James McConnaughey 
U*05 Delco Dell load 
Dayton 9, Ohio 
Dear Mr. McConnaughey* 
It is hard to believe that the days are going by so fast. Per- 
haps it is all anticipation on our part. First of all, I want to return 
to you the photographs and the color pictures of the MAREYA which you so 
kindly let me have. Then I want to ask, in case you have not contacted 
any one for captain of the MAREYA, whether our employing Mr. Jack 
Randall for the purpose would be agreeable to you. I have just heard 
from a amber of my staff who knew Jack Randall in Hawaii that he would 
welcome the opportunity of accompanying our expedition through the Society 
Islands . He has, as you know, his own small yacht , the MAUI, with which 
he has been cruising the Islands, and so should be quite familiar with 
conditions , engines and boats. The advantage to us if he should be avail- 
able when we arrive would be that he also is an experienced ichthyologist, 
and by this time must know native fishermen in various places. 
Do let me know when and to what extent I should make a deposit with 
you for sealing our charter of the MAREYA from April k thru May 18. 
Would you wish me to make payment to you direct or to your agent in 
Papeete? We shall be happy to accede to whatever is your wish. 
So far as I can see, there will be four of us aside from the crew 
aboard, which will give us more room and tax the vessel's accommodations 
the less. Our passage has been engaged, as I may have mentioned before, 
on the MARIPOSA sailing from San Francisco on March 23. 
As much as I would like to stop off in Dayton , I am not altogether 
sure I can arrange it or find time to do so; nevertheless , I shall always 
be indebted to you for making the MAREYA available to us and look forward 
to making your personal acquaintance here or elsewhere one of these days. 
Thanks to you , we expect to make a good haul of scientific material for 
our Museum's collections. 
My best to you and yours for the New Tear. 
Sincerely, 
Waldo L. Schmitt 
Head Curator 
Department of Zoology 
