Merwin Co., Robert L. 
Bredin Exp. - West Indies 
AIR MAIL 
February 28, 19^6 
Robert L. Merwin Company 
Fredericksted 
St. Croix, ¥. I. 
Gentlmeni 
¥e are just in receipt of a letter dated February 27, from Mr. 
W. H. 3irauth,of the Washington, D. C. office, •wi'to regard to tickets 
Nos. 20001 and 20002, issued to me, Waldo L. Schmitt, and to Mr. 
Fenner A. Cteice, Jr., respectively, for passage on the ALCOA RUNNER 
V/93, about April 21st, from St. Croix to U. S. East Coast Port. 
With this I send you the Passenger Department Questionnaires 
for Mr. Chace and myself. We expect to be in St, Croix on April 
2lst, utdLess you advise us to arrive at an earlier date, I hope that 
the ALCOA RUNNER -will not depart before the 2lBt, You will note on 
my copy of the questionnaire that I have listed 17 boxes. These 
represent the collectir^ outfit which we will have used during tiie 
preceding five weeks in the Caribbean area, together with specimens 
collected for the National Museiam. In this outfit there will be 3 
tanks and a box of bottles containing a total of about Ul gallons of 
70 % alcohol contaminated with formalin, used as a preservative for 
our specimens. These 17 boxes occui^ possibly $0 cubic feet or less, 
and vr ill have a total wei^t of approximately 1,128 pounds. 
We have, through Mr. Trauth, been seeking passage for a third 
member of our party, Mr, Albert G, Siiith. We realize that all passenger 
accommodations to date are occupied, and so there is no hope at present 
of his becoming a pas seiner on this sailing of the ALCOA RUNNER* How- 
ever, it has occurred to tis that it might be possible to assign him 
on the ship ROSTER in some capacity that would enable him to travel 
with us to the states. If not possible, he will fly home from St. 
Thomas, where we will arrive on the 19th of April. 
Our cruise through ihe West Indies will be aboard the diesel 
schooner FREELANCE, Capt. Y. E. B. Nicholson, P. 0. Box 103, St. John's, 
Antigua, B.W.I, ¥e depart from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, on March 13, 
and expect to arrive in Antigua on or about the first of April, I men- 
tion this in case you may ^dsh to get in touch with us during the 
cruise. Nicholson has aboard a radio telephone and is in touch with 
his Antigua headquarters twice each day. 
We are looking forward to neeting you and traveling home on the 
ALCOA RUNNER. 
Sincerely, 
WLSjeek 
Ends 
Waldo L. Schmitt 
Head Curator 
Department of Zoology 
