New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-27
A Grip and Then a Kick.

A Grip and Then Kick.
Mr.. Hitchcocks Job consisted in nef-
vouslv gripping the mail pouch, which con
tanned 1872 letters and l,Ao0 postcards, untH
he reached a point some fifty feet above
what looked like the centre of widely
drawn circle in a Mineoa field and then
kicking II out Down below the postmaster
nj Nineola waited only to wave his chief
a congratulatory salute before picking up
the pouch and carrying IT to the Mlneola
postoNice. AS a matter Of fact he had
two 10 carry since Earle l.. Ovington, III
q Blfriot monoplane, flying Just ahead OK
CAPTAIN Beck and the Postmaster Genera
and showing them the way had dropped
another pouch containing 300 letters ana
220O postcards, together with seventy
eight pieces Of printed matter Ovington s
bag weighed twelve pounds and Mr.
Hitchcock's ten.
Apparently none OF the pieces Of printed
matter carried by Ovington was second
class mail. for Mr. Hitchcock was asked II
he would allow the aeroplane post TO carry
second class mail, and he replied:
There's too much loss on that already
Mr.. Doubleday here can tell you all about
it,"
Frank n Doubleday, of Doubleday, Page
& co. the publishers, smiled, and in the
tome Of q man who says What lovely
weather." he asked the Postmaster Cen
eral if he had been able while aloft to see
water on both sides OF Long Island. Mr..
Hitchcock seemed much disappointed that
he had not thought to look for this.
With regard 10 the aeroplane's useful
ness as a mail carrier Mr.. Hitchcock said
"Of course It's usefulness will increase,
bur even i'm its present state Of develop
ment IL might be used to advantage over
impassable stretches of country. A case
I'm point is the Colorado River, in the
CANYON region Of Arizona, where now we
have TO make a detour Of sixty miles to
carry the mail across a stretch that an
aeroplane could travel In few minutes.
An aeroplane post might be good idea,
too for parts OF Alaska. The expensive
ness OF maintaining an aeropane service
il AN obstacle, but that will diminish"
Makes a New Worlds Record.
While the Postmaster General was in the
air Lieutenant 7. De Witt Milling, L. 5. A,
was considerably increasing the world 5
record for length OF time I'm the air with
two passengers. When he arose at o'clock
in his Burgess Wright biplane, with Private
Paul Revere. OF the 10Th Infantry, on one
side of him and Private william Ecke, OF
the same regiment, on the other side, the
worlds record stood at | hour IS minutes
and 20 seconds and the American record at
hour Is minutes and % seconds. When he
descended about two hours later both rec
ords stood at ! hour "a minutes AZ 80 Sec
onds
4 former Lieutenant Governor. two Cabi-
net officers and a miscellaneous throng or
hardly less distinguished persons poured
from the Judges stand and made rush for
the Young man as his machine came TO
standstill. They lifted him out Of IT, Rugged
him. petted him and almost kissed him ar
ter the Continental manner, while he
grluned comprehensively and struggled TO
get away.
Lieutenant Milling is only twenty-four
wears old He has been I'm the Signal Corps
since 1908. but has been flying only two
months. At the recent Boston Harvard
meet he won the 5000 tristate 'cross-coun-
try race. Yesterday, for remaining in the
air with his two passengers for 100 minutes,
he won a purse of $1,000, the Hotel Knick-
erbocker prize.
Yesterday was also notable for the first
digit on American soil Of Mile. Helene
/