The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-26
POSTOFFiCE TO USE
AIRCRAFT FOR MAIL
Two Thousand .AViatOrs To Carry Let
tiers on Routes That Have Been
Already Selected

An opportunity to put 1000 Amer
lean aviators to work flying through
the air with sacks of first class mail
routes that have already been picked
out by the United States postal au-
thorities, was described by Second
Assistant Postmaster General Stewart
at the annual dinner of the Aero Club
of America, at the Hotel ST. Regis
last night, says an article in the New
York Times. Mr.. Stewart declared
that it would be the settled policy OF
the postal authorities Ito knock and
knock again at the doors of Congress
until the support for the Postoffice
Departments plan would be forth
coming"
He predicted that a. bill authorizing
the using of aerial transportation for
the mails would pass at the next ses-
sion of Congress- and that within two
years the postal aviatOrs would be as
commonplace as railway mail clerks
are today.
Brighten. George p Scriven. chief
signal officer Of the United States
Army, warmly supported the proposal
| of Assistant Postmaster General
| Stewart. He declared that it was the
| Immediate intention of the army and
navy forces of the United States to
open an aviation school in Texas To
| supplement the school already eStab-
lished at San Diego, Cal, and that
the army and navy expected very
shortly to have four aerial squadrons.
| Two of these SquadrOns, he said, We're
for use on land, to be equipped with
| aeroplanes, while the other two
| squadrons were for marine service
and equipped with hydros.
He urged that aerial equipment be
sent as soon as possible to the philip
pines and to Panama and Hawaii to
| "Serve as the eyes for any artillery
action that in these outlying posses
sions may become necessary
I'VE have reached the conclusion
he said, that the aeroplane is indis-
pensable as the eyes of the artillery
and we can no longer afford to re-
main Indifferent to this branch of the
service. But we can't look for more
than four squadronS of aerial troops
at present. After all, aerial troops
would be an auxiliary and we can't
make them out Of proportion to the
general establishment, and the gen
eral esta blishment is only a provision
, for a first line of battle or defense
The call for reserves-alWays more
, reserves-sounds through our aero
plane plans, as through all our mill.
tary plans
"The solution is the preparing o;
men who may serve as highly trained
, aerial scouts, but who, until war de
mands their services, are Of use IL
! other lines. The Postoffice Depart
, ment's plans are of great value il
, Just that regard. The army, l an
: able to say, would gladly co-operat'
2 by training aviators for the posta
/ | service at the army schools; We hOp'
: soon to have four Of them. Nor
= than that, it is our policy to offer T.
= train all national guardsmen VIII
4 may seek to become proficient avia
To iri1 To
= capacity Of our plant
n A telegram was read from the Pan
= ama-Paciflc Exposition management
= proposing, as substitute for the rae
II around the world, which was aban
doned on account Of the war, tina
Il there be a three-rOutc transcOnti
e mental race for San Francisco. wit
: Boston, New York and Washingto
= as starting points. The proposal wa
IS received with applause.
e Orville Wright, who was to hay
e been one Of the speakers, was de
tanned at his home il was said. Wit
a bad attack of rheumatism. whic
@ had made him an invalid.
2 Henry A. Wise Wood, who acte
q as postmaster, read a cabiegrar
s. from London, which gave the endur
% ance record Of one biplane used j
d the war.
= These craft he said. ARE coun.
" ed as fragile ana not able 10 sta n
n punishment. Yet BipIane 125 f1e'
n II, 900 miles, was nit by 1870 rife ball:
q got the marks of 90 shrapnel shell
" that burst around it, had Is wire
It cut by bullets. had holes she
II through the radiator. received an ex
n plosive shell from German aero
J. plane in the fusillade. and finally va
brought to earth after all this ea
I perience by shrapnel which burst Ci
Is rect1y against the engine.
l. cit proved that an aerOplane
1t war has only two vital SpOtS-th
r pilot. whose hand is needed to dire6
o. it, and the engine that keeps