Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-06-02
AERIAL MA IL ROUTES.
BY FREDERIC ,. HAsKrH.

WASHINGTON, d. c., May 29-The United States
wv is going to have an aerial mail service.
w Early May the postoffice department adver-
tised aeropane service throughout Alaska,
in answer which the owner of three powerful aero
planes is his from the Alaskan gold FIELDS
a This mans bid which is for $495Oo
year. accepted by the department for the reason
that it was the only submitted. The demand for
skilled operators in Europe is so great that
very few aeroplanes aside from the comparatively
small number in the and navy are allowed to re-
main in this country a bid also requested for
similar New Bedford, Mass to Nantucket,
r. l., but far no one has offered to undertake it,
question of aerial mail service in this country
in process OF agitation since 1910, when
pouch carried by aeroplane to the New York
postoffce the steamship Kaiserin Victoria which
was lying fifty miles Following that. less
than sixtyseven attempts made to show the
ticabty of carrying mail through the air. The propo-
subject of much popular interest that
adopted by various municipal boards of trade
advertising feature The plan to secure permits
the carry the mail by aeroplane
specific distance for certain number of days, thus
attracting crowds people witness the phenom
enon incidentally accelerate business in town.
In the of six years these demonstrations proved
uniformly successful that government
adopt plan country where the usual
method of transportation expensive and difficult
Under these circumstances the first choice was
Alaska, the mail is carried by dossled which
costly and inadequate During the winter months no
all is transmitted in the northern interior
the last mail sled in the fall in
the spring be celebrated like the fourth
Of July Christmas. The present aero
plane service S49,500 is $4,000 dog
sled system costs, aeroplane carry a thou
sand pounds of mail compared to the sed's 20O
and bring Seward, Nome and other cities three weeks
the United States. In addition to mail.
postal aeronaut expects to a passenger and
press service.
There are many sections the country would
he greatly benefited by a swift mail service which
would be practically impossible except by air
would lie mountains and desert
From Santa Maria to Shale Call for example the dis
lance is not over fifty miles the flies but
the mountain that separates them it takes
are located of these towns the slowness of the
mail is a great hardship. An aeropane could make
from Gallup. N NJ, to the Indian agency
at Keams Canyon Ariz, which is less than hundred
miles in a little than hour, while under the
present system requires two days for the mail
arrive by wagon Again, Phoenix and Globe, Ariz.
only miles but journey OF twenty
four hours lies between them The rapid development
Of the aeroprane watched with much
places, where national aesal mail service would
be distinctly welcomed
The great stumbling blocks in the way of a-natonal
seriaI corps of carriers the tremendous cost
Of such system. and the attitude of congress, which
builds $4,000 posofhces in remote districts not in
dire need them, but which cannot see the necessity
80 h,vnp aircraft either for the mail, the army or
the navy 1t been estimated by the Aero Club of
Arnerica that on the day President Wilson's
forth to Germany only three upto-dae and
efcient aeropanes United States navy. and only
+,ice as many in the army. At the beginning of the
war Germany had aerial fleet of over thousand
craft manned by trained experts while England had
naary as many, leading speed machines France
nossessed feet Of 5000, after discardng many
lore models through the efforts of the Club
oF America aviation schools have established
IN this country-one at san Diego and one in Texas
and a fund is being raised by patriotic Americans to
proyde the state militia with flying squadrons.
There have been several reports recently that the