Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-15

The course of the rivers determined
the course of history. 1t has been
said that had the great American rivers
drained into the Atlantic. there would
have been no Civil War. The river
furnished means of transportation.
but 1t limited progress to it's own
tortuous channel.
Then came tho railroad, striking
directly across the plain. scaling noun
tain passes. and opening vast terri
tory that the navigable rivers never
tapped. Yet the railroad did not sup.
plant the river as n means OF trans
port For certain classes of heavy
freight moving. the river is still SUI
preme.
Now comes the airplane, bearing the,
same relation to the railroad that the :
line is less hampered by Topography
than the river. but 1t is still confined
to certain practicable grades and
routes. Tho road for the airplane lies
equally open In all directions. 1t can
tap territory barred to the railroad
1t will not supplant the railroad, but
1t will supplement It, n.
In the matter Of wcight-carrying, the
airplane is still sharply limited
There is no present indication that IL
will ever be able TO compete with tho
"a ilroad on this score. But already to-
day it can do certain things better
than any railroad can do them. 1t can
carry a limited weight at greater
port. 1t is absolutely free as to route
and direction. 1t needs no roadbeds. no
expensive track. It's route can be
changed without any OF the expense
attendant on pulling up tracks or,
building new roadways.
TIL. factor OF speed gives the air.
plan. at once the assurance of mo-
nopoly of certain class OF business,
where expense is u secondary conid-
GRAFTON. The class of travel which
n IT
hour. extra fare, train on the New
rk-Chicago run. that makes Ii ,
III ohtable for the transatlantic COM
rahics TO maintain six-day boats in .
neacc time. will indubitably turn to
TIC airplane as means OF travel as
soon as rsliable service Is csinb-
lishcd. Certain classes of mail matter.
can hest be carried through Ill: air.
an eNtra-fa-e express service would
almost Tnduuotedly LAY betw zen any
| two commercial centers
Mary chr contingencies suggest
themselves where the airplane could
triumph over competition. There 10
the cas-. OF temporary gathering Of
people OF any sort. IT is out of the
question to lay line OF rails TO any
bur permanent settlement but an
aerial mail and passenger service can
bc established TO any point. and when
the need for 1t is past. II can be trans
ferrcd without the loss OF cent OF
investment. Mail and passenger SER
vice can be maintained TO bound
northern ports and Alaskan cities dur
Ing The months when the ground
routes are blocked.
Its Cost md Safety.
Questions of cost and Of safety arise.
An English authority has drawn up n
detailed plan for n mail and passenger
service operating between London and
i'nris. with four airplanes each way
daily He calculates all expenses down
TO pounds. shillings and pence and the
result shows that such a service could
be established Tomorrow and carry
passengers for fare that would ex-
coed tho boat and rail fare by only
few shillngs. The practicabilIty OF
such service il guaranteed by the per-
formance of huge airplancs. Machines
have been built OF 1000 horse power
in which eleven men have flown from
| Paris to Rome In night Machines
carrying ton Of explosives are flying
daily in France. a monster Handley-.
Page biplane will rise TO 10. 900 feet al
titudc. carrying two small monoplanes
with ariators on its wings and
launch them in the air
The factor OF safety has been great
~ Increased The battleplane is not
| built for safety. hut n machine con-
structed for commercial purposes could
be built, say the experts so that pas
| scnEcrs would be exposed to no greater
risks than were those who Travelled in
the carly automobiles
The next few years undoubtedly will
see an immense extension OF the COM
mercial use of the airplane. Tho
United States should not fall behind
] American invention.