The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-09-27
Ai2sHIPS AS CARRIERS
OF NAIL AND EXPRESS.

Of MAIL AMI EAfhEcc.
A line of airships Is operating on
regular schedule between New York
and Washington, carrying first class
mail. The rate of postage at the
beginning was 25 cents per letter
of not more than an ounce, but 1t
was soon cut 10 sixteen cents, and
now they are going to reduce the
price still further. Sufficient bust
ness has developed to make an in
come of about $500 per ship per
trip, and the expense is only about
500.
A little over one-hundred years
ago the carrying of letters by horse
man began between those two cities,
and at the same rate of postage.
The letters were carried in the sad
die bags, and the rider grumbled
when he found the business growing
so that he had to use second set
of bags. AS the volume of business
increased the rate of postage was
reduced, and the scope of business
was enlarged to include various
kinds of packages other than letters,
Later, the steam road bid for the
business and got it. Then came the
telegraph and the telephone for light
messages, then the wireless, and now
the airships, spelled aerships.
1t is likely that with the tremen-
dous development of aerships dur
ing the war, lines of that service will
be established all over the country
following the close Of hostilities, and
all fast mail will be carried at the
rate of one-hundred miles an hour
or faster. And this means more
speed than trains running at one
hundred miles an hour even If that
were practical, for the aerships take
a straight line and make no stops
at stations. The thru lines will
merely drop a package over each
station served, the package being let
down by the use of parachute that
opens when the package starts to
fall; small parachutes for small pack
ages. Thus the transcontinental
mail will pass from New York to San
Francisco in about twenty-four
hours, dropping packages at certain
points for distribution by the Sec
ondary lines of ships that fly lower
and render local service. The locals
will not only drop packages but pick
them up as they go along. Cranes will
rise above the stations, and as the
ship comes along it will drop pack
age on the platform and an arm on
the bottom of the ship will swing
the little mail pouch around into
the rear of the mail boat as it glides
away over the house tops, manned by
heroes of the aviation service in
France. With slight delays for dis
tribution, the aerships will place the
mail from coast cities at the doors
of the inland inhabitants a thous-
and miles from The sea. in time for
breakfast the morning after leaving
the seabord. The places on the di-
rect line of the thru-ships will re-
ceiye it the same day, but the night
will afford time for the cross service
and second distribution at the local
offices. For instance, if BlackfOot
and Boise were on thru line from
New York, Sioux City and Portland,
mail that leaves New York on Tues
day morning would reach the homes
on the rural routes from Blackfoot
on Wednesday morning. Cross lines
of aerships would carry it from
Blackfoot north and south toward
Butte and Ogden, while other ships
would be coming from each Of those
cities, dropping and grabbing pack
ages and pouches as they passed.
Mail from Washington dropped at
Ogden at three O'Clock in the morn
ing would probably be handled ~and
routed and be on the way north by
four, and be at Pocatello by five.
The fleet of aerships returning
from Europe could be put into SER
vice so the principal points in the
Union could be served every few
hours. Then at their leisure, the
aership people can develop the big
express and passenger ships and get
them into service for folks who are
in hurry and who want to travel
above the dust and noise Of earth.
These things will relieve the need
for the fast trains, and will enable
them to run at moderate speed and
eliminate much of the danger of ac-
cidents.
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