The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-05-16

and twenty minutes.
Washington, May 16.-With the es-
Enlistment of a regular mail service
between Washington and New York,
the postoffice considers that the pro-
ject is experimental only in the sense
that now familiar means of loco
motion is to be put practically to a
new use. The war has demonstrated
effectively that the airplane as a con-
veyance is almost as dependable and
safe as an automobile, so the only real
obstacle in the way of successfully
operating the new air lines in main
tanning service Under all kinds Of
weather conditions.
The war department has furnished
tH'elve large training planes for use
III tIe new servnt. AV'ators have
b.or detailed ire" the ranks of fight
ing aiimen, as var department Off
Gals feel that the newly-commissjone;]
f."crs will acquire valuable ttl.n'ag N
pn:tEg the big mail carriers ovel
long cross-country flights.
The planes, each capable of mini
mum speed Of ninety miles an hour
are built along the lines of the regula-
ton bombing machines. They are
one-seaters as a maximum of space is
desired in the fuselage for the storing
of mail bags.
The schedule provides for the de-
parture of one plane each day from
both Washington and New York. The
machines leave promptly at 11:30 in
the morning, and it is hoped to have
the mail deposited at the terminals
not more than three hours later.
Starting from the Mall in Washington
near the Washington monument, the
trip to Philadelphia, about 1876 miles,
is expected to be made in about an
hour and twenty minutes. At the
hangers in North Philadelphia anoth-
er machine will be waiting, ready to
start the flight to New York as soon
as the incoming plane lands and the
transfer of mail bags is made. The
second leg of the journey, from Phil
adelphia to Belmont field in Long Is
land, suburb of New York, should be
made in about an hour. The larger
planes carry about 600 pounds of mail
or approximately $4,000 letters. The
smaller machines will carry about half
that amount.
Emergency landing fields will be es-
tablished at Baltimore and Havre de
Grace, Maryland; Wilmington, Della
ware, and at either Princeton, or New
Brunswick, New Jersey In the case
of machine breaking down at some
interurban point in the journey, the
mail sacks will be rushed by motor
truck to the nearest railroad station
where they will be sent forward in
care of courier.
The rate of postage has been es-
tablished by law at "a cents an ounce
or fraction thereof. However, this
entities the sender to have the letter
forwarded to the addresses by special
delivery service, in case the airplane
arrives too late for the regular city
deliveries.
Letters mailed at Washington, Phil
adelphia or New York, for delivery in
any part of the country may have
their delivery facilitated by sending
them on the first part of the journey
by airplane. In each city postmasters
have designated the stations and the
hours at which letters for airplane
dispatch may be mailed.
A special stamp has been designed
for the new service. 1t has red Dor
der, and shows an airplane in flight
=. blue field.
first stamp was sold to Post
kGeneral Burleson, who adj
etter to Postmaster Patten,
After cancellation of
letter was autograph
Wilson, and placed in
aent of mail directed
Aletter will he sold
Is to be devoted
Va A.Z--,