The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-10-28
From New York To
Florida In Nine Hours

A number Of announcements have
been made recently of the program
contemplated by the government Cor
aerial mail service and a map has
been published showing eight differ
ent mail routes through the air from
the Atlantic to the Pacific and along
the East Coast from New York TO
Key West and around the gulf, stop.
ping at all important points. This
program is to be put into effect I'm
mediately after the war and 1t Is
planned to use many of the airplanes
and hydro-aeroplanes that are now
being manufactured for over seas SER
vice.
To give some idea of the service
that Florida will receive 1t Is shown
that the three hydro-aeroplanes com.
ing from Philadelphia on their way
to Pensacola, made the fight from
Philadelphia to st. Augustine in nine
hours, with several stops and with
several people in each machine
There is every reason to believe that
the mail service will be perfected to
a point where the regular trips will
be made from New York to Jackson
vile in nine hours or perhaps less
and will bring the Eastern mail to us
in practically one-third the time il
now takes to come on train.
Rear Admiral Robert E. Percy, wht
is chairman of the National Aeria
Coast Patrol and a member of the
board has mapped the first trans-con
tinental Woodrow Wilson Airway'
from New York to San Francisco, has
outlined the plan of aerial mail ser
vice and says that it is only a mat
ter Of short time when the first ae
rial mail routes, already established
will be extended and the establish
ment of these airways will promote
the use of aircraft for general trans
portation, in preparation for the clos,
of the war, when tens of thousands O
aircraft now used for military pur
poses can be devoted to mail, ey
press, passenger and freight carry
ing.
This wonderful advance is anothe
result of the war and it is very evi
dent that the transportation plans o
the country will have to be great,
revised at the close of the conflict
OF course it was o foregone con
clusion that aerial Transportation
would come, sooner, or later, but thu
wonderful development of the various
types Of aerial craft required for tn,
combat and observation has hastenet
the coming of this rapid air transit
George Pattulo the celebrated wa
correspondent and writer, sounds
note of warning in his article in tn,
current number of the Saturda.
Evening Post, urging America to NJ
prepared in aerial craft as the tim,
will not be far distant when the Eu
ropean countries will be equipped
with immense aircraft that will b,
capable Of making the trip across thu
Atlantic and dropping bombs on an!
cities some distance inland Will
of our coast cities and many Of tn,
this in mind 1t will be of considerabl,
value for this country to encourage
the aeroplane industry and be in ;
position to furnish any number 0
aircraft of various types on short no
tice, as it is thought by many that tn,
war would have been over by TIL;
: time If We had not been Handicapped
in the production of airplanes sine,
entering the war.
Florida will come in for her shar
of the benefits of aerial transports
ton. as the sixth route planned eS
tends from Bangor, Me-, to Key West
touching every important city on tn
Atlantic seaboard. The seventh
route will extend from Key West t
the mouth of the Rio Grande, touch
ing every city on the gulf coast
Thus we will have two of the i'm
portant airways with their terminal
in Florida and this state will be give
quick mail service both from tn
East and the West Later this vii
develop into a passenger, expires
and freight service and we will the
be as near New York as we now ar
to several points in our own state