The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-06-24
AIRPLANES AS DEPENDABLE AS
 AUTOMOBILES

WASHINGTON, May 15.-With the establishment of regular airplane mail service between Washington and New York. the post office con- siders that the project is expert mental only in the sense that a now familiar means of locomotion Is to be put practically to new use. The war has demonstrated effective ly that the airplane as a conveyance is almost as dependable and safe as an automobile. so the only real ob- stacle in the way of successfully maintaining service under all kinds of weather conditions.
 The war department has furnished twelve large training planes for use in the new service. Aviators have been detailed from the ranks of the fighting airmen. as war department officials feel that the newly-commis- stoned flers will acquire valuable training in piloting the big mail car iiers over long cross-country flights.
 The planes, each capable of minimum speed of ninety miles an hour, are built along the lines of the regulation bombing machine. 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 l1:30 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 135 miles, is expected to be made in about an hour and twenty minutes. At the hangars in North Philadelphia another machine will be waiting, ready to start the flight
 
 coming plane lands and the transfer of mail bags is made. The second leg of the journey. from Philadelphia to Belmont field, in the Long Island suburbs of New York, should be made in about an hour. The larger planes carry about 600 pounds of mail, or approximately 24.o00 letters. The smaller machines will carry about half that amount.
 Emergency landing fields will be established at Baltimore and Havre de Grace, Md; Wilmington Del, and at either Princeton or New Bruns- wick New Jersey. In the case of a machine breaking down at some in terurban point in it's journey, the mail sacks will be rushed by motor truck to the nearest railroad station where they will be sent forward in care of a 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 let ter forwarded to the addresses by special delivery service, in case the airplane arrives too late for the regular city deliveries.
 Letters mailed at Washington, Philadelphia or New York for deliv- cry 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 sta tions and the hours at which let ters for airplane dispatch may be mailed.
 A special stamp has been designed for the new service. It has d red flight on a blue field,
 The first stamp was sold to Post master-General Burleson who ad. dressed a letter to Postmaster Pat ten, of New York. After cancella-
 ton of the stamp. the letter was autographed by President Wilson, and placed in the first consignment of mail directed to New York. The letter will be sold at auction, the proceeds to be devoted to war re- lief
 During the first months of the service no flights will be made when storm conditions make the journey very precarious. On those days the sacks will be forwarded by rail and : delivered by special delivery service. Otto Praeger, second assistant post master-general, who has charge of
 the new service, believes that sui
 ficient experience will be gained during the summer to make pos
 sible an effective maintenance of the service during the winter. The great difficulty is in landing sue 1 cessfully in heavy fog. rain or
 snowstorm.
 .. As the present routes prove sue l cessful, plans will be made for ex-