Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-05-16
AIR MAIL ROUTE
CARRIES LETTERS
70 MILES HOUR
Postal Service New York-Phila-
delphia- Washington Success
fully Inaugurated Yesterday.
CROSS ATLANTIC NEXT

New York, Nav i6-A ''postplanc
service" As some one called it, through
the "cloudland route" AZ other magma
tive persons phrased II. was established
Yesterday between this city and Washing
ton. ;.
That is 20 say. aircraft, speeding
far bevond mile minute, carried letters
and packages between the metropolis
and the capital and instituted what Is
intended To be the first commerciai mail
route above ground that the world has
ever known
II was a success in the southwark
direction At II 30 n. IN. Curtlss hi-
plane. piloted by Lieut. Torrey II. Webb,
left Belmont Park. l.. l.. with 344 pounds
of mail and flew To Bustlcton, a suburb
in the northeast section Of Philadelphia,
distant a trine less than 100 miles. II
arrived there mt p. m: the two pouches
were shifted over to- another machine,
and at OF Lieut. James {. tdgerton
took the air toward Washington. At
80 ne alightcd in Potomac Park. on the
edge Of the capital city.
BEFORE the Washington clocks had
toled 3 mail from New York was being
distributed about the government offices
and residential sections
ffNSltpnb W itStN FtFf'tNFst ftkiiiF7'f
pieces Secretary Baker of the War
DEPARTMENT. Secretary Daniels Of the
navy. PostmaStcr-C General Burlcson and
al tho other cabinet officers received
mi~Sves
The southwark run was made IN 700
minutes. including the slx-minutr stop
at PHILADELPHIA. ur 1911 minutes with that
DELAY eliminated frnm the flying time.
The distance was estimated at 20 miles
on the air line The actual flying, thcre-
tore averaged just shade under tho
seycnty-tive miles an hour.
Northward. the mail post did not
work So well Lieut. George L. BOYLE.
chccreI by the President. Mrs Wilson
and n gathering % cabinet members
and statesmen, left the ground nj 46,
carving two great sacks vt letters and
packages. and started away IN beautiful
shape for Philadelphia But he lost his
way near Waldorf. Md, barely twenty
five miles from his starting point, and IN
landing broke his propeller blade
BOYLE WAS stranded fiat and his mail
Will he brought hy him III todays flight
Discussing the significance ot the dc
parture If Lieutenant Webb President
ltawlev of the Aero Tub said IN part.
This day will 20 down III history as
marking the advent 81 2 nov Pief'h ne
cause this New ork-PhlladclphIs-
Washington aerial mail Inc is the fore
runner of network of aerial mail lines
which will cover the entire world and
will he a dominant factor in the recon
strllction that Will follow the war. Prog
ress in aeronautics in the past eigh
teen years has been enormous. The
marvellous flights Of the giant Carroni
and Handev Page air cruisers give an
idea Of what we NAV expect IN the COM
ing twelve months. Tho flight Of 1000
miles without stopping made recently
by squadron OF Caproni trlplanes, and
the flight OF a IIandley Page hiplane
from London 10 the Dardanellcs. 1000
miles. with several stops but no mechau-
ical trouble, CARVING FIVE passengers
and spare parts. complete camping equip
ment. provisions. and bombs, are but
some of the hundreds OF such perform
ances The tendency Is toward large
machines, larger and larger.
il feel certain that before tho wear is
over we shall sec airplanes equipped
with moro than 1000 horsepower, which
will be capable Of flying across the At
lantic
BYRON Newton in his address Al Bel
mont Park predicted thai tho establish
mcnt Of regular passenger aIrplane
route was not far distant.