Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-15


scend Mt Waldorf, Nd, when Hs
propeller was broken.
President and Mrs. Wilson were
among the thousands of persons at the
polo grounds, Potomac Park, this morn
| ing. to witness the start of the airplane
mail service between Washington Phlia-
delphia and New York.
simultaneously with the start OF the
mail carrier from here another airplahe
left Belmont Park, In New YORK, Ior
| Philadelphia and Washington. onoer
normal air conditions, and with no en-
Rine or other troubles. three hours
should be consumed in the flights.
Before IL o'clock the crowd began to
arrive at the park, and they were pack
ed five and six deep outside the ropes
| which were used to keep the public
from the airplane area.
President and Mrs. Wilson appeared
at the grounds at 11:15 o'clock, about
sixteen minutes before the time sched-
uled for the airplane to leave tne
ground. Probably there was no other
person on the grounds who showed SO SO
much interest in the Inauguration OF
| the new system as President wilson.
Though there was a delay OF sixteen
minutes in starting. the President re-
mained until Lieut.. George l.. boyle,
who piloted the airplane, had straight
Many officials See Start.
No formal ceremonies were held. The
President members of the cabinet, the
aircraft board and the House and SEN
ate committees on post ofhces ana
offlcials of the Post Office Department
had been invited.
Among those present. besides .aas pds, the
President and Mrs: wilson. were ros..
Daniels. Assistant Secretary OF Navy
Franklin Roosevelt, Assistant Postmas-
| ter Generals Otto Praeger and A. n.
Dockery, District Postmaster Merritt o.
! Chance and X. Kambara, Japanese post
master general.
Maj. r. H. Fleet of the Signal Corps.
| who will have direction OF the fleet OF arr
planes to be used in the service and who
mas been in charge Of arranging the flight,
| this morning came from Philadelphia in
| the machine Lieut. Boyce. He made
the trip from Philadelphia in one hour
and fifty-fiye minutes The machine was
of the Curtiss type and equipped with a
$50 horsepower Hispana-Suiza motor, ca
nable of making ninety miles an hour and
carrying $50 pounds.
Carried Four Loaded Bags.
! At about 1920 o'clock an automobile
truck arrived from the central post Of
fee of the District with four bags of
mail, three for New York and one for
Philadelphia. There were more than $50
letters for Philadelphia, 1900 for New
York and 5000 for delivery in every sec
ton of the country. The four bags
weighed 1928 pounds.
When President and Mrs. Wilson ar
| rived they were given an ovation, and
| it was shortly afterward that the
President placed in one of the bags a
letter from Postmaster General BMrle-
| city, The envelope of the letter con-
| rained a new airplane stamp. which had
been canceied by the President. and
above IT was the autograph of the
| The stamp was the first turned out
| by the government. and on the arrival
| of the letter in New York the envelope
Noah H. Taussig of New York: On June
IL it will be auctioned off for the benefit
of the Red Cross. Mr.. Taussg will
start the bidding at $1,000.
The, letter from Postmaster General
Burleson to Postmaster Pat.en calls at
tention to the inauguration of the first
airplans mail service between WASH
lingtou and New York. and expresses
l the opinion that he will have the full
Incorporation of the New York post
master. He also directs that the letter
be delivered to Mr.. Taussig.
| Weather conditions were ideal and
Iieut. Boyle got off to a good start,
taking the air with ease. while the
| thousands about the ground applauded.
He directed the machine east going to
the end of the grounds. From there re
| turned around and came back to the
starting point. making a high altitude
IS he proceeded. When he had reached
| a point high above the starting mark
| he turned the machine northeast and
was on his way for Philadelphia Lieut.
Howard p. Culver was TO relieve Lieut.
! Boyle at Philadelphia and transfer the
| mail to his machine for New York
Lieut.. Webb piloted the machine from
Belmont Park. in New York. to Phila-
! delphia and Lieut.. James c. Edgerton