New-York tribune., 1918-02-13
Aeros to Take
Mail From Citv
To Capital
Five PLANES Wanted by
Postomce to Establish
Air Route

An aeroplane mail service betwee,
!. New York and Washington NAV be j,
operation within three months. TIL,
Postoffice Department in Washingto,
yesterday called for bids on five nero
planes for such work. The bids will
De opened one week from tomorrow
and the machines must be delivered b,
April 25.
Ihey must make 100 miles an hou,
with 800 pounds of mail under favor.
able conditions, with a minimum speeG
OF forty-tive miles an hour and a climb
ing rate OF 5000 feet in ten minutes
IN from three to four hours after the
mai sacks are delivered to the aviator
w w New YORK the letters will be in the
"asnlngton postotfice. The most eff
gently organized railway postof1ice in
the world takes seven hours for tho ~,
IMP when there are neither FREIGHT
oi0Ckades nor snow to hinder.
me scheme is the practical annlica-
,1 s1on OF the development Of the aero
pane TO the needs of EVERYDAY lifo
IL ls' IN the Judgment of men familiar
with all phases of the problem tbe
most important step in making the
country compact and cohesive since the
'nS1,tut!on s,1 OF the railway postohice.
WI! not be an experimental SER
sn sore' sald Postmaster General Burle
ms invitation for bids. "Practioah;]itv
must be assured before the cstahl;sh
nens OF the route. Once established i
% W remain permanent service"
Believe Plan -Rrorf;r,hI
Postmaster Patten. harassed bv roi1
way delays. had no misgiyines as r.
tne ~! practicability of the plan nor did
omclals OF the Aero Club of America
an an organization which has been urr;no
sne adaptatlon of aeroplanes to mai
setsice Tor seven years. Military
IhsI"'ors, th 1T was pointed out, had made
W. W., tr'p from Hampstead Plain to
W. pnasnlngton and back in four hours,
>, ,or, ras or June 1T was prophesied the
new mail service would be in full s1y;no
and other sections of tho co,,ntn., ,mtns
would be clamoring for sim;Iar od
vantages "''iiiai ao-
The type of plane called for !, +ho
of the Postmaste COW on
eIal era is one used by the army and nau,, Sm
,0 " mere us ability has survived the SO,
kerese y OF tests. The War Department.
nus promised to release sufficient
ch;nes ;t oi motors to equip the ma
cno;,os ''s production Of standardized
capacity to nroduoo ,,dd,p ne the
service. lor military
. Between this city, the most ;n,nor
: tha' hn ,, p1rt OF the nation and the canital
!, sne volume of mail has been trap,' t1ap,e@''
Statas entnna3 iaoleased SEE since the United
tclerranhh' oh'elea oon the war. Telephone and
ana operators to their eouinmomt mlfts IS
IAN sahe oG care of the surplus Their ereat, ~
~ eHorts have not sutficed to $780,
congestion lGg of messages. W prevent
means ne, OF relief. AT first it's effect ''em on
we, we Volame OF messages will not he
sara'' sara e sa'th1ough it doubtless will take
,ntsot % ~ lne most important. At the
'uCset there will be only one ronnd
rip day. but there is cverv M lilal; IIoiu
iooo OF expansion when the yaluc of
"e service has been demonstrated.
Advantages of New Service
Even the initial trims hovo,,or will,
mean that letter mailed in Wasbinn1 90
on " ABOUT 10 a. IN. would reach The re-
Ilplent IN New York bv 3 o'clock IN
ne AFTERNOON. Moreover, the letter
you'd arrive sealed and intact az It
tarted. ''Va'' aS ~
opecla' stamps, more urgent than the +
present special delivery stamps. viii /.
'a 'aoele out ,r, the missives to 60 by air !
quite The postal rate. subject to snl .
noIlzatlon by Congress, will be 25 :
.en1s all ounce. Congress alrcadv
las appropriated $4,000 for the SER
Aerial mail stations at both ends If
nc route 1,. nave yet to be selected.
enlS ooonouse a governor of the
zero ;el Cub Of America, thought that
ither Governors Island or the Hemne ,l
tead plain might make a GOOD e;to
ast motor trucks could carry the mail
etween Hampstead and Brootlvn "1, ho p
aid; and once in Brooklyn # wouId 7
each Manhattan by tube. Mr. Woodl oodu -
ouse agreed with Alan r. Hawley. :
resident of the club. and August,,ns 1n +
ost that military aviators in tra;n;na I'iu1 ~ ~
ouio DC used to ADVANTAGE in the ~ :.
erlal mail service. ~ INC a a
uad the recommendations of tho J.,
os'of1ce Department been hcednd y y
are u re- @. or four years ago" Mr. Hawlev u
~ ~ .ne war would have found us h.
lth hundreds of we'll trained acr;aI a =, ~
ostmen' thoroughly experienced 1I' "a, ;n ~ ~
ross country. flying. Then the United ''
'a.es could have supplied completely .,
a'neo aVlators upon ou. entry into ~ ~
lS war instead of having to snnni, ~
MY aviation students who baro .'phpiy ~, ', "
1T little training" ""o III