Americus times-recorder., 1919-11-23
AIR CHIEFS PLAN
BIG THINGS FOR
SOUTHER FIELD
To Be Control Station
For South Atlantic
And Gulf

mat the war department has great
plans for Souther Field, when a def
mite air service program has been
worked out and money made avail
! ahle by congress, is revealed in a let
ter received by the Times-Recorder
from Congressman Chas. r. Crisp, at
Washington, supplemented by similar
information brought back to Ameri-
Gus by Joseph Perkins, secretary of
the Chamber of Commerce, who re-
gently visited Washington on bust
ness connected with the air service.
According to the information of
both of these men, Souther Field is
planned the air control station for
the Atlantic coast southwark from
Wilmington, and for the Gulf; that
it is to be an important post consid-
cred in connection with training reg
ulars at Fort Benning, Columbus,
which is the army's only small arms
school, and is to be maintained as a
great institution; and that it is plan
ned ultimately to erect repair shops
here, enlarge the field, and make it
one of the very first Importance in
the country.
Following is copy of Congress
man Crisp's letter, sent for the in
formation of the people of the COM
munity:
Crisp's Letter.
editor Times-Recorder Know
ing the interest you have unaffected
in Souther Field, am taking the lib
erty of writing you this letter.
"Like you, and / presume other
citizens of Sumter county, l have
been disappointed that the govern
ment has removed most of the men
from that field, and I have, from
time to time, interested myself with
the bureau in an endeavor to have
more men kept at the post.
General Mitchell, who is the high
est commissioned flying officer in the
service Che had charge of the avia-
ton at st. Mihiel and Argonne) is
in charge of the training and per-
sonnel of the air service. had a
long talk with him the other day, and
he told me the government realized
the Importance of Souther, and they
expected to improve it from time to
time. He, stated that the general
staff only allowed them II 900 men
under existing law and they were
! necessarily being consolidated along
the Mexican border at this time. The
General sent for some maps and l
went over them with him, and on
the maps the department has marked
! Souther as one of the strategetic
points and one to be permanently
retained
Most Important in South.
"The bureau states that Souther
is the most important point in the
South, and from that field will be the
| air control of the Atlantic ocean
from Wilmington south, and the con-
| troll point for the Gulf of Mexico.
He stated that it would be their poll
cy later on to enlarge the field, to
erect repair shops, and generally use
the field as one of the government
most important air training points.
"Of course, do no know ultimate
ly what will be the future of the field,
but / am giving you what the bureau
now tells me will be their policy
'T want you to know that | am
keenly alive to anything that has for
its object the advancement of our
section, and l shall continue to urge
that the government use Souther
Field extensively for air service
/ training. Yours very sincerely,
&C. R. CRISP"
Mr. Perkins trip to Washington
was for the purpose of obtaining per-
mission from the war department, if
possible, for the use of Souther Field
by Lieut.. Brennan for the construc-
tion of his great passenger carrying
/ patented airplane. He was informed
by high official that such a propo-
posal was out of the question, be-
cause of the plans of the department
for the future development of the
field.
Great Things Planned,
"It has been known for several
months that high officials of the Air
Service at WashingtoN had come tc
consider SoAhaY Field with very
great favor tut the people of Ameri-