Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-08-17
AIR LINES UNABLE
TO SUCCEED RAILS
Airplanes Unadaptcd for Purposes
Other Than Carrying Mails
and Passengers.
FREIGHT TOO BURDENsoME
Cannot Compete on Commercial
Basis With High-Speed Di-
rect Railroad Service.
ny e., g.. GREY,

Editor of The Aeropinne, or London.
LONDON. August 16.-When one
comes to consider the air lines of the
world certain main routes at once come
TO- tor. ones ~ mind First OF all probably
then comes London 10 New York; next
one thinks OF London to India. and
afterwards continuation Of the In
dian route 10 Australia naturally suy-
Eests itself. Probably the next one
that occurs TO evcrybody's mind is
London to Cairo. and Cairo 10 the
Cape.
So far as the Old World is concerned.
probable that there Will be more dying
done, dane ultimaie!y on The Aneriean CON
ever for the better Understanding OF
the running Of a.r lines II may. perhaps
World. simply because people as a rule
arc more familiar with the geography
OF our hemisphere.
Railroad More Reliable.
It will be obvious - anybody who
thinks over the matter that the aero
piane or airsh!p as a means Of convey
anee OF either mails or passengers
with high-speed direct lines Of rail-
way 1t hardly appears chat the aero
reliable as railway train. II is true
that II is Impossible to rs in any sort
o. wind in these days. and, tha, even
heavy rain does not make dying alto
gether impossible. but there are GER
tain circumstances. such AS snow
storms and thick foga in which IL is
utterly Impossible 70. an aeroplane 10
ny, though IN similar weather a train
VII start OF according TO Timetable
and viii stick TO rs scheduled time
throughout its Journey.
Where Speed Counts.
Where the aeroplane is really going
to score on the worlds air routes is
nicaton between places so far apart
thai, the speed OF the acroplanc has
,he, best. possible train, and where the
main railway lines run in such a direc-
ton that the direct a!r line is very
much shorter than the ncares; railway
line.
There is, then. very distinct OPP
a por5sn'E T an aSr9D'anf ssTv;ee
town viii have lis o~n aerodromee
who wishes TO fly across country can
hire an aeroplane AT "A reasonable price
on orr a suitable abb , Day ,,,.,
scalc Will hold good for the world at
large. but else where Shan IN. the Brit
favor. OF the aeropiane For example.
ths through journey on the main linz inc
from san Gss saa 70 gGnStSasnep 4
trip The distance can be covered
respectable modern acropiane. even
stopping for fuel every 800 miles or
so. and II the passenger elected 20 ny
done quite We'll in twenty four hours.
Can Save Eighteen Days.
When one comes TO consider the
Journey from England TO India one is
bilities OF the acroplane. a, present
the only way of getting 10 India is by
OF FOUND the ap Of ood hone ny
the fastest route the journey takes.
one believes. twenty-one days. yet
modern ieroplancs taking the shortest
route The journey could be done from
London to Calcutta in two and half
days. With such a margin x is OBJ
vious that the aeroplane could afford
70 wait for several days il detained
by bad weather at this end and could
sun beat, the mail boats and trains to
Calcutta by weeks. The Capc;o- Cairo
line will be natural extension OF the
line TO India.
Across the Continent
While these lines are being developed
In Europe there should he an equally
sre alc, amount a1,boyr Of devs:iSPmeR! in
claims TO have some OF the fastest
trains in the world. the average speed
81 int nSTnsy sF1 in on
and there should be air lines for the
transport of mails right across the
cities in the West before many years
R Rays passed passed, Even the famous, New
beaten BY prope ThFes orra GGHd be
line. provided it were equipped with
real aeroplanes fitted with reliable
There will also be quite important
hyinE-boa services UP and down 70
coast OF the United states and between
the United states and parts OF British
Columbia and Canada Already the
Canadian government is taking ur the
question of air lines seriously and the
great Canadian railway lines are
taking parliamentary powers TO run
air lines as tributaries TO the railways
for in Canada as to very great eX-
tent in the United states. the main
lines run almost straight between east
and west and the cross communcat ion
from south 10 north is bad or indif-
ferent Therefore. there is quite an
opening. both in the United States and
Canada. for tributary air lines TO feed
the railways.