Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-07-26
AIR MAIL STRIKES
ENDED;F[Y TODAY
Representative Of Pilots
Confers With Mr.. Praeger
and, Adjusts Trouble.

Announcement was made today at
the Post Office Department that the
first strike of aviators in history had
been settled. After conference be-
tween Second Assistant Postmaster
General Praeger and a representative
of the air mail plane pilots it was
said that the strike was the result
of misunderstanding.
Six atiators who refused yesterday
to take the air with mail planes from
New York for Washington and Belle
fonte, Pa. and from the latter city
to Cleveland, have been reinStated. it
was announced. They were dismissed
from the service yesterday. The two
pilots whose dismissal led to the
strike have not been reinstated.
Come for Conference.
Charles H. Anglin. representing the
air mail pilots, who yesterday refused
to fly from New York with the mails,
and E. Hamilton Lee, one of two
pilots whose discharge from the air
mail service was responsible for the
strike" came to Washington today
to confer with Second Assistant Post
d -
regulations for flights in bad weather.
They were accompanied by Attorney
J. F. Furst, representing the pilots
Both Lee and Anglin said that the.
pilots had resumed flying today pend
ing the conference of their Tepresen-
and that if Mr.. Praeger was uncom-
promising in his fly or quit order,
or insisted in the use of high com
preston machines in all kinds OF
weather, the trouble would start again.
Lee, with Pilot Leon Lee ss smith M 1sss
Tuesday when they refused to go up
during a fog in a high-compression
Curtis machine of the IA type Ihey
asked to be allowed to cover their
better adapted to low attitudes, but
the post Office authorities would not
permit this.
Pilots Willing to Fly.
Anglin and Smith made it plain to-
day that the pilots are entirely will
ing to fly in the speedy Curtis planes,
equipped with high-compression lib
erty motors. during ordinary weather
conditions. when it is possible to fly
at the high attitudes for which these
motors are especially designed. But
they insist that when rain and fog
make high flying out of the question
they should be allowed to use De
Haviland plane or some such machine
suitable for low flying. The liberty
motor becomes overheated at low al
titudes and this caused one accident
on the Washington-New York route
last Wednesday, they said today, the
day after Smith and Lee refused to
fly in that type of machine.
1t is probable that Representative
Ramseyer of Iowa, who yesterday in
troduced a resolution in the House call
ing for detailed reports on the air mail
service, will accompany Anglin and Lee
to Mr.. Praeger's office, and Representa-
tive La Guardia of New York also eX-
poets to go with them.
Compression Caused Accident.
Anglin. as the representative Of the
air pilots, was prepared to call Mr.
Praeger's attention to ten accidents to
airplanes in the postal service within
nine days, July Is to %, inclusive, all
due to adverse weather conditions. Six
of these, he said, were sustained by
high compression motors, such as the
aviators claim are unsuited for weather
such as prevailed during the period
covered by the report. The pilots claim
that flying under a low ceiling" such
as fog or rain clouds, is a hazardous
feat at best and should be done only in a
plane best suited for that kind of work
The accidents enumerated by the
pilots are as follows:
July 15-Pilot Stevens, in high com
preston Curtiss machine forced down
by rain near Kempton, Pa, and
ly wrecked.
July 16-Pilot Riddick forced to de-
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