The Arizona copper camp., 1919-03-22
RAPID STRIDES
BEING MADE IN
AVIATION PLANS

The reports reaching here from Eu-
rope concerning the activities of the
aviation interests over there in the
direction of developing the aeroplane
and airship for passenger and freight
traffic seem to show up by contrast
the existence of a certain lethargy n
this country as far as this field of in
dustry is concerned, says the Daily
News Record of New York. The
United States has long led the world
in the field of. transportation and our
railroad mileage and rolling stock
probably shows totals almost as great
as those of all Europe combined.
There would seem to be reason there,
fore for the expectation that in the
field of aviation, as in the field of
the steam and electrical engine, tho
United States would be second to no
country in the world.
The expectation would now appear
to be justified, if the activities going
en- in various parts of the country
reach their full development. Such
lethargy as exists appears to be on
the surface alone, and soon the re-
suits accomplished are likely to show
the United States leaving the rest OF
the world behind in the region of the
air as on the land.
s@ ST. Louis to Chicago
The latest news for example is that
an aeroplane passenger service be-
tween st. Louis and Chicago is about
to be instituted by the International
Aerial Navigation Co. The plan is
to operate tandem monoplanes be-
tween the two cities, carrying II pas
SengerS.
The first flight will be on July 1,
and the fare will be only $35, accord
ing to Thomas F. Keppel, president
of the company, which has obtained
articles of Incorporation. The rate
for the passenger service between ST.
Louis and New York, which it is plan
ned later to inaugurate, will, it is
thought, be $1OO.
TranscontinentaI Line
Going further the first transconti
mental passenger carrying aerial SER
vice will be inaugurated about August
1, when four twin engined aeroplanes
will attempt the flight with 48 pas
sengers from New York City to Los
Angeles, Cal This fact was announced
this week Immediately after the
Apache Aerial Transportation Co.
signed the contract with the Glenn
L. M9rtin Co. for the delivery of the
aeroplanes. The voyage to Los An
geles will cost $4,000, and the COM
pany proposes to make Los Angeles
an aeronautical junction, whence sub
sidiary air lines will run to San Diego
and Riverside, Cal Later on another
scheduled aerial passenger service
will be opened between Los Angeles
and Ell Paso, Texas, over a distance
of 1900 miles, which will be done in
the air in nine hours, as against % by
train.
This will be the first leg in the
proposed permanent transcontinetnal
air passenger and freight service, COM
panies being organized to transfer pas
sengers and freight to the middle west,
and still others to carry them back
and forth to and from New York,
through tickets being sold for the en-
tire trip. The planes being built for
the Apache Aerial Transportation Co.
are the same as the Martin "All-Amer-
lean bomber built for the United
States government. They have two
400-horsepower Liberty motors. They
hold several worlds records. The
planes have a wing spread of 72 feet
and an overall length of As feet. In
the Los Angeles-San Diego and Riv
erside service the company purposes
to carry 100 pounds of mail each trip
IN addition to the passengers and their
baggage. The passengers will be en-
closed in limousine body which will
be built in such a manner. as not to
interfere with their view of the coun-
try.
England's Rapid Stride
From all which it would appear
that any supposition that the inter-
ests in this country are blind to the
tremendous possibilities inherent in
aerial traffic would be unjustified. At
the same time it has to be admitted
that Europe is showing phenomenal
energy and eagerness in the work of
applying the latest inventions to the
promotion of speed, security and ease
in the handling both of the airship and
aeroplane. Information from Britain
indicates that experiments with an
apparatus destined to be embodied IN
helicopter aeroplane are being con.
Quoted secretly by the authorities near