Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-06-09
WAR DEPARTMENT soMs'No
PLANES TO rRv TRANS
CONTINENTAL FLIGHT
ROUTE MOST DIFFICULT
THAT COULD BE PICKED
Machines Must Buck Head Winds Az
the Way to North Platte, hsb,-
Will Return by Another Route
Derbsrs Carry Large Fuel Cargo
Plans Leak Out.
lBy e. G. Dougherty.1

washington, June y.--lowa and all
other states thru which Cor over
which) the army aviators will soon lily
with the huge Martin bombing plane
on the venturesome transcontinentai
flight, would have been treated TO "a
big surprise had the wishes OF MAJ.
Gen. Charles T. Monoher, director OF
the air service, been fulfilled, 1t devel-
oped here today. General Monoher ad-
mitted that but for an inadvertence M
publishing an army order there "ouiu
have been no publicity for the ois
flight from New York to San fran
cisco until after " was consumnateu
or at least begun. The route chosen rs
about the most difficult, by reason OF
weather conditions, that could be PICK
ed at this time OF the year, and there-
fore. the air service was diffident about
any advance publicity, fearing that the
performance might not be up to sched-
ule.
The big Martin bomber will have head
winds to buck all the way from Mineoia
to North Platte, Neb.. the only stop on
the trip. and the chances are that
many thunderstorms will be encounter
ed. Moreover the wind conditions In the
Rockies and Sierras are expected 10
be very difficult.
The first announcement OF the IN
tended flight was official, but 1t was
forced by inquiries following an inno-
cent paragraph in special orders d.
recting First Lieut.. Edmund A. Clune
to make a round trip from New York
to San Francisco by airplane. 1t Is
recalled that a similar disclosure re-
suited in premature publication of the
navy's plans for the transatlantic
flight. navy order assigning officers,
issued as routine daily occurrance by
the navy department. having included
the name of Commander Towers TO
take charge Of the TRANSATLANTIC flight
division Of the department"
The return route will not touch Iowa.
it was officially said today at the army
air service headquarters. After reach
ing San Francisco, Captain Francis
and Lieutenant Clune will fly down
the California coast to Rockwell field,
at San Diego, and will then double
back up the coast to Seattle and re-
turn across the continent thru Idaho
Montanana, North Dakota, Minnesota,
and so on to New York.
Can Carry Big Fuel Load.
Army officers who are familiar with
the performance Of the Martin bomber
say that 1t can carry enough gasoiene
for the first leg of 1909 miles, and that
barring exceptional accident, the trip
will be made successfully. The ma
chine will carry full fighting load,
and therefore, II it successfully nego-.
tiates a 1900 mile jump. the demon
stration will be of great military value.
1t is also expected that a successful
demonstration will BE- followed by
regular forty hour mail service De-
tween New York and San Francisco
within few months.
/. The first Martin bomber had its initial
flight Aug. II, 1918. 1t was the re-
suit Of an order given to Glenn l.. Mar
tin by Colonel E. A. Deeds, Of the air.
craft production board. and the equip
ment division of the signal corps to
build four giant day bombers around
Liberty motors, the big bombers hav-
ing hitherto only been used at night
The central idea was to design ma
chine Of great weight carrying capac-
ity, top speed, swift climbing and maxi
mum ceiling. Mr.. Martin was allowed
an absolutely free hand in attaining
these ends. His chief engineering as
sistant was Donald w. Douglas, a re-
cent graduate Of the Massachusetts
Institute Of Technology. The trials OF
the first machine were successful that
quantity production Of the same type
was ordered, and had the war con-
tinued they would have been an all
American feature Of American military
aeronaNtics at the front
The Martin bomber has wing
spread Of seventy one feet five inches,
alength OF forty five feet and a height
of fourteen feet. Tho it carries two
Liberty motors. it can travel with but
one In service, 1t has a ceiling capac-
ity of 10000 feet, and speed Of 120
miles an hour at 5000 feet, or about
twenty miles an hour faster than any
other big bomber. 1t can rise in 200
feet and land in the space required for
a much smaller machine. It is de-
signed to carry 1.5Oo pounds Of bombs
and 1000 rounds of ammunition. and
it's lifting capacitY4.is about 5000
pounds. It's armament consists of three
to five machine guns and thirty
seven milIimeter flexible cannon. 1t
can be adapted to carry eleven pas
sengers besides the pilot, and is said to
be easily adaptable to commercial
uses.
I e.. ! 81