The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-07-26

discharged pilots be reinstated. nave
been dismissed from the service, the
postoffice department announced
New York, July ga strike OF aer'
ial mail pilots began today, no aviator
appearing TO take out the plane with
Chicago mail, due to start for beiie'
1onte, Pa, at a. m.
The strike, the first Of its kind IN
4he country, follows the refusal of the
post office department to reinstate TWO
pilots discharged for refusing to take
out planes Tuesday on account OF the
fog. .. por,,
Postoffice officials at Belmont Park,
Long Island, the landing field for mail
planes. stated that they had receive"
instructions to give out no Information
concerning the aviators actloh'
A protest against the discharge OF
two pilots. Leon Smith and Hamilton
Lee, was sent TO Second Asslsl"nt
Postmaster. General Praeger, Wedhes-
day. giving him "a hours TO make
known his decision. Mr.. Praeger' IN ms
reply. which was received by the ava
TORS last night. announced that the
order discharging the two men hao
not been revoked.
.They came into the service MI
Praeger's telegram said, "as every other
pilot with the knowledge that they
must comply with the departments Or
'ders TO fly with the mail, and Where
flying conditions are such that they
cannot operate they have the option
to resign"
The aviators state that they have
complained on several occasions that
the planes supplied them were poorly
equipped for flying, even in good "eath'
er. because of their high speed. Ihey
said they desired lighter and slower
machines, as in misty or foggy weather
the visibility was so poor as TO MAKE
high speed dangerous. The men ue'
clared that since July 10 no less thah
Is accidents have occurred, in when
10 planes were demolished and Two
aviators killed.
Aviators of mail planes at Chicago.
cleveland and Bellefonte will join in
tie strike, according to local aViators'
IWpntN DllOlS ~ DtIiiici't 80 - N>''
ilian EMPLOYEES of the postoffice depart
ment are affected by the strike acton.
Hamilton Lee, one of the discharged
aviators, said today in speaking oil MS
dismissal;
Il won't go up in foggy weather with
q big machine which travels 100 mics
an hour The smaller ships are all
right, because they are slower III
foggy weather it is often necessary 10
flv only $50 to $50 above the ground
and a high compression Liberty motor
IS ant to get hot at low altitude
causing a forced landing. If l am trav-
cling over a large city. such flying is
dangerous to people below, as well as
to me-"
Bellefonte. Pa, July 25.-up to ~
O'Clock this morning no airmen aP'
peared here at the flying field TO take
the airplane with mail for Cleveland
which was scheduled to leave at a. m
Preparations had not been mace 10
leave with the mail for New YORK.
scheduled to start at IL O'Clock. None
of the aviators who were to take the
mail could be located.
Cleveland. Ohio, July 25.-No ava,
FOR reported at Woodland Hills field
+bis morning to take out the airplane
with New York mail scheduled to leave
here at 7:45 for Bellefonte, Ia. IL IL
understood that at a meeting of the
aviators here last night II was oeciueu
NOT to report for duty this morning IL
the New York aviators did not report
for duty.
Washington, July 25.-N ME t"e
Washington New York air mail plane
left on time today despite the STRIKE
of pilots, the postoffice department.
had no official reports at noon 10 siio"
that any others were in flight. re-
mort from Chicago, however, SAID the
machines in the western DIVISION were
"leaying on time"
In statement today, Otto Praeger'
second assistant postmaster'general' III
charge of the air mail service, denied
snecifically that mail planes used are
unsafe or that the department iorceu
niIots TO take the air regardless VI
weather conditions. Published state
ments attributed to the striking plots
in New York have contained such crit
icisms. ~,
Nr. Praeger said the Curtiss R-34'
equipped with a Liberty motor haa
safe minimum speed of about % miles
an hour. or five miles faster than the
smaller. less powerful JN4-H, which IS
being abandoned. He said the statement
that the R.S4s cannot be flown at less
than 100 miles was incorrect.
The discharge of Pilots Lee and Smith,
which precipitated the strike accord
ing to the statement. followed their re-
fusal to take the air except in machlnes
of their own selection.