The Washington herald., 1920-10-24

Inc average american tApGCAS
the government" to do these
things. The United states is ex-
pected to do everything first, now
and eventually. And, therefore,
after such achievements pass from
the front page they are quite often
forgotten. This same average Amer
lean looks upon the air mail as
good stuff" but something never
to affect his daily life, and conse
quently fully as essential as fin
ger bowl to a mother-m made Thanks
giving dinner.
The attitude is not far from Now
that we've discovered the North
Pole, which movie shall We see to-
night?"
Perhaps the easiest way to con-
vince one that the United States
Air Mail Service is a personal mat
ter is to say that if there is let
ter from the North or West in ones
mail tomorrow morning, it undoubt-
edly travelled part of the way be-
hind a roaring aeroplane propeller.
One may never know whether II
did or not, unless he glanCes at
the postmark, and figures out the
travelling time in comparison with
known railroad travelling time. For
there is no distinguishing mark on
air mail these days. The era of
special stamps-at a quarter each
and special cancellation marks has
passed. Air mail service has been
developed from a novelty. provid-
ing curiously marked envelopes to
show great grandchildren, to an
everyday afair-as much an every
day matter as coffee for breakfast.
Produce Accurate Figures.
Though the service is still in its
infancy. it is no longer stunt
The Postofice Department gives
you these figures to digest.
-Four separate lines are now
in actual operation.
The total daily mileage COW
cred by the Air Mail Service
is $3.50.
At twenty mail stations, 300
mechanics and so pilots trans
port approximately 5000 pounds,
or 100000 first-class letters
daily.
The Air Mail Service operates
sixty-five planes, with fifteen in
reserve.
Operation costs thus far have
proved Is per cent cheaper than
railroad transportation.
II there still persists the thought
that the United States Air Mail
Service is little more than stunt"
understand that its dependabillty is
practically a 25 to l shot. Twenty
five days out of thirty the Air Mail
delivers on time. faster than rail-
road. On the WashingtOn-New
York run. at least. this monthly
performance has been regularly
maintained. There is no Sunday
4 flying.
\ The four routes now in actual
4 The TranscontinentaI run. New
lYork to San Francisco, distance OF
IL go miles.
1 The washington to New York run,
<1s5 miles.
! The Chicago to St. Louis run, 27O
Snnes.
I And the Chicago-Twin cities run
Minneapolis and st. PAUL., SIO
\ Planes traverse all runs in both
directions every day.
Has become Fact.
, With planes taking off from in
tcrmediate stations on the overland
rrUss-cOuntry route, fourteen differ
INT loads of mail. each load averag-
,ug $50 to 400 pounds. shoot through
finally bring the conclusion that the
clement Of stunt" has been pushed
cut of the United States air mail
ssrvice.
Forgetting for the moment the in
tsrest which naturally is attached
:, washington's participation in the
".,r mall consider the magnitude
the task to keep in daily opera
ZION the greatest Of the four runs,
II. New York to Frisco mop"
laown in the service as the Trans
c5ntinental," which began opera
tons September s.
II should be clearly understood
that this long distance jump over
1850 miles as the crow flies is not
undertaken by one machine, nor is
the same mail expedited to and
rom the Pacific Coast entirely by
air TRANSFORMATION. The business of
the planes on this route is to make
rail connections which help to beat
the steam lines at their own game.
Here then is an explanation of
the manner in which the transit
tine of mails between New York
ard San Francisco is reduced from
niaety-one to ffty-seven hours in
winter months and to fifty-four
hours in summer.
Explanation of Speed.
There is only one through train
connection in twenty-four hours be-
tween New York and San Francisco.
This train is No. IS, leaving New
York at $40 p. m. Since the bulk
OF New York's tremendous mail is
deposited in letter boxes in various
parts Of the city after 4 p. m. it is
clear that this mail, amounting to
carload lots, cannot be collected, de-
livered to the pOstofflce and dis
tributed in time to get all of the
Sar Francisco and Pacific Coast
mail on the $40 train. There is no
through train service until the next
night at $40 o'clock.
The New York plane, a. $50 a. m
Tracsday, takes 400 pounds or $4,000
OE these leftover letters and deliv-
ers them to train No. 35's connection
at Chicago Tuesday afternoon. This
mail has been advanced twenty-four
hours.
The Air Mail at Chicago then
awaits the arrival of train No. 43 at
IiCagO. from which it takes / 900