The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1920-12-23
SWIFT PLANES
FLY TO CUBA
First Air Mail Service Between
United States and Foreign
Country.
ALSO CARRIES PASSENGERS
Runs Between Key West and Havana,
Crossing In an Hour the Gap
Which Takes Steamers an
Entire Night to Bridge.

New York-Regular air mail service
between the United States and for
eign country is now being carried on
as surely as regular transatlantic
ship mail service
Every day since November 1 huge
aeromarine-navy cruisers, freighted
with several hundred pounds Of mail
and ten or twelve passengers, have
been running on schedule between Key
West, Florida, and Havana, Cuba,
crossing In an hour the gap which
takes a steamer an entire night to
bridge.
The big flying boats travel through
the air with the sureness Of a loco
motive along its rails or a steamer
across smooth sea, for they were
specially built to fly over oceans for
long distances and have been SUBJ
Jected to very rigorous test by the
United States navy before being placed
in the service.
Testing the Air Yachts.
AS a means Of testing their stamina
and reliability the two aeromarine
cruisers were flown down the Atlantic
coast from New York to Havana,
distance OF 1000 miles, just before the
Key West-Havana mail service was
inauguarated. The 1000 miles were
licked off behind them as regularly as
watch marks off the seconds, al
though no effort was made to try for
h fcav~ nov
do 100 miles an hour, but this Is not
indispensable speed for a plane by
any means. The aeromarines, with
their luxurious cabins and other fine
passenger facilities are not racing
planes but air yachts designed to car
ry passengers swiftly, yet In comfort.
According to reports reaching New
York, the big air cruisers, named the
Pinta and Santa Maria In honor Of two
Of the caravels Of Columbus, "hopped"
to Norfolk, Va, on the first day of the
journey and there permitted the score
Of passengers and the members OF the
crews to see something Of the town.
Manteo, on the Island of Roanoke,
where Virginia Dare, the first white
child born In America, first saw the
sun, was the next stop, but 1t was not
wholly because Virginia was born here
that the big ships glided down to the
water. 1t was near Manteo, on XIII
Devil dunes, that the Wright brothers
made the first flight in a motor-pro-
PEELED airplane. That was in 1903 and
the flight lasted but SO seconds and
was only for few hundred feet. Stops
were also made on the southwark tour
at Southport, N. c.; Georgetown, S.
c.; Charleston, S. c.; st. Augustine, !
Fla; Fort Pierce, Fla, and Miami,
Fla.
The aeromarines completed their |
first mail-carrying tour to Havana on |
November l, alighting in Havana har-
Dor amid the cheers Of a crowd which |
seemed to be the entire population Of
the city. Five hundred pounds of mail
was delivered on the initial trip. This
amount Is p 1000 letters. Each letter
bore stamp indicating that 1t trav-
eled by the first airplane mail service
between the United States and for
eign country.
Description Of the Planes.
The planes used in the flight have a
wing spread of 1O4 feet, are so feet
long and are powered by two 4OO-horse
power Liberty motors. They differ
from navy planes e the F-5L type in
that they are equipped with two cab
ms, each of which is furnished in ma
hogany, with silver fittings and finish
ngs which compare with those Of a
yacht.
The main cabin Is forward of the
wings, and contains six luxurious re-
,lining chairs, upholstered in brown
Gather, each beside q. large portfolio,
shaded by old blue and gold silk tapes
ry curtains. The operating compart-
nent is next, and behind 1t is the after
.abin, furnished as club cOmpart-
nent for cards, writing, smoking, etc.
The passengers who made the flight
outward included officials of the
ompany and their wives, two women
writer's, nine-year-old boy, and 9th
rs. After the first flight the passen-
ers came to regard their tour in much
acht, save that the swiftly-changing
cenery from two to three thousand
eet up is far more interesting and fas-
mating.
Could Not Fool Blind Man.