The Nome nugget., 1920-10-23
rne NOME FLIGHT

In these days of nnrveia. shriilerl and inventions, one Is apt to over. look some really big achievements. Sc it was that the arrival of the four U. g. army airpsanes at Nome. Au6. ust 2s. was soanswhas lost sieht of. The trip from 1dlneoaa. N. Y.. to Nome however. about s.sso miles a1r distance. sDtablishes, a new record in flying and k marks dstinct chapter in the tis- tory of transportation. The scientists and geographefs will be interested as Nome Is the most northwesteriy port and city in the United States and has been the ouefitting point for nAny voyagers seteing ou& for the Arctic regions. wfidle. Fairbanks. in the inter- for of AlasauA. is stil farther North and when the planes stopped at that city they reached a point nearest to the Arctic. In fact. from Fairhanks or from Nome It would be but a arnall matter to hop oR for the North pole. The army officers are naturally inter- ested as for years an army post has been maintained at Nome, which was considered the very last ourposa of civ iixation. but Is now brought into direct touch with the wnf department at Washington. Tn an emergency. a flock of airfaanes. could descend upon the tundra and be rendy for business at short notice. The steamship route to Nome Is 2,s0o statute miles from Seat tie but the air distance is about 2.ooo miles. so 1t would not be unheArd of to hear of machine during the all daylight season of the North. hyins from Seattle to Nome in 9 hours. By starting from Seattie just before sum up the flyer would have daylight for the entire journey during June and July. Of csarsb the recent trip was merely deanonstration but the strate. sfsta will be intefssted when studying a lat map of the Arctic regions. Which will show that the flyer might hop of from Nome and by crossing from cApe Prince of waaeA. U. s. A.. to East chpe. ssberfa. Ne could land upon Asiatic soil in several hours. By hy. ing in a sand -circle over northern Asia. he can cut hah the distance from Nov York to Archanss' and PetroGrad
 but should he tale the cir |iiie rputi the journey to Archansel would be very greatly reduced and the aviator would ny south of the ssth parallel.
 The air distance from Nome to Arch angel is about 500 miles less than from Mineola to Nome. These obserra . tions are merely statements as to what might be done in an emergency, Leav- ing assumptions for the nsnnent. pri- vate information recently received from Dold mining camp on the sea of Oaahots,s. indicatea the ruthless aia,nshter of Americans English and othSF foreisners by the Bolrbeviki horde. When one considers the short dsta nee from Nome. U. s. A.. to the heart of the Ainur district of Siberia, 2.200 milee 1t is seen how an airpaane squadron flying from the vicinity of Nome might possibly have saved a great many of these lives. The ac- t,aI flying time of the army planes from Mineola to Nome was 5s hours.
 The elapsed time wns many days. ow- ing to the long hyovers at various stops. Wath fuel tanles Of such ca- pactty as to increase the distance pos sfbie to the covered without new s,rp- ply. the time in actual days could be very greatly reduced and that will nc doubt be the next great development. Railway and Marine News.