Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-10-24


example, while the Latecoere and 9TH
ers are at this moment opening the
Sahara and Morocco, two other
French lines on opposite shores of
the Atlantic are making equally ro-
mantlc schedules and reaching out to
the great passenger realization of
hands across the sea.
The Societe des Transports Aeriens
Guyanais. in French Guinea, north Of
the mouth of the Amazon, is operat-
ing Systematically a fleet of hydra
vions from st. Laurent, on the Maroni
river, across country and up the
otherwise impossible rivers and
swamps of the interior, to bring out
precious merchandise, like gutta-
|, percha.
Across the Atlantic, on the European
SIDE, the one company runs a pas
senger and freight air line between
Marseille and Algiers by way of the
baiearic Isles-and it is reaching out
/ with its hydroplanes to Madeira. the
Canaries and the Azores
NOW, the impetus to join UP such
existing air lines on two opposite
sioes OF the Atlantic was dependent
merely on some great device or
scheme approximating as nearly as
may be to safety. I am told that |
violate no condolences in mentioning
the bare outline Of the Sargasso sea
1 relief and supply stations.
AS everybody knows without know
ing anything more). the Sargasso sea
is vast area of still water lying in
the interior of the north Atlantic
circulation. Into various parts of it's
center are collected all the drift and
wreck of the north Atlantic for 500
years back. and (what gives it's
name) unimaginable masses of mat
ted gulf weed. forming, where thick
est, veritable "prairies" or meadows"
as solid as dry land and about as
islands'-they do not float. These are
regions of mild calm and serene air
dead calm, if you prefer it-where
the water has a straight temperature
equator, as against IS degrees in the
Caribbean. 60 degrees in the gulf
stream and So degrees in the trans
atlantic liner lanes. still heated by
the gulf stream. Nothing happens.
One, who twice spent considerable
| time in these unvisited areas on the
Prince of Monaco's deep-sea explor-
ing yacht, claims that he can pick out
a series OF spots where, in perpetual
dead calm. not only fixed supply and
houses) can be established for the
transatlantic air lines, but broad
rolling ground" for planes to break
their journey. in new lair lanes" to
run from the Florida coast or New
Orleans or Houston. Tex. via the
Bahamas to the Canary Islands. Ma
deira and CadiZ. and, "once started,
never be outside the reach of rescue
planes from the nearest station. all the
way across. and regularly in sight of
The area Of the Sargasso sea (al-
though few realize it) is equal to
that of continental Europe. Wireless.
Of course. enters largely into the
proposition. How the rescuers are to
locate the plane in distress on the
6so-mile jump from the Bahamas to
the first Sargasso station is claimed to
be satisfactorily worked out-the
travel will. naturally, be in narrow
lanes" and while the total trans
and water situation, in themselves,
are infinitely preferable to that of The
] drear and boisterous north.
In discounting air travel the dan
ger is to foresee too small. From
January l to September 1. 1920. the
five companies plying between Paris
and London carried 2.sa7 passengers.
In eight months. Yet during the past
eighteen weeks Ito about September
gone by the planes of the same five
companies, instead of by boat and
train. So, it may be judged how con-
siderable was the rush in those Sep
TENDER days and short period pre-
ceding them.
In the last month for which figures
are available (to September 24) the
air travellers in and out from the two
ports" of Roydon and Cricklewood,
London. numbered 1850. In one sin
Expresses" at the terminal aero
dromes of Paris-Brussels-A Amsterdam
carried sixty-eight passengers in adj
dition to mails and urgently consign-
ed parcels. One single detail, between
Paris and these cities, and much more
SO with respect to London. it is be-
coming the practice for great dress
making, millinery, etc. houses to send
mannequin girls by air with each new
Paris creation, /. e., novelty!
The recent reduction in the fare
\ from Is to 10 guineas Paris. $50
francs. say. $40) for one-way trip be-
tween Paris and London brought a
material increase in traffic. For next
spring, when the single London Paris
fare may be less than guineas, roll
ing stock etc, is already assured on
tho assumption that the travel will
start in more than tripled-and who
knows what beyond that? A 7-guin-
cas- fare to Paris will mean that Lon
an average 100 miles per hour. ac-
cempanied by motor car transport be-
tween air sports" and cities, at a rate
for the whole which works out only
a small fraction over l franc per mile
mot kilometer). This is cents for
the American traveller who can cash
a check on New York. Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Cleveland. Washington
Detroit, Boston. Memphis. Houston.
Especially designed passenger air
planes lately put on these continental
"airways' have proved far more COM
Portable and attractive than any con-
verified war machines could hope to be.
One new express carries pilot and
eight passengers at a maximum, near
the ground, of 100 miles per hour.
The passengers sit in armchair
seats. luxuriously padded The par
lor car which they occupy is totally
Il inclosed and draught-proof and there
are wide side windows from which
they obtain q full view OF the pan
Drama below. A d-deadening
car reduces the noise even when
rushing at more than two miles per
minute to just what Is about usual
I in an ordinary subway car. SO that
conversation may easily be carried
I on between passengers sitting near
each other. Those who are tough
tering of icy clouds in the exterior
cockpit" acquire the honorable title
II of hard boiled"
That tho new fast expresses have
appreciate money-earning. power is
shown by figures taken haphazard
e9 %e sas t Ts ms Of int
question left on a new $3.50 am. serv--
ice to Paris with I'VE passengers and
returned the same afternoon with
iii seven passengers; on tho 4:30 pm.
n service from Paris. having flown