The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1920-03-15

Routes Already lEstabl jshsd-arit
ish Company Plano Air Lines
/ Around Earth. -
~i:t,f{H - 5A,G&.a;$a" - ~
Commercial aerial navigation be
came reality in the United States
during 1.-The last year. The sudden
cessation Of hostilities- at .the close
Of 1918 threw hundreds Of airplanes
into the market. and many of these
were purchased by private cOmpa.
MES and remOdeled for commercial
use. III
Airp!ane manufacturers. whose en-,
ergies had been devoted exclusively to
the making Of war machines. also
turned their attention to the CONNER
cial possibilities Of aircraft and have
perfected several standard commercial
types. s., 1t is estimated that there are
more than 1000 privately owned air.
craft in the United States. '
Five Routes Established.
Five regular passenger routes were
established. The airplane mail serv-
ice, inaugurated May Is. 1918, he
tween New York and Washington. as
an experiment. was extended to Cleve-
land and Chicago and put on definite
basis; and scores of private firms pur-
chased aircraft and utilized them for
the delivery Of merchandise and news
papers and for conducting aerial for
est surveys and patrols.
Still greater strides were made in
Europe and Australia, where there are
few thickly populated centers that do
not boast of regular aerial commercial
traffic. either by airplane or dirigble.
or both.
Lack Of adequate facilities is con-
sidered one Of the principal handicaps
to aerial commercial traffic develop
ments in this country. If aerial
transportation is to become universal.
aircraft manufacturers point out that
there must be established adequate
airdromes with definitely marked
landing places, convenient to business
centers and with facilities for housing
the airmen and their machines and
providing them with fuel and repairs.
In addition to the regular routes, a
company at Seattle has started an in
ternatiOnal air mail, operating be-
tween that city and Vancouver, 3. G..
Several lumber companies in the
northwest are using the airplane for
forest patrols and surveys. A New
ark, N. j.. department store delivered
merchandise by airplane to customers
in Asbury Park last summer, while a
large Chicago clothing house made
specially of delivering clothes to col
lege students within a 1O0mile radius
of that city.
Plane Spreads Gospel.
One of the strangest uses for which
the airplane is being considered is
the spreading of the gospel in the
Congo states of Africa. A large
American manufacturer received re.
quest for prices from the Congo mis-
sion of the Church of the Disciples
Of Christ, which is replacing steam
launches with flying boats
In Europe three English companies
maintain regular passenger and par
eel post service between London and |
Paris and London and Brussels. On |
one of the trips grand piano was
carried from London store to its Gus
toner in France by airplase.
Zeppelins, as well as airplanes, have
been used extensively for commercial
purposes in Germany. Although lit
lie is known of German aviation de-
velopment during the last few months,
It is reported that several long air
'outes, including one from Berlin to
London via Paris or Brussels, and an
,ther from Berlin to Constantinople,
Ma Vienna, will be put into operation
Turing the coming year.
Commercial aerial service has been
'ut into operation between Johannes
'urg and Cape Town, South Africa.
Australia already has established
ranscontinental route from Sydney to
'ort Darwin, on the north coast,
istance Of 1850 miles, with stopping
oints every 300 or 400 miles. Expert
rental commercial aerial journeys Of
lore than 1000 miles also have been
lade from Calcutta to other points Of
ldia, and regular routes are now IN
er consideration.
A British company was organized
lst June, with a capital Of many mil II
ons Of dollars, for the establishment
{ airship lines virtually around the
nth. A route from London to New
ork will be the first to be put into
,eration, If the company's plans are
lrriad ont