The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1920-11-18
b|RDMEN SACRIFICED
IN FLAMING C0FF|NS

The following article regarding air
service of the ~postofice department is
from the pen of one mentioned there
in, who will be acknowledged to have
a fair workable knowledge of the sub
ject he discusses. 1t sounds rather
different from the regulation boom"
stuff handed out to newspapers by
Federal jo~b-holders:
What of the transcontinental aerial
mail? Is 1t a success or failure, and
why? A general question such as
the above, IL directed to a postofice
official at this time, would be an
swered in the Affirmative, and great
sheathes of statistics would be shown
to prove the contention. Figures do
not lie. but they can certainly mis-
represent.
From a study of the results of two
months operations at the San Fran
cisco terminal, one is brought 10 the
conclusion that the western division
was put through months before its
time. with entirely inadequate facili-
ties. both as regards equipment and
landing fields. That more accidents
have not occurred is a miracle, due,
undoubtedly, to the fact that more
flying was not done.
Days and days pass when no mail is
carried from San Francisco to Reno
because of some slight mechanical
trouble preventing the one plane in
operation from taking off. There were
originally two planes in service. One
had an accident and then there was
one. One little plane. striking out
for heaven-we want to be clever, but
heaven doesn't rhyme with none
very well, and none is the word
we must use.
Were it not for the assistance of the
army. which graciously came to the
rescue of the mail service with the
occasional loan of a plane, the record
of the service would be even worse
than 1t is.
There is but one conclusion that
can be drawn. The unprepared in
auguration of the transcontinental
mail was a political trick which
would have been brought out in the
campaign as a great Democratic ac-
complishment were it not for its fail
ure. There can be absolutely no other
reason for rushing 1t through half
prepared with planes or means to
secure them. There was no crying
need for the ~half-baked, intermittent
earvjnn such q q 10 nnU nnndunfnd II
is expensive and not dependable. and
but few are availing themselves Of 1t.
and those merely for the novelty.
The failure of the all-metal planes
and their abandonment by the post
Office was a blow to those who had
planned big things by the expected
performance of the German mono
planes. Instead of being fire-proof, as
was expected, they proved to be fire.
traps Of the dangerous nature,
permitting the pilot and passengers
absolutely no escape. The gas tanks
NIT the liquid to flow into the cabin.
where it would swash over the floor
until ii ignited itself against the hot
engine or by friction. This. and other
unlocked for and structural weak
nesses caused the department to aban-
don the planes, but not until several
lives had been sacrificed.
Colonel Jordan, superintendent of
the western division. claims that the
American Martin planes have given
the best results in the East, but the
De Havilands are the only ones as
yet employed in the West. These
planes are the ones manufactured by
the government for the war, but the
war ceased just as they got into pro-
duction. They were nicknamed by
the boys who flew them over the
front as the flaming collins" They
cost the government s17, 500 each and
so, consequently. must be used. How
ever. they have done excellent work
where sufficient numbers have been
employed to keep the service going.
The ~postofice department has been
trying to palm off some of its divis-
ions to private interests. but SO far
no financiefs have been silly enough
to even nibble at the bait.
The proposition made to Louis b.
Jacobs. formerly of the Skyline Air
plane Company. by Colonel ]. A. Jor-
dan. for the San Francisco to Salt
Lake division. was preposterous. Jor-
dan required that six De Haviland
planes be maintained at each termi-
nal and two at Elko. These planes
could be used for no other purpose
than for mail. and could make no
stops other than at the prescribed