Omaha daily bee., 1920-04-10
Date Fixe ..nslls.Aas's Tor
Extension Of Air Mail Serv-
ice From Chicago to Omaha
May Be Delayed Few Days.
FIRST STEP OF CROSS
CONTINENT SYSTEM
Time Schedule Arranged for
Plane Flights and City Car
rier Trips That Will Insure
Saving Hours on Delivery.
BY E. c. SNYDER.
Washington Correspondent Omaha he


Washington Correspondent Omaha Bee.
Washington, d. c., April O.
Especial Telegram. Ut is the ex-
pectation of Second Assistant Post
master General Prayer that the ex-
tension of the air mail service to
Omaha will be put into operation
on April 20. Delay in the delivery
of equipment or other delays of
preparation might advance the date
of the Inauguration OF the service,
but it will be within four or five
days of that date.
This will be the first step in the
extension of the New York Chicago
air mail route to the Pacific coast as
provided for by congress, Omaha
instead of Chicago being the west
ern terminal of the transcontinenta
route until after the first of July,
when the appropriation for the New
York-San Francisco route becomes
available. For the establishment
and operation of this transconti-
mental route congress appropriated
81 ,250,000, which was $250,000 under
the estimate.
The Inauguration of the service
west from Omaha after the first of
July will follow as speedily as the
assembling of the equipment. the
preparation of landing fields and the
like will admit of. A general ex-
animation of the possible route to
be adopted between Omaha and San
Francisco will be made and the
route decided upon between now
and the first of July.
Many Hours Saved.
Within a day or two planes and
equipment will start moving to
Omaha, and with the Inauguration of
the service the department will be
prepared to maintain it with the
regularity and efficiency which has
characterized the service between
Washington and New York and be-
tween New York and Chicago. The
schedule for the service between
Chicago and Omaha has been pre-
pared by the Postoffice department.
which will advance the delivery of
letters to the extent of full bust
ness day. IL ".
The rail transportation between
Chicago and Omaha requires from
IS to l6 IL hours while the air
transportation will require from 4
IL to S IL hours, giving in addi-
ton to the time saved in transporta-
ton the advantage of rail connec-
ton so as to advance the delivery
of mail many hours. Mail leaving
Chicago by airplane at E a. m. daily
except Sundays and holidays is
scheduled to arrive at Omaha at
the same time with mail dispatched
by train at a. m. Mail dispatched
from Omaha at | p. m. is scheduled
to arrive in Chicago at the same
time as mail dispatched by train at
7:30 a. m.
Westbound the plane will carry
approximately $4,000 Omaha city
letters, advancing the delivery to ad-
dresses one business day. This mail
will consist Of letters mailed in Chi
cago too late for dispatch to evening
trains, and mail from incoming
trains, the most important being
New York and Chicago R. P. O.
Train 43, due at LaSalle station, Chi
cago, at lis a. M, close connec-
ton for Chicago and Council Bluffs
r. P. O. Train 7, leaving the Union
Station, Chicago, at 2 a. m. and due
to arrive Omaha at $3.50 p. M, too
late for carrier delivery that day.
City Trip Scheduled.
Omaha city carriers are scheduled
to leave the main Office on afternoon
trips as follows: Two-trip carriers.
l:30 p. m; three-trip carriers, l:35
p. m.; four-trip carriers, 1:20 p. m.
and $50 pm; fve-trip carriers, 1:35
p. m. and Sis p. m. Mail is sched-
uled to leave the main Office for all
carrier stations at 1880 p. M, there
fore letters arriving by plane before
noon will be delivered throughout
the entire city the day of receipt.
The eastbound plane will carry
letter mail for Chicago and for east
ern states, deposited for mailing at
the Omaha postoffice between a.
m. and 1915 p. m. also that re-
ceived for Chicago and connecting
lines from railway postofflces arriv-
ing in Omaha as follows: Omaha
and Ogden r. P. o. train a, due 7:40
a. m.; Omaha and Schuyler r. ?. O.
train 81, due 1920 a. M; Omaha and
Auburn R. P. o. train 1877, due l0:55
a. M; Omaha and Chadron R. P. o,
train 2, due lao a. m. By rail the
mail leaving Omaha via train 6 at
1880 p. m. is due to arrive at Chi
cago at Gas a, m. the following day
ard by plane it will arrive at or be-
fore $50 p. M, an advance of Il
hours and Is minutes.
1t is proposed to have clerks in
the Jefferson terminal R. ?. O., Chi
cago, make distribution to stations
of Omaha city letter mail between
the hours of a. m. and $50 a. m
and to make up pouches for the
main office at Omaha and for all
important postal stations. This will
insure carrier delivery at the Office
! OF address on the day of recent.