Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-30
D. c., June 25.-Just as
w as the official ak is about to chop OF

vrTASHiNGTON, D. c., June 25.-Just as
w as the official ak is about to chop on
w the stunted wings of the Air Mall
service, due to congressional failure to pro
vide funds for the continuance OF the snort
lines, the air mail attains 100 per cent per-
Torrance on all divisions for the first time
in it's three-year history.
Almost coincident with the achievement OF
that ideal performance record, postmaster
General Hays announces the appointment Oh
Carl F. Egge, former superintendent OF the
MINNEAPOLIS air mail station, to the Office OF
general superintendent Of the entire system.
Though Agge has had thirty years expert
ence in the postoffice department, naVlns
risen to his present position through the
grades of railway mail clerk and inspector
he is a man without flying record.
How does this new superintendent look
upon the further development Of the over
head postal methods?
AS he steps into office, he faces q rather
gloomy outlook. In few weeks the trans
continental route from New York to San
Francisco will be the only mail airway main
tanned by the government, and yet Egge does
not feel discouraged over the prospects.
"I believe in the air mail" he declares. 'It
is past the experimental stage, and its de-
yelopment, though temporarily blocked Will
come despit the discontinuance OF the Few
shortlnes we had already established"
Egee believes in the air mail, but his train
firm believer in the dispatch of mail TO-DAY
as we'll as in the future, something which the
public may greet with relief.
Short Lines Not Needed
He does not worry about the dlscont1n-
uance of the short lines, because there has
been derived from them no special BENEFITS
for the communities which they served. Egge
observes the passing of the Westinghouse
New York, the Chicago to Minneapolis, and
the Chicago to St. Louis runs without great
For majnt6nanC6S
these short-lines which has been the aim OF
the department. These short hops were
originally started as the first legs OF what the
department had planned to make an elabor-
ate network of long-distance routes. Lack
of funds prevented the completion of the
original pans and now so threatens to BLOCK
development for sometime IN the future tnat
it has been deemed advisable to abandon,
temporarily, at least; hopes for large scale
operation.
The trans-continental service, however,
continues to beat rail delivery sufficiently to
make it worthy of continuance, and 1t WILL
be continued under appropriation made by
congress. Aviators and mechanics on the
discontinued routes will be transferred to the
transcontinental routes and as far as pos
sible utilized on regular work or on the re-
serve list Equipment will likewise be utlllz-
ed on the cross-country air line.
Development of this lone run will undoubt-
edlv provide for all the experimental needs
men on this route, with the total ia planes
of the department at their disposal, to estab-
lish record improvement in aerial dispatch.
The loss of 10 lives during the past year
l. pilots, machines and one official, almost
twice as many as for the first two years
has been a distressing feature of the devel-
opment Of the air mail. But authorities,
while pointing out that every effort is being
made to improve devices and airplane mech
ansm which will prevent as far as possible
these unfortunate accidents, likewise call at
tention to the fact that every great advance
in science is likely to claim some toll of hu-
man life. At least each accident and every
experience in cross-country flying increases
the knowledge of aviation both for war and
for commercial flying.
The increased loss of life this last year has
been due to certain extent to the greater
hazard of operating the trans-continental
route which crosses two mountain ranges.
Seven of the fatalities were due to defective
mechanism of certain type of plane which
has been discarded, and six occurred while
the victims were not engaged in handling
mail either on the field or in the air.
Pilots Adventures
Pilots hare never been required by the