The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-02
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKN, Director.
Washington, d. @.
OUR AIR MAIL.


Washington. d. c.. June 2s.-Just
as the official ak is about to chop
off the stunted wings OF the Air Mail
Service, due to congressional failure
to provide funds for the continuance
of the short-lines, the Air Mail at
tains 100 per cent performance on all
divisions for the first time in its
three-year history.
Almost coincident with the achieve
ment of that ideal performance rec
ord. Postmaster General Hays an
nounces the appointment of Carl f.
Egge, former superintendent of the
| Minneapolis air mail station, to the
office of general superintendent of
the entire system. Tho Egge has had
thirty years experience in the post
office department, having risen to his
present position thru the grades of
! railway mail clerk and inspector, he
is a man without a flying record.
How does this new superintendent
/ look upon the further development
| of the overhead postal methods?
As he steps into office, he faces q
| rather gloomy outlook. In a few
weeks the transcontinentai route
from New York to San Francisco will
be the only mail airway maintained
by the government, and yet Egge does
not feel discouraged over the pros
poets.
II believe in the Air Mail" he des
clares. 1T is past the experimental
stage, and it's development, tho tenn
the discontinuance of the few short
lines we had already established"
Egge believes in the Air Mail, but
his training in post office affairs also
makes him a firm believer in the dis
patch OF mail today as well as in the
future. something which the public
may greet with certain relief.
Short Lines Not Needed.
He does not worry about the discon-
! tinuance 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 Washington-to-New
York. the Chicago to Minneapolis, and
the Chicago to st. Louis runs without
great regret, for It was not the main
tenance of these short lines which has
been the aim of the department. These
| short chops" were originally started
as the first legs of what the depart
| ment had planned to make an elabor-
ate network of long distance routes.
! Lack of funds prevented the compile
ton of the original plans and now SO
threatens to block development for
some time in the future that 1t has
been deemed advisable to abandon,
Temporarily, at least, hopes for large
] scale operation.
| The transcontinental service, how
! ever, continues to beat rail delivery
sufficiently to make 1t worthy~of con-
| tinuance, and it will be continued un-
| der appropriation made by congress.
Aviators and mechanics on the discon-
| tinued routes will be transferred to
| the transcontinental routes and as far
| as possible utilized on regular work or
| on the reserve list. Equipment will
likewise be utilized on the cross-coun-
try air line.
| Development of this lone run will
n undoubtedly provide for all the ex-
| perimental needs of the service. and
at the same time permit men~on this
route, with the total ia planes of the
department at their disposal, to estab-
lish record improvement in aeriaRdis-
patch.
The loss of nineteen lives during
the past year-thirteen pilots, five
mechanics and one official, almost
twice as many as for the first two
years-has been a distressing feature
of the development of the Air Mail.
But authorities, while pointing out
that every effort is being made to
improve devices and airplane mech
anism which will prevent as far as
possible these unfortunate accidents
likewise call attention to the fact
that every great advance in science
is likely to claim some toll Of human
life. At least each accident and every
experience in cross-country flying in
credses the knowledge of aviation
both in war and for commercial fly
ing.
I. 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 Sever
of the fatalities were due to defect
i've mechanism of a 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 have never been required BY
: the post office department to star
: on their trips under weather condi
tons that will endanger their lives
but they sometimes meet with bat
weather conditions after starting. II
their eagerness to complete theil
trips and test their flying skill under
these difficulties, theyfometimes taxi
great risks.
: Difficulties of keeping the mai
moving in spite Of weather conditions
are revealed in the reported expe
rience of one aviator flying over thu
vania, in his flight from New York t.
, Bellefontaine, Pennsylvania.
! "I flew at 1000 feet" he said
catching occasional glimpses of thu
ground until reaching the Delawart
: river, which I was able to see thru {
; hole in the fog. I then dived down II
J the river and attempted to fly down
stream. This proved to be impos
sible owing to the fact that the fol
, was right on the water and there wa
: no ceiling''-referring to the distanc'
: from the water to the fog.
Affair flVir1 for soma time. this nj
lot explained, he climbed thru an up
per stratum of clouds, breaking thru
at 1000 feet. When he saw a blacl
spot in the clouds, he dived dow