Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-02-22

tai mail out of Seattle, and catches
| Asiatic steamers touching at Victoria
often cumes home after dark, depend
| ing upon intermittent flashes from {
huge chimney on the Seattle water
front to guide his Seaplane into port.
The big flying boats carrying passen-
gers and mail from Key west tc
Havana leave after the arrival OF the
northern mail-trainS in the morning.
They negotiate the high winds in an
nour, over heavy seas that invariably
! reuuirc a day for boats TO cross; but
occasionally tho brilliantly lighted fly
ing Pullmans arc compelled to con-
tinue down the Cuban Coast past
Havana seeking harbor more hospi-
table TO storm tossed voyagers than
the capital city affords.
Pilot Harris flew from Cleveland to
Chicago last March during the tornado
that halted all trains and other We
hislcs and scattered shipping far off the
course as the gale swept the Great
Lakes. Reporting to Washington after
his arrival, Harris wrote:
"Thc wind was blowing about forty
miles an hour. The motor sputtered
and missed, and I thought how cold
Lake Michigan under me would reel.
ran into the worst rain and hail torn
I ever flew in near Gary, Ino. For five
minutes | could see nothing. not even
the instruments on the dashboard IN
front Of me. l arrived safely at LOU
P. NJ. l think that is pretty good tlme
for mail from New York to reach chi
cago-eh, what? left New YORK AT
A. M" -
Fog one day obscured the Bellefontc
field. A pilot arrived overhead. locat-
ing his position by means Of a noun,
tain-top protruding above the mist
that mantled the earth. He enclrcled
the peak for two and a half hours, un-
til his gasoline supply became eX-
hausted He was about to dive blind
" when the mist cleared and he land
ed safely. Mechanics found twenty
four cigarette stubs on the floor OF the
machine. .,
Speeding eastward with the mails
over Indiana, Pilot Haight found his
plane virtually motionless in the ar.
He had encountered stiff head winds:
These he fought all afternoon, until
darkness brought him down. On max
ing forced landing a pilots hrst
thought is to get his mallponcne3 20
the nearest railroad, and many and
~--~-
power employed. One pilot not long
aeo borrowed pair Of mules from a
farmer and packed the mails seven
miles over the hills to the railroad.
A day in January. to quote another's
report: Day was damp and misty.
Zero weather. Mist froze to wires ana
struts (braces) as fast as it struck.
Wires soon became coated. Struts the
same. Instruments filled with Ice and
machine~could not stay in the air.
Landed at North Liberty, Ind. kicked
ice off plane. Hook off as before. Ice
formed again and : brought me down
near Millerburg, Ind. .Punctured
tire"
AL elaborate organization has been
perfected to keep the complex system
of traclSless air-routes in operation. AT
the Post Office Department in Wash
ingtona hangs map OF the Unlteo
States on which are tagged the posi-
tions of all pilots and planes operat-
ing during the day. Changes are MADE
hourly. Reports on the weather are
relayed in quick messages along the
various routes and the entire servicee
is kept continuously informed of all
rountine business. Facilities have also
been provided for the training OF
pilots. AS we read:
At College Park. Md, pilots are
trained and machines tested. Ihe pllot
must understand his business
thoroughly before he is even considered
for acceptance. BY this means ar
mail officials are taking advantage OF
the training so many Americans re-
cciyed during the war. The cnlet OIL
f1vinr operations is pilot. SO, alsc.
arc the chief of pilot examination anu
chief OF radio. The chief engineer Is
q pilot. These officials are familiar
with airplanes and their uses Inc
examining officer has had more than
5000 applications to consider Tor posi-
tions rs pilots. From that NUMBER ne
has picked $500 for initial tests. OhiS
295 were appointed. Fifty Of these have
been sumnlarily discharged for insub-
ordination. They could not resist the
temptation to perform stunts and
thrill residents near the fields. They
had failed to consider themselves as
racing-car drivers transferred 70
trucks. none the less important ana m
volving just as much Skill
Until recently Il pilot received from
s., 900 to $500 year salary. the in
crease depending on the number OF
hours he had flown the mails. But the
system was not practical. a pilot up
on attaining the maximum flying time
and realizing that nc could receive no
higher pay stood back or disappeared
and permitted the younger men to take
ont his plane. thereby enabling he be-
ginner to reach his majority more
quickly. This so confused the service
that schedules were often interrupted.
The system was finally changed, all
pilots rccciging base pay Of $4,000 Il
year and five cents Il mile for flying.
Under this rate pilots now receive from
1000 to $500 a year
1t is by strict enforcement of the
rules and providing the pilot with all
known facilities for his work that the
officials believe they are building up
service which will develop steadily un-
til the entire country is one vast net
work Of air. mail truck lines.