The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1922-09-27

clouds. II Is all due to the fact that
the Post Office department Is consid-
ering establishing night flying. Fly
ing by night means much more than
flying by day. 1t means lighted
fields. Also 1t means constant ON
munication between the planes In
flight and the stations. At Boiling
Field, this city, a mail plane has
been fitted with both receiving and
sending radio telephone apparatus for
communication tests. During flights
over the capital city above the
clouds conversation has been MAIN
tanned successfully with the radio
telephone station In the Post Office de-
partment.
Just as ships on the ocean without
radio lose themselves If the III and
stars are obscured, the ships Of the
air lose themselves. At night mall
airplanes without radio equipment
would be very likely to lose their
way, run out Of gasoline and finally
crash to the ground. The Post Office
department wants to establish good air
mail service, but 1t insists that the
service must be safe. With radio tel
ephone equipment ships could be
given their position in ten minutes or
less, 1t Is estimated by officials of
the air mail service. The operation
would be something like this: A
mail plane flying at night would call
for its position. Radio operators In
the stations from which the plane de-
parted and to which 1t was going, by
means of rotating finder would de-
termine the exact direction the mes
sage came from. One station would
then report the angle to the other
station. This operator would draw a
triangle or a map from the In
formation received. The plane, OF
course, would be at the apex Of the
triangle. The flyer, Informed Of his
position. could quickly make his way
back to the route.
viii Report Ground Conditions.
Radio will also be used to report
ground conditions at the stations to
planes In flight. If a heavy fog set
ties over San Francisco, the flyer
with mail Will be warned to land
some place else. The passenger and
mail planes between Engiand and
France are equipped with radio sets
for such emergencies. Further ex-
periments which will now be con-
Quoted by the air mail service, look
toward simplifying the radio equip
ment In order to reduce the weight.
The mall plane reels In its expert
mental antenna as a fisherman reels
In a trolling line. The antenna con-
sists of a B00-foot copper wire which
sails out behind the plane when In
use, weighted by n little lead fish.
Electric current to operate the
radio telephone Is manufactured by
n generator run by a fan which spins
at high speed as the plane rushes
through the mir.
National Gallery of Art Assured.
The federal governments interest
In a national gallery of art ap.
pears to be increasing. 1t Is Il mat
ter Of particular fellcitation that
congress has granted Il fund sufficient
to permit the organization Of the gal
iery as a separate unit of the Smith
sonian foundation and to provide a
modest %curatorial staff, thus relieving
tho museum Of IA rapidly growing bur.
den, and Mt the same time affording
the long-delayed opportunity of laying
the foundation requisite to a reason
able and symmetric development of
the nations gallery Of art.
The death of Mr.. Freer this year Is
q great loss to the art interests of the
country. In presenting his collections
of American and oriental art to the
Smithsonian institution In 1900, Mr..
Freer stipulated that they should re-
main In his possession during his life,
and at that time he provided In his
will 100000 for the erection by the
Smithsonian institution of Il suitable
building for housing them, near the
national museum. He reserved the
right to add to the collections, and In
the intervening years he has about
tripled the number of objects original
ly transferred by title to the instltu.
llolls ihNi tubiilB Nv puiiolliE ulu w
81, 100000 and waving the original
conditions, Mr.. Freer In 1915 decided
upon the early erection Of the struc-
ture and the transfer of the collec-
lions to Washington. The building,
now completed. was begun In 1915.
Mr.. Freer's Vast Bequest.
That Mr.. Freer was not permitted
to see the contamination of his plans
for the development Of the art inter.
ests Of the country is greatly de-
plored. Ills experience and advice
would be Invaluable In inauguratlng
this independent unit of the national
gallery of art which he so generously
provided. The building and collec.
tons represent nm outlay of some six
or seven million dollars and constitute
one of the most important and valued
donations which any individual has
ever made freely and Internationally
to the nation.
The Peacock room, that celebrated
decoration executed by Whistler as a
setting for his painting Ia Prin.
%cesse," was transferred from the res.
idence of Mr.. Freer In Detroit, and set
up complete In a room specially de-
signed for It's reception at the south
eastern corner Of the building. BY the
close OF the year the executors Of Mr..
Freer's estate had commenced to ship
to Washington other portions of the
Erear collacffODg which will ha atorad