Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-05-18
RANSCONTINENTAL AIR MAIL
is DISCUSSED BY HASKIN
Daily Letter by Frederic j. Haskio

while the lack of humidity in the air
adapts this route to the Illuminating
plan,
An Artificial Aurora BoreaIis
Millions of people in the middle
west will witness nightly an artificial
aurora borealis, rivaling that of the
far north. and visible for a distance
of fully fifty miles from it's source,
under favorable conditions. This will
be created by the sweeping lights
that will be set UP on the five regu-
lar landing fields at Chicago, Iowa
City, Omaha, North Platte and Chey-
enne. Each of these beacons will
have 600, 1000 900 candlepower.
These lights, with the auxiliary
lamps placed at regular intervals
along the line of flight, will enable
an air mail pilot flying at the 1000
foot level to see a narrow course of
light, stretched for miles across the
plains.
Two purposes will be served by
the establishment of through trans
continental air mail SERVICE" says
Postmaster General New. "The pub
lie will receive the fastest mail SER
vice known to man over extensive
oA1AoAtNSf anu dIiOlllGI CLGD VIII De
made in the United States pioneer
work in the field of aviation.
Last year the air mail personnel
Won recognition for the greatest
achievement in American aviation by
flying 1000, 900 miles on the trans
continental route for an entire year
without a fatal accident. Night fly
ing, if it is successful, will be an
other feather in the cap of the Post
Office Department air service. Even
though every precaution is being
taken to safeguard the flyers whose
duty it will be to travel at night, the
hazards of this work are not to be
minimized. A loyal group of flyers,
whose courage has been steeled by
many an exploit, will undertake the
experiment and if it can be done by
man they will do it"
For almost five years, or since May
Is, 1918, we have had mail service
by air in the United States. The
first route established was that be-
tween Washington and New York,
and then the New York-Chicago SER
vice was inaugurated. Thirty months
ago the transcontinental service was
undertaken and the other routes
discontinued.
however, up until this time the
transcontinental service has not been
a through service. Its purpose was
to expedite the mails. Mail planes
would pick up late mails in New
York, for example, and carry them
to Cleveland, where they would be
taken on by the express trains that
had left New York the night before.
Similar air jumps were made at va
rious stages across the continent. 1t
was recognized, though, that the SER
vice had to be taken out of it's aux
iliary status if it were to be worth
maintaining, and the plans now about
to be contaminated will do this, es-
tabliShing the air mail on the basis
of an Independent mail service.
Letters which were marked "via
air mali were formerly given pref
erence in the air mail advancing sys-
tenn, but there was no guarantee that
they would make the entire journey
by plane. Since the Post Office De.
partment is anticipating a consider.
able use of the new fast service by
the public, it is stated as probable
that the establishment of through
service from coast to coast will be
accomplished by the announcement
of the use of a special ~airplanc
stamp.