The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-03-19
j. 5. TRYING To
GET AIR MAIL
OFF HANDS
Five Years of Operation Has
Cost Nation $6,206,3 800.
Well Established.
By ERNEST l.. JONES
FOunder-member AerOnauticaI AasOcia.
tiOn. FlrRt President AerOnauticaI
Manufacturers Association and
Former Chief of Information
Section, u. q. Air Service
ICnnXriRli 1924 LIZ INns1hl nnnnlifaHh

an official announcement similar to
the above most any day.
Postmaster General New expects
to get the air mail off His hands.
Like Uncle Sans shipping company,
it's scarcely solvent concern. In
fact, it's a total loss. Yes sir. It's
never paid a cent In direct cash divi-
dends and the cost for the five years
OF its existence has been $6,206,-
390.23.
Mr.. New wants some conscientious,
bright and outstanding young man
to take it and put it on it's feet.
That is, just as soon as he finishes
the little job of putting on the night
service.
Unless we make flights at night
the air mail service will not have
established it's substantial value.
When night flying is established
then the service will have definite
commercial value; and when that
develops 1t is our present thought
that the postoffice department
should let the carrying of the mail
by contract by airplane. precisely as
it contracts for its transportation
by rail now said former Post
master General Work.
Night Mail Tried
Last fall night mail service by
air was in operation for a week,
aided by beacons along the route
between Chicago and Cheyenne and
with aerodrome lighting equipment
for night take-offs and landings
That means at the most a &C.
hour service-26 to 30 hours actual
flying tiIne-between New York and
San Francisco. A letter mailed in
time for the last collection at either
terminum before the starting of the
planes. sorted at the station. will
arrive in not more than 36 hours
from the time the planes leave.
Letters by rail take five days for
delivery Letters, as now handled
by combination of daylight air
mail service and night trains. are
advanced Is hours each way be.
tween New York and San Francisco.
but the delivery time is actually
brought down to three and half
days.
What actually happens is this:
Every business morning an airplane
leaves from New York. Cleveland
chicago, North Platte. Rock Springs
ana Salt Lake City with mail for
the Western coast. These planes
and their relays fly an average of
44o miles for each of these six
stages. advancing the mail an aver.
age OF Il day or more for each stage.
me same is true flying East.
Sending Mail From n. Y.
! Let US start with the mail out of
New YORK. 1t is customary with
business houses to send out their
man IN the afternoon OF the bust.
ness DAY. In the case Of mail
posted In New York for Cleveland.
ana further Western points. colIec
tons made during the afternoon are
sorted and placed on a train leaving
New York at about 9:2O D. m, Due
10 the fact that much of this mail
Is posted in manufacturing com.
munltles adjacent to New York and
can not be collected and sorted in
time to make this train, there is
an accumulation of mail for Cleve.
land and points West which comes
IN just too late to get on this train,
This was formerly collected and
sent, away from New York on a
train leaving sis the following
morning. 1t did rot reach Cleye.
land until 10:47 that evening. This
resulted in a delay until Wednesday
morning IN the delivery of mail
posted on Monday.
win the entrance of the aero
plane change was possible. Mail
arriving too late to leave on the
S:2O train skips the sis. is nlaced
on board the aeroplane at Minneola
and reaches Cleveland at noon. ner
mlttlng It's delivery the same after.
noon. The mail has been advanced
an entire business day. The 9:2O
traln or the day before, upon which
the earlier collections were sent. ar
rived at Cleveland just after noon
almost coincident with the arrival
or the aeroDlane, which left New
YORK at daybreak the following
morning.
n. Y..ChicagO Mail Speedrd.
Inc New York-Chicago mail is
speeded up in this manner Tie
puIk or 1t is collected during the
AFTERNOON OF the business day. Mon
! Gay. for example, and leaves New
YORK 6:46 p. m. This train arrives
in Cleveland at 1885, central lime.
the next morning. The Chicago mail
, is here taken from this train and
/ put on an airplane leaving Cleve.
land at a. m. and is flown 10
Chicago by midday, allowing it to
ne delivered the same TUESDAY
afternoon. Had the mail remained
on the train it would have reached
| Chicago about o'clock in the owe
ming, too late for delivery IIe,c
| chicago saves a day-16.00O letter.
DAYS, or whatever the mail NAV
! bulk.
! Something similar happens at each
or the six main cities. and il. both
directions. east as we'll as west.
When flying is established md
it soon will be, if Congress so vo;es
the first 40 miles from New York
to Chicago will be flown by day.
From Cheyenne, 1856 miles, the trip
will be made by night. From Chey.
enne the last stretch of 1,O25 miles
will be made between dawn and
night, changing planes and pilots al
all stops.
| When permanent night flying be-
| gins, a letter, which starts from
| New York by air will travel all the
way to the coast, instead Of being
put on and off trains and planes
for the might and day rides, re.
! spectively