Evening star., 1925-07-11

High hopes of an early extension
of air mail service to principal cities
the country over have been aroused
by the spectacular inauguration of
nighttime planes between New York
and Chicago. From a novelty of just
a little while ago the air postman has
become a practical reality, and talk
now turns confidently to rapid de-
velopment which will give the United
States a network of air routes and
revolutionize the postal service.
Flying 700 miles over a great white
way that makes Broadway look like
a Pickering smudge," says the Phila-
delphia Bulletin, the air night mail
between New York and Chicago has
realized Rudyard Kipling's dream rs
years ahead of the date he anticipated.
American aviators have blazed the
way for tranScontinental routes. Rain
or shine, snow or hail, the intrepid
aerial postman is to be confidently
counted on hereafter" In the vision
of the Chicago Daily News, mail soon
will be exchanged overnight between
hundreds of cities a thousand miles
apart" and "the drawing together of
all sections of the country by speedy
communication brings to the Nation
increased physical and moral strength,
better understanding, higher efficiency
and greater prosperity"
x
America has the planes and the
men, and it is rapidly learning TO use
them" remarks the Baltimore Sun,
which declares that in the inaugura-
tion of the New York-Chicago night
service aviation takes on a different
guise in the United States as the postal
flyers start their regular night trips
through the air, whose dangers, until
recently, were thought too great to
permit regular flights by day."
The difficulties overcome in the en-
terprise impress the Atlanta Journal
$50 apparently simple is the establish
ment of the regular night service be
tween the cities that difficulties in
volved escape notice." says the Jour
nal There were difficulties a-plenty
however Night flying is fraught with
many dangers, yet these have been re
duced to a minimum. The most haZ
ardous part of the journey is over the
Allegheny Mountains. In these heav
lily timbered mountains five landing
fields have been cleared and will be
maintained to meet such emergencies
as may arise"
Pointing to the significance of this
service as the forerunner of others
the Louisville Courier-Jour OBJ
serves that the development "is impor
tant in that it marks the spreading
out of new air routes, which sooner OIL
later will form a network throughout
the country" and adds: "It is toe
much to say that the ultimate has beer
reached in eliminating distance. 1t is
enough to remark that aviation as g
commercial factor is rapidly coming
into it's own"
X X X
The Memphis News -Scimitar calls at
tention to the possibility of forwarding
mail by airplane from the Tennessee
city early in the afternoon so as tC
reach Chicago in time to make connec
ton with the New York plane. Such
service, the News s-Scimitar says
would be worth annually many hun
dred thousands to the Memphis banks
alone; it would be valuable to other
business interests proportionately
Another community which looks for
ward to extension is Wichita, KanS
"On a map of the Middle West today,
the Wichita Beacon reminds us, ''is 6
heavy black line running southwest
ward from Chicago to Dallas. 1t ha:
four intermediate stopping points, ant
these are Moline, Kansas City, Wichita
and Oklahoma City. 1t is the route
of the new Government air mail line
This means putting Wichita in close
mail connection with New York anC
other Eastern points. 1t means othel
important developments
The care involved In laying out tn.