Evening star., 1925-04-16

The men who cast their first votes
at the last election were riding in
peramhulators when, on December II,
1903, the first airplane took the air
and demonstrated that a heavier
than-air machine would overcome
gravitation. Automobiles had been In
practical use only about decade.
The man who invented automobiles
died the other day. The man who has
become the richest person in the
world through producing more auto
mobiles than all others combined
sailed his first commercial airplane
few days ago preparatory 10 begin
ming quantity production OF planes
after the manner of his turning out so
many automobiles per second. He has
already established his own CONNER
cial freight route via the clouds-a
bee line"-from Dearborn to Chfca-
go, and is carrying automobile parts
as ballast or freight in quarter OF
the time that the railroads require.
Two pianos and eight men sailed from
Long Island in one airplane last
week.
Scientists have been discussing the
miracle of a moving mountain, which
had slid a few rods, and some have
been skeptical as to it's being more
than q local landslide. But what will
they conclude as to the moving Of the
whole Pacific coast and the Atlantic
by air mail, so that they are today
only one-twenty-fourt as far apart
as they were when men still living
were born? In 1850 rapid transit
across the continent meant days
by rail and 81 plus Il by stage.
In 1860 1t was 212 days by rail
and days by pony express.
In the centennial year it was 100
hours by special train. Today 1t is
81 hours by train. or 26 hours by air
mail, or for a racer without cargo
about Is hours.
Astronomers reckon distances by
the number of years it takes light to
travel It, In like manner commercial
measurements may be counted most
practically, not in miles. but in min
utes, Just as the primitive peoples
have always done, when saying that
the distance is so many days journey.
So San Francisco. which used to be
"a days journey from New York, is
now only about 1 day off, or, when
the aerial traffic policeman is off duty,
only three quarters of L day
The air mail has been running
strong for more than year. In the
first year the mail carriers Travelled
,OOO, 900 miles and delivered the let
q
an hour without a single loss or life
or any serious accidents; then one ac-
dicent cost five or six lives. Since
last July the air mail has traversed
1.5OO 900 miles with but one fatality.
How many lives have been lost
through railroad accidents In that
time, or in that distance OF man
mile? How many lives have been
lost on the streets of every city
aHRi6antSI
through falling out of windows or Slip
ping downstairs? Lloyd's insurance
rates today for precious packages
jewelry or money-carried by air are
the same as when sent by rail ex-
press. We have passed the ultra-ex-
detrimental stage OF air commerce
more speedily than we did with au-
tomobiles or with steam railroads.
America invented the airplane; Amer
| lea holds all the records of fiight-in
speed. In altitude, in world Circum-
navigation, by long-distance mail serv-
| ice. by regular night flying Of mail
uIanes, and 1t is about to open the new
chapter of progress by installation of
airplane quantity production and
commercial use.
The Post Office Department has in
stalled g. vast system of continental
lighting and service to make through
| flying, night and day, practicable.
Such flights are made daily across the
continent, in both directions, but only
one plane each way flies per day. The
| overhead expense for those two planes
| is the same as it would be If there
| were planes ten times as numerous.
| The cost, because OF that heavy over
ihead. is sa.e per ton mile. Col. Paul