The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1925-07-21
AIR MAIL SERVICE ONE
OF WORLDS WONDERS
IN SIX YEARS 1884 TRIPS
HAVE BEEN MADE; 255, 086,600
LETTERS DELIVERED.
STORM NOR FOG INTERFERES
Makes Trip From New York to San
Francisco in 81 Hours. Light for
Journey Furnished by $50 Electric
Beacons Along the Way.

Beacons Along the Way.
One Of the most wonderful things
| in the world is the United States air
mail service. 1t has its equal no where
for distance flown and service render
ed. The percentage of fatal accidents
in six years of operation has been
negligible. Between May IS, 1918, and
June 80, 1924, 255,036,600 letters were
carried. The number of miles flown
was 6,931,631 No less than l4,984
trips were made in storm and fog.
Average operating efficiency was 91.S2
per cent for the six years. With the
putting on of the transcontinental SER
vice, New York to San Francisco, on
July /, 1924, there was a gain in effl-
cheney. The best pilots were chosen
for the work. 1t was point OF pride
to get through despite hazards OF ter
rible rain and weather. A mail plane
leaves New York every morning for
San Francisco at $50 o'clock and is
due on the Pacific coast at 5 o'clock
p. m. the following day. Three-quar-
tiers of an hour earlier in the morning
plane scars into the air at San Fran
cisco and at S O'Clock p. m. the next
day it alights at this end of the route.
The elapsed time of flight is between
81 and SO hours. Railroad time ranges
from 81 to 120 hours. The overland
mail used to take % days to cross the
continent. This was reduced to nine
days by pony express. The best time
made by mail trains was 81 hours.
Over Mountains and Deserts.
Most people have forgotten that
aviators are carrying mails day and
night over the Rockies and across the
deserts from New York to San Fran
cisco all through the year; but the
wonder of it is not lost on those who
see the planes rush into the air and
speed away, or upon others who hear
them passing in the night overhead
and witness the end Of the long jour
ney completed in so short time. Our
transcontinental air mail service is the
admiration of Europe. 1t will soon be
talking about the night service be-
tween New York and Chicago, which
made its start last week.
The eastern terminal of the new
night service, which takes the pr
lots over 80 miles of forest in the Al
leghanies. is New Brunswick. Every
day in the week but Saturday and
Sunday a plane leaves the field at
l9:15 p. m. 1t takes mail of all kinds,
letters and parcel post. Light for the
journey is furnished by $50 cleo
trio beacons erected at regular inter-
walls all the way to Chicago. Eighty
miles from the starting point the Blue
Ridge mountains loom up at New
Tripoli Heavily timbered for the 80
mile stretch to Ringtown they would
be a great hazard to the airmen if
five emergency fields, each lit up by
5000, 600 candlepower beacon, were
not available for landing. An expert
enced pilot knows when something is
wrong with his engine some time be-
fore a forced landing becomes neces-
sary.
Half Billion Candle Power Light.
Between New York and Chicago
there are four main landing stations,
Hadley, Bellefonte, Cleveland and
Bryan, and great many minor fields,
no less than 81, between New York
anu OltVGldUu. AI every OIlS Ol tliSHl
are caretakers and weather observer.
One red magnesium flare will mean
bad weather ahead" two flares will
be signal to come down for instruc-
tions. For long distance the aviators
can see the half-billion candlepower
electric arc light with which the FIVE
main fields are equipped. Three-quar-
tiers of a mile from the arc light
newspaper may be read. The departure
of plane at night from one of the
fields on the transcontinental route is
often witnessed by thousands of peo-
pie. On the New York Chicago SER
vice 500 pounds of mail is being car
RED II is taken out by postmen
in the two cities on the first delivery.
Sealed packages not exceeding so
pounds in weight and "a inches Sin
length and girth combined" are
accepted. The significance of the Unit
ed States air mail service will be miss
ed if it is not understood to be the
pioneer Of commercial aviation ex-
tending to every part OF the country.