New Britain herald., 1926-02-02
Started in 1918 and AL ready More Than Dozen Routes Are Traversed by Birdmen.

Washington, Feb. . P,--The air mail service, pioneer in commercial aviation In tho United states and world trail blazer in the art of night flying, Is on the eve of an cXpan- sion which will benefit large DOT ton of the country. Within the next few months air mail service will be provided for two score more cities with indirect hene- it to other places In wide expanse of territory. This progressive step has been taken under the law passed last year permitting tho postmaster general to contract with commercial aviation enterprise for the carrying of the mails through the air.
 Dozen Routes Planned
 Contracts have been let or have been advertised for dozen routes. The first to begin service will be the Chicago-Detroit and the Cleveland Detroit routes on February 15. and by April a majority of these routes are expected to be in operation.
 IcsliidotcI 1GIl'IdI ANS" anu Oct~ ond Assistant Postmaster General ". Irving Glover, who has direct su- pervision of the air mail service, are enthusiastic over the prospects of the new air mail routes.
 The first air mail service was in- itiated in 1918 between New York and Washington. A through service between New York and San Fran cisco was begun July 1, 1924, and an overnight service between New York and Chicago has been in op- eration since July 1, 1925.
 Air mail pilots have flown more than 10,000,000 miles since eStab- lishment of the service. During last year o,50l,555 miles were flown. With the new air mail contract routes now proposed, mail pilots it Is estimated, will fly a total of 4,- , o15,S04 miles yearly.
 The new services, with the yearly mileage include contract routes be- tween:
 Mileage Is Very Great
 
 ford, 117,504 miles Chicago and St Paul Minneapolis via Milwaukee and La Crosse, 23o,724 miles. Chicago and Dallas-Fort Worth via Moline St, Joseph, Kansas City. Wichita and Oklahoma City. 604,o44 Chica- go and St. Louis via Peoria and Springfield, Ill.,. 170,1S6. Elko, New and Pasco, Wash, via Boise, Ida, 2s6,22 Salt Lake City and Los An. gelcs via Las Vegas, Ney,, S67,Q0o seattle and Los Angeles via Port. land, Medford, Sacramento. Sar Francisco, Fresno and Bakersfield GS6,O52. Detroit and Chicago, l45, 044. Detroit and Cleveland, 55,G92 $. Chicago and Birmingham, Ala, vi; Indianapolis Louisville and Nash vile. 37S.S2S. Chicago and New Orleans, via st, Louis, Memphis ant Jackson, Mlss,, s5S2,440. Atlant' and Miami. via Jacksonville an' Tampa. 406,3GS. Seattle and Vic toria, B. C., 2o,S32. New Orlean and Pilottown, La. 14.720.
 Otner SPrElCFS Ol IO' dit Iudl under operation by the sovernmen' arc between:
 New York and San Francisco vi Bellefonte, Cleveland, Bryan, Chi cago, Iowa City. DoS Moints, Omaht North Platte, Cheyenne, RaWlin' Rock Springs, Salt Lake City, ElkC Reno and Sacramento; transcon tinental service, 1,945,450 mil yearly.
 New York and Chicago, via Belle Tonte, Cleveland and Bryan. oYci night service; 35S,644 miles ycarI,
 owing to the different laws e' tablishing the various air mail ser' icas there are several rates of pos age. On the transcontinentalr rou' the ratc of 5 conts an ounce f' each of the three zones, tho zon' \. ending at Chicago and Cheyonn