Evening star., 1927-06-15
Capital Warned Baltimore
Will Get Station Unless
Field Is Provided.
C0VELL WILL SEEK USE
OF BENNING RACE TRACK
Mooney, Meanwhile, to Ask Army
for Right to Stop Planes at
Boiling Field. sgss,z

Agitation for the establishment in
the District of municipal airport
FOR commercial aviation was renewed
today at conference be-
tween the District Commissioners
and City Postmaster William M.
Mooney and Assistant Postmaster w.
II. Haycock.
Bearing a letter from Second AS
sistant Postmaster General w. Irv-
ing Glover warning that unless some
assurance is given that an airport
would be established, Baltimore in
stead of Washington would be made
a relay point on the new air mail
route to be put into operation be-
tween New York and Atlanta in Au-
gust, the postal officials so impressed
the Commissioners that they desig-
mated Mai. w. Z. r. Covell, senior
Assistant Engineer Commissioner, to
start Immediately to coordinate the
various agencies interested in the
project.
Mr.. Mooney told the Commissioners
that the abandoned Benning race
track appeared to be the most satis-
factory site for the proposed airport,
and Maj. Covell announced that he
would endeavor to get permission
from the owner to use it for that pur-
pose until Congress appropriates
funds for fits purchase. Pending
master said that the War De-
partment would be prevailed upon to
give the air mail planes authority to
stop at Boiling Field temporarily i'll
order to forestall the likelihood of the
establishment of an air mail stop in
Baltimore, which is providing a
municipal aviation field.
Mr.. GloXer's letter follows: "As
Postmaster Of the City of Washing
ton you. of course, are familiar with
the contract which was awarded to
Pitcairn Aviation, Inc, of Philadel'
phia, under date Of February 2S, 1927,
for carrying air mail from New York
City to Atlanta via Philadelphia,
Washington, Richmond, Greensboro
and Spartanburg.
You will also remember that under
the provisions of this contrast the
route is to be night operated.
Schedules Held Up.
''For some time the contract air
mail division of the Office Of Second
Assistant Postmaster General has
been working on schedules to be
established when the contracting
company is ready to operate and
these schedules are now held up due
entirely to the fact that we are con-
fronted with the situation that the
city of Washington has no municipal
airport.
"For me to have to call your atten-
ton to this is regrettable because 1
am sure that you, as well as all or
the mailing public Of the city or
Washington, are interested in Sc
curing air mail service, which, or
course, cannot be accomplished with
out a proper landing field for the con-
tractor to land on.
"Am writing you at this time to
find out if you have any assurances
from the District Commissioners that
a municipal airport will be provided
at Washington for air mail purposes
on or before August 1 and at the
latest September /. at which time,
1 am told. the Department Of Com
merce will have the way completely
lighted from New York City to At
lanta.
Baltimore i'm Line.
''The Post Office Department is In
terested in knowing whether these
facilities will be provided at the re-
quired time. and your early word re-
garding this important question, To
the city of Washington will be sin
cerely appreciated.
"If, within a very short while. we
cannot have the assurance that facih-
ties will be provided for air mail into
1t will be necessary for
us to make the City of Baltimore,
which is providing a municipal field.
the point of contact for the city OF
Washington for air mail. In this
event the department will arrange its
mail schedule so that air mail
will be transported from the city OF
by train to Baltimore to
make connections for the north and
south bound plane at that point"
The Department of Commerce is at
present arranging for lighting the new
airway, which will blaze the first night
air mail trail through this part OF
the country. The route as planned
lies from Hadley Field. near New
brunswick. n. j., through PhiladeI.
Dhia, Washington. Richmond, Green's
ooro and Spartanburg, s. c., to
Atlanta. The tentative schedule calls
.or nine-hour trip each way between
The termini. each night.
Postal officials point out that with
on this route. letters
mailed in the Capital would reach the
Pacific Coast in about 33 hours-the
time it took Col. Charles A. Lind
oergh to make his memorable trans
atlantic flight. Air mail would be
at Hadley Field to the
system.
Richmond Gets Busy.
Richmond, which was threatened
With loss OF its place on the New
fork-Atlanta route, got busy, the
postal men say, and provided a munic-
pal airport, and will now retain it's
position. The examples of Greensboro
md Spartanburg are also cited in
establishing their own landing fields.
Postal authorities. while pointing out
hat by making Baltimore a point on
he projected route. the line to
Richmond would be considerably
shortened by flying across southern
declare that it would be
ieplorable to have the Nations Capt.
al left out of the reckoning.
When the New York k-Atlanta serv-
ce gets into full swing it will link
Up with that to Boston and later It
s planned to extend the route to
havana. Officials looking into the
uture say that establishment of an
.ir mail route is but the forerunner
o an accompanying passenger and
reight service and emphasize the
IMPORT of this to Washington.
The Pitcairn Aviation co. ok