Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-11
PLANES ARE HELD
GOODWILL FACTOR
Hoover Hopes to See Ameri-
cas- Connected by Com
merciaI Airship Route.
BY REX COLLIER,

| linking t0getner OF the TWO Americas III
closer bonds of friendship.
Those links were forged a little
stronger during his eventful mission oil
good will to the Latin American repub-
lies He looks to the distance -erasina
airplane to carry on the good work.
Undoubtedly Mr. Hoover was deeply
impressed by the marked progress be-
ing made by Europeans in development
of South American aviation. Paris has
been brought within nine or ten days
of BuenoS Aires by weekly plane-and-
ship service established under subsidy
of the French government. German in
terests have operated commercially sue
cesSful air lines in Colombia for eight
years. The British are getting active,
too. The only American service Of any
consequence is being developed IN Peru
Washington Has Advantage.
If planes thus are able to bring Paris
within ten days of the great east coast
capitals of South America, Washington
could be brought within five days or
| less of the same cities, for We would
| have the advantage of traverSin5 the
whole route by air. Indeed the air
| journey from Washington to Santiago,
! Chile, by way of the west coast, could
be made in probably so flying hours
under favorable pioneer flying condi-
tons. it is declared
Two possible north-and-South airways
! from North to South America have been
brought to the attention of the Presi-
dent-elect. One, the westerly route, he
regards as highly feasible. The east
coast route admittedly is fraugilt with
difficulties from the standpoint Of prac-
! ticability The vast and forbidding
waste lands of the interior OF Brazil
| interpoSe as a menacing obstacle TO
short cuts. The alternative is to round
| the great hump of Brazil to Pernam-
buco and then swing inward again to
Rio and Buenos Aires. A glance at the
map will show that the shorter route
to those cities would be by way Of the
west coast and thence from Santiago
over the Andes. But here, again. the
mighty Andes form + a threatening
barrier.
Doolittle Conquered Andes.
The Andes have been conquered by
air. Our own Jimmy Doolittle Of the
Army hoped over the snow-capped
peaks with pair of broken ankles,
| just to show it could be done under the
most adverse circumstances. But even
| that doesn't prove that commercial
| planes could do it as matter OF course,
even though their pilots managed to
| find passengers daring enough to make
the hazardous trip.
| 1t is understood, however that Hoover
/ believes a combination rail-aEd-plane
| service between Santiago and Buenos
Aires would prove practicable. He
| learned, in fact, that experiments al
ready have been made along that line
| with considerable success. The plan
| involved the use of planes from San
tiago to Los Andes, on the Chilean side
of the mountains, and thence by Trans
andean Railroad to Mendoza, on the Ar
| gentine side. From Mendoza the route
would be by plane across the rolling
| pampas to Buenos Aires, a COMPARE
| lively simple undertaking. There the
| line would connect with the French
transatlantic service
The French air-sea line is an ambi-
tious enterprise, nourished by several
millions of dollars yearly from the
French treasury. The air route runs
| from Paris via Toulouse to Dakar, IN
/ Senegal, on the western coast of Africa,
and thence by fast transatlantic steamer
| to Pernambuco, where planes again
| take up the work along the eastern sea-
| coast of Brazil to Rio and on southwark
| to Montevideo and Buenos Aires. The
| service between Paris and Rio de Janelro
| is maintained regularly, principally Tor
| mail transportation, although passenger
service is the aim. Between Rio and
! Buenos Aires the service Is not yet fully
developed.
Would Shorten Route.
It now is proposed to shorten this
transatlantic route even more by ex-
| tending the air journey as lar as the
Cape Verde Islands, off the African
coast. and from the Brazilian side as
I far as the Island of Fernando Noronha.
Fast steamships would connect the
| island stations.
German operations have been almost
wholly in Colombia Uncle Sam has
he'd this brought forcibly to his notice
in a first-hand way, for the Post Ctice
Department has conducted singularly
unsuccessful air mail negotiations with
the German company controlling the
air lines in that country British con-
Germs have interested Themselves IN
South American air progress 10 linz
tied extent. None of the Europe cans has
met much competition from the United
States. except in Peru, where consider
able advances have been made. There
| are a number of American-controlleo
air lines in that country.
American aviation progress IN Peru
has laid the foundation for an ANA
/ zonian transcontinental air service
There is a we'll established a1rWay from
Lima to Iquitos on the headWaterS OF
the Amazon, whence SeaplaneS coulo
carry mail and passengers to the ram
bling mouths of the great river OF
rivers.
The problem of reaching South Amer
lea from the United States is COM
paratively easy one. The United States
Government already has undertaken to
establish an air mail line to Panama
AS has been pointed out, Colombia Is
we'll supplied with German-bullt air
ways. Ecuador is barely IN the ali
picture at present but Peru with It's
American lines and Chile with its mill
tary aviation service lend an encourag-
ing aspect to the air vision which lin
gers IN the Hoover memory.
Heavy Outlay Necessary.
The eastern air route to the eastern
capitals of South America from Pana-
ma would require large financial out
lay for the setting up OF adequate SAFE
guards for the planes. That route con-
templates cutting across Colombia To
the headquarters Of the Amazon and
then following that river to its mouth
where base would be established
Thence the planes might follow the
coast line or even venture some distance
inland across the great unsettled spaces
of Brazil TO Rio. Going far inland
would be disastrous, for there would be
encountered jungle Businesses from
, which victims of forced landing could
never emerge alive.
1t was only within the last month OF
two that Ecuador felt its wings, with
the opening of an air line between
Guayaquil and Lima. Peru is making
rapid aviation strides thanks to Amer
lean enterprise. Chile's aerial expert
ments so far have been conducted
, mainly by the military aviation author
tiles A military airway has been es-
! tabl,shed from Antofagasta to San
tiago The course is over section OF
rugged mountain country and along the
railroad inland to Santiago.
J Manifestly, aviation in South Amer.
lea has lust reached the threshold O.