Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-15
NATAL IDEAL SPOT
FOR PLANE LANDING
City of luncture OF Four Air
Lines Is Closest American
Point to Africa.

Natal. Brazil, landing place Of the
1SaIlah air squadron-the FIRST group Of
alfplaneS to cross the Atlantic in a
single hops an appropriate terminus
Tor such flight, according to a bulletin
from the National Geographic Society.
NOT only Is Natal the nearest mort of
the New World to land in the Old
world, but Its people are among the
most enthusiastic supporters OF aviation
In South America.
NataFs population knows and talks
ABOUT and Is interested in airpIanes and
AIR traffic as Hollywood's ink,abitaDts
are familiar with and are incessantIv
talking about movie cameras and Aim
sequences and cinema actors" saws the
Duiletin. Geography marked Natal As
an important airport, but the indlIstE-s
and sympathetic interest of its peooIe
ana the farsightedness of Brazilian and
foreign engineers and transportation
eHpetS completed the job of making il
0ou'h americas air solar plexus.'
-Four Lines Converge.
-Four important airlineS now cor-
verge at the town, bringing mail and
passengers from North America and the
west Indies. the countries of the north
coast OF South America and from the
I casa ana interior cities of Southern
NO efforts have yet been made 4,
ny the mail destined from and to
europe across the relatively narro,n
neck OF the Atlantic between south
America and Africa, but French
company maintains fast mail packets
winch rapidly steam between Natal
ana Dakar, French West Africa. Re-
M sMesn Dakar and France, GS between
Natal and Rio and Buenos Aires. fire
mail Is committed to the air.
NataI Is not large town. It has
population OF about $4,000 and il
capital of the State of Rio Grande
10 Norte. Its streets are wide and lie
llolst climate gives it green asnect
Inc residential part of the city ex-
TENDS back into rolling hills. It is
not situated directly on the sea, but
Of the Rio Potency.
Where Mules Meet Planes.
Modern shops, automobiles and well
dressed pedestrians give the visitor An
impression of prosperity But the town
Is Iar removed from the center of Bra
lillian activity in the south, and sup-
geStlons OF the frontier still linger. A
railway connects with PernaYnbllco tn
the south, but there is only a short
pit OF trackage extending toward the
interior. Goods to and from the back
country must still be moved largely
by the picturesque troops of pack
mules and horses in charge Of
tropeiro and his dark, hard-visaVed
ieutenants. Sometimes 100, or more
mules and horses, laden with big bags
OF cotton or packages Of other produce
from the interior, amble through
NataPs streets, with bells linking and
mule drivers shouting Similar mack
trains transport bales of fabrics, food .
supplies and household goods on their
return trips
In little park near the harbor
OF Natal is a great circular casino that
has doubtless rung with 'vivas' and re-
sounded to the strains of spfigl1tly
music since Gen. Balbo and his fellow
pilots splashed down out of the norah-
eastern sky. In the round structure
the municipal officials during the past
few years have feted every prominent
flyer who has entered Brazil's air
door,"