The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1934-04-27
NORTHERN BIDS Low
| FOR FARGO-SEATTLE
AIRMAIL CONTRACT
Offers to Fly U. S. Mails fol
20.o Cents Per Air Mile
for 80 Days
NoRTHWEsT's BID IS 33A
North Dakota Capital Has Been
Without Service Since Ac.
ton in March

Northern Air Transport, Inc, sub.
mitted the low bid Of ass cents per
airplane mile for . o0-day contract
for carrying U. 8. air mail between
Fargo. N. D., and Seattle, WASH, via
Bismarck, according to IN Associate
ed Press dispatch from Washington,
D. c.. shortly after noon Friday.
Bids were opened at noon by the
postoffice department.
Northwest Airlines, Inc, successor
to Northwest Always, Inc, which
formerly had the airmail contract
through Bismarck, submitted bid Of
ssh cents per airplane mile. The
maximum rate allowed is IS cents.
Were No Other Bidders
There were no other bidders for the
Fargo-seattle contract.
Other routes on which bids were
received include Fort Worth. Tex. to
Los Angeles: Detroit to Milwaukee
and Newark to Chicago.
Bids were opened under the direc-
ton Of Acting Postmaster General
w. w. Howes.
Action Of American Airlines, Inc,
the company reputed to be dominate
ed by Z. L. Cord, motor magnate, IN
submitting bids for two routes which
were uncontested was interpreted O.
putting It In . position to get some
Of the airmail business apparently lost
when its bids for 81 other routes. op-
ened last week. were higher In seven
out Of eight instances than those
submitted by competitors. .
Bismarck has been without airmail
service since early in March. when
President Roosevelt ordered wholesale
cancellation Of airmail contracts.
Northwest Anyways, Inc, which had
carried the airmail through here. also
abandoned its air passenger and ex-
press service shortly after the airmail
service was discontinued.
Northwest Always, which recently
was reorganized and renamed North
west Airlines, was established and be-
gan operations Oct. /, 1926. The orig
inal lire operated between the Twin
Cities and Chicago. Extensions were
made to this service gradually. In
the early part Of 1881 the line was
operating through to Winnipeg via
Fargo and Grand Forks. Later IN the
same year Q special service to Duluth
was inaugurated.
Here In June, 1881
In June, 1881, this air transport serv-
ice was extended west 1877 miles from
Fargo into Bismarck. On March 2.
1893, q further extension Of 40l miles
from Bismarck to Billings. Mont, was
instituted. At that time six-place
all-metal Hamilton ships, equipped
with Hornet 525 horsepower motors.
were used.
A landing field was laid out In the
early part Of 1891 about . mile south
Of Bismarck, near Fort Lincoln, U. 8.
army post. The original field was
but half Of It's present size and was
irregular in shape.
Further developments were made in
1888. A block to the north OF the
field was dropped and an extension
was made to the south Of approxt-
mately 70 acres. The road which
crossed the center Of this field from
east to west was eliminated. This
left the field 1t the end Of 1883 In its
present condition-and 1t constitutes
one Of the largest and most level fields
to be found along the Northwest route.
In this respect. and In its approaches.
It Is similar to the large Wold- Cham
berlain Field at Minneapolis.
Erected Station Here
Northwest Always erected q com.
Portable passenger and radio station
on the local field. The radio station
WAS Of the 400-watt type, being the
same size g those In Chicago. st.
Paul, Spokane and Seattle. The per-
sonnet here included radio operator,
relief operator. service mechanic and
traffic manager.
Until the contract cancellation, four
pilots flew on the route from the Twin
Cities via Bismarck to Billings.
Last Feb. ! the Northwest air con-
Germ put into operation Orion trans-
port planes, with . cruising speed Of
206 miles per hour and top speed Of
40 miles IN hour.