Evening star., 1934-09-23

across the Bering Straits into Siberia.
The Soviet airline system has been
extended east to Anadyr, within five
hours flight of Nome, Alaska. Con-
nection of the Alaskan and Siberian
air systems, Mr.. Branch said, is en-
tirely feasible
The United States Alaska and
Alaska Siberian services, however, are
developments which will require care
ful study and preparation, and Mr..
Branch anticipates no immediate Fed
eral action toward establishment OF
either service.
The most important thing to dc
now" he said. lis to build up the serv-
ice in Alaska"
The people Of Alaska and Of the
Northern Pacific States are clamoring
for scheduled air transport service
from Seattle to Alaska, Mr.. Branch
said, and it is possible private capital
may initiate such service. There
now is non-scheduled air service along
the coast. but it is sporadic.
Foreign interest in United States
airmail plans has been whipped to q
high pitch by recent developments
The visit to Alaska of Mr.. Branch fol-
lows the recent visit there of Secre-
retary of Commerce Roper and the
massed Army and Navy flights.
American Plans Discussed.
These Alaskan activities have re-
vived discussion abroad of American
plans for service to Siberia and the
Far East, while Pan-American Air
WAYS activities have pointed toward
European transoceanic air service
Efforts of the Bureau of Air Com
merce. Commerce Department, tC
promote construction of a chain OF
floating airdromes across the Atlantic
also have attracted considerable atten-
ton in Europe.
The European concern in our for
eign airmail plans is reflected in ar
article in the able British aviation
magazine The Aeroplane.
For some time" the British publ
cation says, "the United States De-
partment of Commerce has beer
pressing for the construction Of float
ing refueling bases for trans
Atlantic air service, and now interest in
Atlantic airmails is being shown by
the American Post Office authorities
Mr.. Harley (Harllee) Branch, who
is the Assistant Postmaster General
recently said that within the next
three years his department would
probably be in position to ask Con-
gress for funds to establish such a
service.
In the meantime the Post Office
people are thinking about airmail
services to Alaska and to Hawaii
The Post Office will probably ask for
funds for the Alaskan line at the
end of this year Few people realize
how near the southernmoSt point OF
Alaskan territory is to Seattle, Wash.
Americas northernmost city on the
Pacific slope. The intervening stretch
miles long. OF the British Colum-
bian coast lie Vancouver Island and
the Queen Charlotte Islands (both
Canadiap), but the many small
islands north Of Prince Rupert and
a strip of the mainland nearly SO
miles wide are United States territory
and form a coastal extension, or
tongue, to Alaska. The distance from
Seattle to Juneau, near the northern
end of this strip. is about $50 miles.
The American idea is to use Seaplanes
over this section and landplanes on
the northWard strip between Juneau
and Fairbanks (57O miles,.
S-Day Boat Service.
The present steamboat mail service
between Seattle and Fairbanks takes
about eight days Flying would re-
duce it to two days The sea
route from Seattle to Nome, the
northernmost Alaskan port, is 1880
miles, so the air-transport people
have some big distance to tackle.
The air route from Seattle to Nome.
by way OF Juneau and Fairbanks, is
about 1850 miles.
The United States Postmaster Gen
eral has asked for tenders for an
alrmal service linking the most i'm
portant of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaii, Maui, Kauaim and Cahu."
virtually all of this country's for
eign airmail operations now are in
the hands of Pan-American Airwavs
winch serves 80 countries in Central
and South America and the West In
DIES, with United States bases at
Miami and Brownsville. Tex. and
also operates routes in Alaska and in
China
Pan-American, operating under the
united States flag, has built up what
Is SAID TO be the worlds greatest in
ternational airline service. girdling
South America. threading the Wind
ward Islands and coasting the back
bone OF Central America It's Alaskan
and Far Eastern services. at present
Isolated systems add several thousand
miles to its magnificent Latin Amer
1can system.
1t Is regarded as certain that in
the future the Alaskan system will be
connected with the domestic airlines
and that eventually the Far-Eastern
system will be expanded and probably
connected by air with Alaska and the
United States.
Pan-American has made exhaustive
studies over long period of the trans
Atlantic routes and has Just put into
operation the giant S-42, the greatest
arplane ever produced in America
and one of the most efficient flying
boats the world has seen. This is
regarded as the worlds first airplane
suitable for transoceanic service. An
otner OF the same type is nearing
completion and others are on the way.
Pan-American has been operating
with great success a 700-mile over
water route across the Caribbean, an
ideal training service for ocean flying.
Oversee Flight.
Transatlantic flights now are COM
monplace events. So many of them
have been made that very few per-
sons now pay any attention when an
airplane makes the crossing Two
transatlantic flights have been COM
pleted within the past two weeks.
Very little public attention has been
paid to either of them-a tribute to
the little consequence attached to a
flight which only seven years ago set
the world af1re.