Evening star., 1935-03-17

to bridge the Pacific, Pan-American
is using the airplane to push back
Americas last frontier. in Alaska.
Twin-engined Lockheed transports,
capable of speeds up to 200 miles
per hour, are on the way to the
Territory to begin service April 2,
which will bring Nome within Al
days of Washington.
The fast new airlineS, spanning
Alaska from Juneau to Nome, will
cover the distance in Z hours which
formerly required "a days Of surface
travel. They will roar over the his
toric dog-sled trails into interior
Alaska, flying each hour distance
which required a week of hard going
for dog teams.
The Alaskan service is the result
of more than a year of preparatory
work by Pacific Alaska Airways, sub
sidiary of Pan-American The new
service will complete the re-establish-
nent of Alaskan operating airways
on a scheduled basis, it was explained.
Service up to now has been chiefly
of the sporadic charter" type.
In preparing for the new service
the airline has established radio and
weather stations over the main oper-
ating routes throughout the territory,
constructed or improved terminal air
ports and intermediate fields, and
made other Improvements.
Brattain Again Promoted.
Paul Brattain, local aviation execu-
tive for many years, has received his
second important promotion since the
beginning of the year, rising to the
Office of traffic manager OF Eastern
Airlines. Last January he was
named vice president of North Amer
lean Aviation and assistant general
manager of Eastern Airlines.
Mr.. Brattain has been an aviation
executive in Washington since 1924,
when he came here as Washington
representative and manager OF the
finance and insurance section of the
Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce.
In 1880 he was appointed local repre-
sentative for TranscOntinental and
Western Air and Western Air Express.
A year later he became vice president
of T. w. A.
AS traffic chief, Mr.. Brattain has
announced appointment of Goodrich
Murphy as northern divisional traf1c
manager at New York and John K.
Ottley as southern divisional trs tic
manager at Atlanta.
Airline Records Good.
American operated air passenger
lines averaged but one accident to
each $4,000 miles of flying during the
last half of 1884. according to semi
annual reports to the Bureau of Air
Commerce. There were only four
fatal accidents during the six months,
resulting in the deaths of five pas
sengers and four pilots.
The passenger miles flown per pas
senger fatality totaled 26,339,l97, the
Commerce Department reported. Dur
ing 27,268,993 miles of flying in the
last half of 1884, the airlineS had 46
accidents of all kinds, ~ Of them
without fatality.
Personnel errors dropped into sec
ond place as cause of these acci-
| dents with total Of 1928 per cent.
Power plant failures took the lead with
261 per cent. Airplane failures re-
suited in 2l,52 per cent of the acci-
dents. weather in 1879 per cent, air
port and terrain, 957 per cent, and
/ other causes, $50 per cent.
OF the l70 persons involved in the
46 airline accidents. l44 suffered no
injury whatever. There we're I3 mi
nor injuries, IL severe injuries ana
nine deaths.
Americana operated airlines extend
ing to foreign countries had no acci-
dents during the last half of 1884.
flying 4037,162 miles with absolute
safety