The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1935-07-05
BY WILLIAM C. UTLEY

BY WILLIAM C. UTLEY
THE world, with America in the
lead, is entering a new and
glorious era of transportation.
It might be called the Era Of
Realization of the Fantastic.
Not so many years ago-in fact with
in the memory Of children still in
school-covers Of magazines of the So
called science" and invention" type
were filed with artists startling con-
ception of great flying palaces, then
weird in appearance, which were to tie
together the far ends Of the earth in
the future. Blase passengers were
shown reading newspapers, playing
chess or even SWITCHBOARD while their
great winged carriers cleft the clouds
far above the vast expanses Of ocean.
Novels of highly imaginative fiction,
typifed by the MARS" stories of Ed
gar Rice Burroughs, bristled our
spines with high links on other planets
where the members of scientifically su-
perior civilizations flew about the
faces of their respective planets in
spectacular hops of thousands of miles
at time.
Such wild literary entertainment we
were wont, for fear of appearing too
silly to our neighbors, to leave in up
stairs bedrooms, reserving the space
on the library table for Dickens,
Thackeray, Edgar A. Guest and the
family Bible. And while deep in our
hearts we thought it was "swelp read
ing, we knew that it was really fm-
possible stuff"
Yet, before the year Is out, regular
scheduled passenger service will be In
effect between the United States and
China. Not flying palaces, perhaps,
but at least flying hotels will soon link
the newest and most progressive OF the
great powers with the oldest and most
mysterious of nations on another side
of the world Surprising enough, the
giant ships of the air look very much
like the artists conceptions which
graced the sensational press of few
years back. Most surprising of all,
we accept the real thing with far less
amazement than we did its imaginative
forerunner.
Now that the New Era is actually
upon us. we accept with little wonder
the fact that German engineers are
manning the construction of trans
atlantic air liner that will carry 1880
persons. This flying boat will be lit
orally a hotel on wings. 1t will sacri-
fee none of the comforts Of the great
ocean liners, with their sport decks,
entertainment facilities, etc.
Ship Cars by Air.
There will be elevators from deck to
deck. There will be room for trav-
elers to take their own automobiles
across the sea with them. Garages
win be provided for these; special hoist
ing machinery will lift the cars up
into the plane.
The ocean steamship has its supply
of life boats to turn loose from the
mother ship In case of emergency at
sea, and the proposed flying boat will
not be outdone in this respect, either,
for room will be provided to house
smaller auxiliary planes. These will
take of from the surface of the body
of the great plane, being speeded on
their way over the sea by a powerful
catapult which will assure their get
ting into the air.
This ship may sound little fan
tastic to us, but by this time we are
used to having fantastic new contrap-'
lions accepted as practical facts al
most overnight. The German design
ers promise us that such flying ship
as this win be ready for travel over
the ocean in the very near future.
Hardly less spectacular is the Amer
lean marvel of the skyways, Flying
Clipper No. z, which Is now completed
as the first ship ever designed spe-
officially for transoceanic travel 1t
will begin service, probably on the
route across the Pacific, some time
this summer. 1t is now finishing tests
which SO far have proved 1t to be
equal to the bullying of the elements
and the once forbidding distance be-