Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-05-10
Proqrdn to Mark First AirmoiI
Route Flight of rs Years Ago
Anniversary Banquet, Public Demonstration
Of Aerial Program Scheduled Next Week End

of the War Production Board; Mer-
rit o. Chance, then postmaster at
Washington, now retired and liv-
ing on his farm near Brookeville,
Md, and Malcolm Kerlin, the lat
ter's assistant postmaster now adj
ministrative assistant to the Secre-
tary Of Commerce.
X. Kambara Not to Attend.
There was also present Is years
ago little, yellow-faced, slant-eyed
parsonage, one K. Kambara, the
japanese postmaster general Mr.
Kambara smiled generously on all,
squinted his myopic eyes and moved
close to the military airplane He
was so interested in air mail, please
Mr.. Kambara will not attend the
banquet next Saturday, however.
The first incoming mail plane
from Philadelphia to Washington
on May is. 1918, was piloted by 1t.
James G. Edgerton, who remained
in Government service here until
1888. He is now in the Army Air
Forces stationed in Florida.
The first air mail was a Joint
venture in 1918 by the Post Office
and the Army, who considered the
mails a convenient way of training
pilots. The Army bowed out of the
alr-mail picture in a few weeks,
however, not to reappear until the
snowy February of 1884 Then Army
pilots were suddenly entrusted with
flying Of air mail while the Senate
investigated administration charges
of collision and fraud in the con-
tract making between 10 commercial
companies and the Post Office,
Nearly a dozen Army pilots were
killed in connection with moving
the air mail before the Post Office
again began awarding contracts to
private companies.
Chairman of the Senate investi-
cation was the now Associate Sill
preme Court Justice Hugo Black
High point of the sessions was the
citing OF William p MacCracken, q
former assistant secretary of air, fo1
contempt because he allegedly
burned his private business files be-
fore they could be brought before
the committee.
Berth of Commercial Aviation.
The day the Post Office first. tool
complete control of airmail, August
II, 1918, is generally considered
the anniversary of American com.
merclal aviation. Mr.. Lipsner wa.
put In charge. The early planes
were powered by $50 horsepowe,
Hlspano-Suiza engines developing
80 miles-an speed. The Phila
delphia-to-New York lap terminated
at Belmont Park race track on LONG
Island. Pilots often arrived in the
middle of a race and circled the
track behind the bangtails as they
flew toward the finish line.
On May Is, 1919, airmail service
was opened between Chicago anc
Cleveland. Western routes pushed
forward step by step until regula,
daylight service between New York
and San Francisco was initiated ir
September, 1920. The Airmail Act
OF 1925 authorized the Postmaste,
General to enter into contracts TO,
commercial air transportation OF
mails. In August, 1927. the Post
Office relinquished the last of its
mail routes to private operators.
The Commerce Department sub.
sequently was empowered to de.
velop lighted airways, radio beacons
ana instrument landing systems. Ir
1888 Congress adopted the Civil
Aeronautics Act which made thu
privilege of engaging in air trans.
port and airmail business contin.
gent upon certificates of public con.
venience and necessity