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N DAILY NEWS, MONDAY, MARCH 18, 1912. [[line]] [[left-most column is torn, such that only partial sentences are visible]] [[column 2]] [[bold]]AERIAL POST IS PROVED A SUCCESS [[ line ]] AVIATOR STUDENSKY CARRIES BAG OF MAIL TO LA MARQUE POSTOFFICE. [[line]] 3,000 PEOPLE SEE FLIGHTS [[line]] First Aerial Postal Service in the South Draws Large Crowds-Twelve Hundred Pieces of Mail Carried. [[/bold]] [[line]] Aviation in Galveston assumed new importance Sunday afternoon, when Paul Studensky in the Curtiss type biplane designed and built by Lester V. Bratton made a successful flight with a pouch of United States mail from the aviation field to La Marque and safely delivered the mail into the hands of Postmaster Bogatto at that station. This is said to be the first aerial postal service to be established in the South and attracted much attention from citizens of Galveston, as well as from other parts of the state. The gates at the grounds of the National School of Aviation were opened Sunday afternoon at 1 o'clock and within a short time fully 2,500 people were inside the grounds. The people came on the street cars, in automobiles and in vehicles of all kinds. The baseball game at Beach Park between the Sandcrabs and the New York Giants seemed an unimportant matter as compared with an aviation meet in which the now well known Paul Studensky would make several flights, drop imaginary bombs at an imaginary battleship, execute all the fancy dips, curves, volplanes and other maneuvers of a skilled aviator and finally, with a bag of United States first-class mail, fly across Galveston Bay and land the mail at the La Marque postoffice. [[bold]]The Attraction of the Day.[[/bold]] This mail-carrying stunt was easily the attraction of the afternoon and the more than three thousand people who entered the grounds came more to see this one feat than all the other maneuvers, contests and races that had been announced. A special postal station had been established within the aviation grounds by Postmaster H. A. Griffin, which was in charge of Postal Clerk Shirley Forsgard. Postcards showing the little Curtiss type biplane in which Studensky was to make the mail-carrying flight, the special aerial postal station and Aviator Studensky in the act of receiving a bag of mail from the hands of a postal clerk were sold on the ground and many visitors availed themselves of this opportunity of sending some mail matter to their friends and relatives in other parts of the state, in other states or even in other countries, by the first aerial postal service to be established in the South. From the time the gates were opened to the time the mail bag was closed at 3:30 o'clock there was a constant stream of people purchasing postcards and stamps and writing brief messages. The several improvised tables used as writing desks were always crowded with those writing messages. A special stamp bearing the words, "Galveston, Tex., U. S. Aerial Mail, March 17, 1912," was placed on each piece of mail which went into the bag that Studensky carried. The program as scheduled in advance called for the departure of Studensky with the mail at 3:30 p. m., but on account of several delays he did not make his get-away with the mail sack until after 4 o'clock. At 3:30 the mail bag was closed at the special aerial postal station and taken in charge by Postmaster H. A. Griffin and carried to the machine, which was then standing in front of the grandstand. Here, with appropriate ceremony, he delivered the bag of mail personally into the hands of Aviator Studensky and gave final instructions as to its delivery, and it is to be doubted if any man other than "Teddy" has been shot at more times than Aviator Studensky without being hurt. The plucky little aviator says he feels real famous to see so many kodaks and cameras pointed toward him. [[bold]] 1,200 Pieces of Mail. [[/bold]] The mail bag when closed at the special aerial station contained something more than 1,200 pieces of first-class mail matter, principally postcards mailed by those in the grounds. This amount of mail matter, together with the bag in [[?which]] it was contained, weighed about It was se- [[bottom of column partially obscured]] [[end column]] [[start column]] yards. The target was only a small piece of canvas, about the size of an ordinary wagon sheet. The balls fell in line with the target and his flight, and had the wind been blowing a strong gale they would likely have struck the target. Circling the field once more, Studensky made a landing at the west end of the field. This was the only flight of the afternoon other than the mail-carrying flight made later in the afternoon. The wind was treacherous, blowing in little gusts, which made the machines rock and roll in the air. This fact accounts for the failure of the other aviators to venture up during the afternoon. The crowd was somewhat disappointed that they did not see the big Beech-Farman biplane, said to be the largest heavier-than-the-air machine ever flown in American, but with the splendid flights of Studensky they could not complain. In connect with the race to be pulled off next Sunday from Houston to Galveston between a locomotive, an automobile, a motor cycle and an airplane, it is planned by the National Aviation School to have Aviator De For, who is to pilot the air craft in this race, to land in their field on the Denver Resurcey. The matter has been taken up with Aviator De Kor, but as yet no agreement has been reached. [[long line]] AMUSEMENTS [[short line]] "The Barrier." "The Barrier," a dramatization by Eugene Presbrey of Rex Beach's rugged love of that name, was presented by competent people to a fair-sized audience at the Grand Opera House Sunday night. Catholic Societies of the City Participate.
Transcription Notes:
Successful aerial post.
