Evening Republican, Volume 20, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1916 — Odd Mall Service. [ARTICLE]

Odd Mall Service.

A novel mail service is to be put into operation on the Magdalena river, in the Republic of Colombia, seasleds having been planned to ply between Bogota and the coast. By the water route the distance between the two points is more than 800 miles. It is expected that it will be covered at an average speed of nearly forty miles an hour. Tests were recently made otTthe Hudson river, near New York, with an , oddly designed craft which has been built especially for this service. It is a broad-bpamed glider, equipped with a high-power motor, and driven by two aerial propellers mounted at the stern. It is capable of carrying a number of passengers, and when loaded draws only five inches of water. While traveling at its maximum speed, however, the sled requires only one inch of water, for it skims along barely cutting the surface. Its slight draft is made necessary by the shallowness of the river on which it is to operate.