Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 82, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1919 — Aerial Mail [ARTICLE]

Aerial Mail

By LYDIA M. D. O’NEIL

- (Copyright.) * “By and by, Surly, they won’t need you nor your Lulu any more. They’ll have airships to carry the mall an’ express, an’ then it’s 'Old Black Lulu’ to the scrap-shop an’ you to Highland Park. Surly Simmons. An’ I’ll be sittln’ up In one o’ them airships, all dressed up in goggles an’ gloves an’ things, steerin’ the aerial mail an r lookin’ tony. Aw, say, now, Surly! That bolt Issie to clip me on the head. Don’t be so reckless, throwin’ things around like that. AS I was sayin’—" "Shut up, you thick-head, you! You couldn’t steer a hand-ear. An’ there won’t be no aerial mail in my time, cub. Let ’em run all they like when Pm under the sod —but not in my time.” But Surly was perceptibly disturbed by the idle banter to which he was being subjected to dally. “Old Black Lulu,” officially known as Engine 1448, was his He abhorred electric locomotives, automobiles, gasoline launches, airships—anything and everything that was not run by steam power. “Old Black Lulu” was good enough for him, he said. “Old Black Lulu”’ and the “drag” of express and mall cars she carried were good enough for anybody. Slmmofis did not know that the big trunkline was already contemplating the building of a few airships for the purpose of conveying mail and express, or his mind would have been more troubled. It was rumored that the Continental Airship company was In the process of formation, and a continental airship line would mean more speedy delivery of mail and express, cheaper rates, and, therefore, considerable pecuniary loss to the railroad company. This threatened competition must be met and defeated; so, while Simmons growled and swore, the railroad company planned and experimented. By and by there came a young Englishman from the- other side of the Atlantic, with a little money In his pocket and a grim determination to cam more—-much more. By night he dreamed of cogs and wheels and •crews and, propellers and dynamos and ohms; by day he worked on these dreams and made them come true. He didn’t become famous; he wanted Ho marry. But he hadn’t sufficient money, and no Influential friends. One day his dreams and his labor came to an end. That was the day that his small model of the FenlmoreStokes airship was finished, tested, and found perfect. Then Fate brought him into contact with Hendricks, the recently elected president of the Never-Mind-What Railroad company. Hendricks wanted aan airship, and Fenlmore-Stokes wanted money. Each supplied the other’s demand.- Fenlmore-Stokes sold his patent outright, and went home to Merrie England jind his sweetheart. Hendricks , went his way, rejoicing in the knowledge that he had secured the means to combat the Continental Airship company, which was still nonexistent. The Never-Mind-What company built two large airships after the pattern of the Fenlmore-Stokes model, and then hastened to build more, because, firstly, the Continental Airship line had become a reality; and, secondly, because of -two daring mail and express robberies which occurred only four or five weeks apart and defied solution. Five mall clerks and three express messengers had been round dead in their cars, with their skulls crushed. A sixth mail clerk died without regaining consciousness, and a fourth express messenger became so hopelessly insane -that no clew could be obtained from his confused, Incoherent speech. All the most valuable express packages were missing, boxes broken open and safes dynamited. In the mail cars not one registered letter or parcel had been overlooked. In both Instances, No. 3, drawn by "Old Bluck Lulu,” with Surly Simmons at the throttle was the train selected by the marauders. It hurt Simmons more than any one knew, but that did not mend matters. The N.-M.-W. company decided then to convey express and mail-by means of the Fenlmore-Stokes airships; so they broke a bottle of wine over the gray metal body of the first man-made bird and christened her the “Registered Mail.” The second they named the "Chicago Express.” When he heard of it. Surly Simmons broke two bottles of wine over “Lu-, lu’s” black nose, saying to her: - “If S ain’t worth two o’ them flying-ma-kes, then you can’t run two miles our minutes.” • ■ ; “Lulu” assuredly could run two miles in four minutes; but she sighed, nevertheless, and her iron heart throbbed convulsively. The “Registered Mall” made three trial trips between her terminals—New Yortf and a town half-way between the Eastern and Western coasts —safely and speedily. Ort the fourth day she started west with her first cargo of express and registered mall at the rate of three hundred miles-an hour. Only recently had the airship been utilized for practical purposes, and heretofore two hundred miles an hour had been the maximum average speed attained. In the matter of speed, as -G f . '

well as safety and simplicity, the Fenl-more-Stokes model had proven superior to all competitors. The aviator in charge of .the "Registered Mall” boldly asserted that the ship was capable Of twice the speed at which she was permitted to travel, but the N.-M.-W. company was content with three hundred miles an hour —content to run two dally airships—the “Mail” and the “Chicago Express.” - ■ • Side by side stood "Old Black Lulu” and the “Registered Mall.” Side by side stood President Hendricks and Engineman The old engineer was no longer surly, but sad. He spoke in a voice half-choked with sobs: '2 ■ “Your pa wouldn’t ’a’ done It, Mr. Hendricks. Your pa was a railroad man from ’way-back, an’ he wouldn’t ’a’ done It. You can fire me for that if you like. It’s said, an’ I ain’t a goin’ to take it back.” His Intense sadness and resentment were almost comic. Hendricks laughed a little and tried to “jolly” the old engineer, but Simmons was In no mood for jesting. . He turned away, oiled the 1448, wiped her carefully with a handful of clean waste and polished her as vigorously and unconcernedly as if the "Registered Mail” were no more than a summer shower. But Hendricks heard him murmur once or twice: "They don’t want us any more, ‘Lulu.’ They don’t want us any more.” By and by Simmons walked over to the airship and examined her carefully. “No chance of a break-down, T s’pose?” he queried hopefully. "No chance whatever,” smilingly answered the aviator. Simmons looked about to see if there was anything with which he could tamper—a bolt he could loosen, or a screw he could remove, but there was nothing. Besides, he would have been detected. “ ’Lectriclty, too,” he growled. “Gasoline was bad enough, but ’lectriclty!" He turned away, and climbed into the cab of 1448. He carried baggage and passenger coaches for the first time In many years, and a feeling of shame stole over him as he gazed at “Old Black Lulu” and the string of cars behind her. It had all come ao “suddenlike.” Only a few days ago, it. seemed, airships were only toys at which he had laughed. Yet one of these toys had supplanted his “Lulu” —and there she stood, flaunting her triumph in his face—the blue-gray hulk three times as large as the largest car he had ever hauled and carrying his precious freight—his express parcels—his registered mall! “Old Black Lulu’s” days of glory were over —and so were his! Alas, how bitter! No. 3‘ counted off the miles as she always had. “Old Black Lulu” puffed and whistled, and clicked and pounded over the. frogs, just as she always had —and, by and by, she started to sing a crazy little song of her own composing: They don’t—want me—any more —’’ They don’t—want me —any more —” Simmons heard and understood—v and answered: “You’re right, old girl. They don’t want you any more. ‘Lulu’ to the scrap-shop, an’, me to Highland Park.” In a short time they passed the ’ninetieth mile-post, and Simmons began to look forthe "Registered Mail.” Somewhere along the line she would cross the N.-M.-W. tracks, headed directly west. She had no signals to heed, as “Lulu” had, no curves to take or hills to climb; she had it so easy—all plain sailing for her. She would cross the N.-M.-W. tracks at the bridge, and sail away Out of sight before No. 3 could — “The devil!” The captain, or motorman, or whatever he called himself, had told him there was no possible chance of a break-down, and yet— The “Registered Mail” was wabbling—swaying—swinging! She was going to drop! Some one had blundered. Simmons’ was not the man to let a golden opportunity pass. Not he I Swiftly he calculated the distance to the point where the "Registered Mail” would fall, and swiftly he jerked the throttle open wide. Then he “hooked her up”—gave her “the short stroke,” and she responded. “ ‘Lulu!’ 'Lulu'!” he- Cried. “You go to it, old girl! Work hard now—hard, hard! ‘Lulu,’ old girl, do your blatnedest! Go to it, ‘Lulu!’ ” The short stroke won the day for "Old Black Lulu.” Simmons leaned out of the window And watched the airship anxiously. Down —down—down it dropped, and “Old Black Lulu” plowed into its shiny body just as it struck the bridge. They plunged Into the river together—the “Registered Mail” and her crew, and "Old Black Lulu,” with part of her . “drag.” Simmons still sat on the leather-cushioned seat, his greasy, sullen face transfigured by a trimphant smile. - » • “Old Black Lulu” was never sent to the scrap-shop. She Iles there, at the river-bottom, still “hooked-up,” covered with mud and victory. , And Surly Simmons never went to Highland Park, for he lived just long enough to say: . ’ “They can run all the aerial mails they like when I’m under the sod —but —not in—my time. No. ‘Lulu’—old girl—not—in our time.”