Quote:
Is the fourth down, a US Issue ?
Rod, I don't know. It is on a US cover, though.
Here's the whole cover:
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Do we know what happened to Chicago and Southern Airlines
(I suppose I should Google)
Here's what happened, just in case you didn't get a chance to google:
Chicago and Southern
Air Lines started life as Pacific Seaboard
Air Lines, which was organized on June 15, 1933. The
airline's headquarters was in Memphis, Tennessee.[1]
The first service was on June 23 in Carleton Putnam's Bellanca CH-300 "Miss San Jose." Putnam held a Transport Pilot's license. Three Bellanca CH-300s were used in the California operation. The new
airline only flew passengers on the West Coast of California on "The Scenic Route." This route was up the coast of California from Los Angeles (Grand Central
Air Terminal at Glendale) to San Francisco's Mills Field. Stops were made at seven cities near the Pacific Ocean. For a short period, Pacific Seaboard
Air Lines flew from San Francisco to the capital of California, Sacramento. The competition, on the LA-SF route, was United
Airlines with twin-engine, ten-passenger, Boeing 247s. United, who flew the valley route, had the
Air Mail contract and more comfortable
aircraft. Putnam decided the only way he could stay in business was to get a U.S.
Air Mail contract. In four months and one week, 1113 passengers were carried.
On February 9, 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt canceled all the U.S.
Mail contracts. The U.S. Army operated the
air postal service for a few weeks and then the government called for a new bidding of the
Air Mail routes. Mr. Putnam bid on and received the
Air Mail route between Chicago and New Orleans by way of Peoria, Springfield, St. Louis, Memphis and Jackson (
Air Mail Route 8). Two more Bellanca CH-300s were purchased, bringing that fleet to five
aircraft. He had to start service in 30 days or he would forfeit his $50,000 performance bond.
Air Mail service started June 3, 1934, and passenger service started June 13 with the five Bellancas on "The Valley Level Route." The
airline changed its name to Chicago and Southern
Air Lines in 1935.
Chicago and Southern continued flying north to south routes in the Midwest, bringing
air service to smaller markets such as Evansville, Indiana and Paducah, Kentucky.
In 1953, Delta
Air Lines merged with Chicago and Southern
Airlines, giving it access to a Great Lakes route system in the upper Midwest and, importantly, to points in the Caribbean Sea. The
airline operated as Delta C&S for the next two years. (From Wikipedia)
Posted 07/05/2011 7:32 pm
