“At least we’ll have the power of the state police behind us,” he said.
“And we’ll probably need it,” added Tim.
CHAPTER FIVE
Tim and Ralph returned to the News office where Tim busied himself writing copy for his aviation column in the next day’s paper.
Among the letters he found on his desk was one from the news director of the Transcontinental Air Mail Company at San Francisco. The letter contained an announcement of the company plans to increase their passenger and air mail service to three trips a day each way across country. It would mean the inauguration of the most auspicious air transport program in the country.
The letter went on to say that giant tri-motored biplanes, capable of carrying 18 passengers and half a ton of mail or express, were being completed in the Transcontinental’s shops. A half dozen of the new planes would be put in service with the opening of the new schedule and a dozen more would be completed as rapidly as possible.
The letter indicated that all of the planes would stop at Atkinson, which meant Tim’s home city would have the best transcontinental air service in the country. The story was news, big news, and he devoted the remainder of the afternoon to writing it. He got in touch with Carl Hunter at the field and learned that Hunter had just received instructions to put on an extra ground crew. The postmaster supplied information on the value of the increased air mail service to bankers and business men and when Tim had finished gathering his material he had enough for a two column story.
The young aviation editor of the News worked until six o’clock, went out for a hasty dinner, and returned to the office to complete his story. The aviation copy must be ready the first thing in the morning to send to the waiting Linotypes.
Tim checked the facts in his story carefully. When he finished reading it over he felt that it was a creditable news story, certainly it was interesting and he thought it fairly well written.
Ralph, who had been sent out late in the afternoon to cover a service club dinner, came stamping into the office.