QST, April, 1917, page 17:
The  Trans-continental  Record
THE great problem of sending a message from the Atlantic to the Pacific and having the answer back the same night has been done. It was accomplished in the early morning hours of February 6th, 1917, which date will be an historic one in the years to come. The job was done by 2PM, Faraon & Grinan in New York City, 8JZ, Alfred J. Manning, Cleveland Ohio; 9ABD, Willis P. Corwin, Jefferson City, Mo., 9ZF, W. H. Smith, Denver, Col., and 6EA, Seefred Bros., Los Angeles, Cal.
    Messages have been got across to Pacific coast stations in the past, and those sent late in January from 6EA to 1ZM made the passage in two or three days time. Even earlier than this, messages sent on QST signals have been got across. Never before, however, to the best of our knowledge has a message been sent out on a regular route and the answer brought back the same night. The time in which this splendid effort was done, is also a matter of record, and which will probably stand for some time to come. We understand the message left the station of 2PM, at 1:40 a m., and the answer was back at 2PM at 3:00 a. m. The time is, therefore, one hour and twenty minutes.
    It would seem as though very perfect organization and discipline would be necessary to beat this record. And yet we hesitate to say that this record will stand for a long time to come. Things move so quickly in amateur wireless, that it is a hazardous thing to predict. If we had stated in December that in three months time, we would have handled a message out to the Pacific Coast and back in less than two hours, we would have felt guilty of over stating the possibilities. We hesitate, therefore, to state now that this record of one hour and twenty minutes will not be broken very soon. We would not be at all surprised to receive evidence before bad summer weather begins that a message had gone out on one relay only at Denver, and the answer received back in like manner and the time something of the order of twenty minutes. We confess to shrinking a little as we write this, but as we have said, things happen almighty swiftly in this game of ours. 2PM has heard 9ZF at Denver and stations east of Denver have heard Pacific Coast stations. Therefore it is only a matter of some of the fellows taking advantage of an especially good night when certain especially good stations are on. It is likely to happen.
    Trans-continental traffic is now a regular thing over three routes. Mr. Mathews is authority for the statement, and it is substantiated by the actual receipt of messages addressed to Headquarters, that messages can be handled from Hoquiam in Washington across the northern Trunk Line via Grand Forks, and Chicago, also across the central Trunk Line from San Francisco via Denver and Jefferson City, Mo., and finally across the southern Trunk Line from Los Angeles via Phoenix and Dallas. We have knowledge of fully fifty messages which have already been handled across the continent on one or the other of these three routes. It is a matter in which we all may take great pride. We of the A. R. R. L. cannot but feel that our work has been one of the important contributing elements in the success of the thing. But, whether one of us or not one of us, everybody who had anything to do with this fine effort deserves credit, and we derive a great pleasure from extending our heartiest congratulations to all concerned. Let us use this successful effort as an example of what we can do in the future by organization and enthusiasm.