Some mechanical inventions are so well thought out and trouble-free that they almost never need to be replaced. The Lamson Cash Carrier in Lowns Department Store in Penn Yan, New York, is a good example of one such machine. You see, it was in service for nearly 100 years, being used every day. The cash carrier was invented in the late-19th century as a business tool. It provided a mechanical means for moving cash, sales slips, and change, by way of overhead wires, between the sales clerks and the cashier.
Spring loaded senders launch monorail-like cars along the wires with the pull of a rope.
Cash is carried in a wooden cup that locks to the car and sales slips are held in the grip of a large metal clip on its bottom. Piano wire routes, hung below the ceiling on rods, lead from all parts of the store to the centrally located cashier's desk where change is made and sales are recorded. To the consternation of some, there are no cash registers. At one time these systems were widely used and found in retail stores throughout the country. But today, few examples remain and hardly any are in daily operation.