Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-05-10

- OSTMASTER General wanamaker is
va collecting information in regard to
Az the practical working Of the system
q Of communication by underground
pneumatic tubes. 1t ia believed that
such system could be introduced with sd-
vantage in the large post offices Of the country
70 connect them with the substations. 1t
could also be used 10 connect all the buildings
OF the executive departments in this city and
the Capitol 1t is claimed that such a system
would not only facilitate business. but would
| effect saving Of money. The volume Of bus
lness that 10 transacted daily between the diff
ferent departments and the Capitol is very
large. If all the public buildings in the city
could be connected with tubes running under
ground. through which letters and. perhaps.
small packages, could be sent rapidly, il is be-
lieved that q valuable addition would be made
to the present facilities for CARRYING on the
public business. Mr.. Wsnamaker is gathering
facts to ascertain whether tho advantages
claimed for this system really exist and
whether 1t would be practicable in connection
with the government business. If he is con-
| WINGED that it would be a good thing he will
probably call the attention Of Congress TO the
| subject and ask for an appropriation.
WHERE SUCH TUBES ARE Used.
The use Of pneumatic tubes for sending
messages has been quite common in the lead
ing cities of Europe for a number OF years.
This system ID also employed to some extent in
this country. Tho Western Union Telegraph
Company have their main office, for example,
in New York connected with the branch offices
by pneumatic tubes. Some of these tubes ara
| made of brass inches internal diameter and
three-eighths of an inch thick, and are laid
under the pavements in the streets at depth
| OF three feet Messages are sent from the
nj oil nf4sa % -.
| compressed air and from the branch Offices to
| the central office by atmospheric pressure or
vacuum. The motive power II furnished by
an engine which operates the air pumps. This
system has been in use by the Western Union
for the past four or five years. and President
Green, in an annual report to the stock
holders stated that the saving effected the first
year amounted to half the cost of the plant.
They have the system in operation only in
New York city, for the reason
large in order to make it pay.
| In London the pneumatic tubes are used 10
connect the central post Office with the branch
offices. The lengths of the tubes vary from a
| few hundred yards to two miles. and the time
occupied in the actual travelling through the
| longest tube is said to be about six minutes.
| 1t has become part of the postal facilities of
the British metropolis as well as of other
European cities, and it is claimed to be a
practical and efficient adjunct of postal admin
| lstration.
PRESENT MEANS OF COMMUNICATION.
| In the large cities OF this country the mail
matter is distributed from the central point or
the railroad stations to the substations by
| wagons. Here at the seat of government the
| modern facilities of communication between
| the department buildings. the Capitol and the
| White House are the telegraph and the tcle-
phone. There is a government telegraph line
| here and In addition the telegraph companies
| n all la H. l.
| lngs. But neither of these agencies can be
| used when 1t Is necessary 10 send written COM
| munications. To accomplish the latter
| mounted messengers are used and also depart
| ment wagons. At certain times each
| day wagon leaves each OF the
large department buildings and makes trip to
| the other public buildings, gathering up the
mail matter intended for its special depart
| ment and leaving quantity. There is also a
| corps OF messengers who are sent on special
| trips to carry communications that should be
| delivered promptly and safely. The bulk of
| the communication between the departments
| goes into the mails, like ordinary mail matter
| and is taken to the post office and there dis
| tributed. 1t is thought that pneumatic tube
| system will relieve the local post Office of a
good deai of work thai is now being done for
| nothing and also to a large extent take the
| place OF the corps of messengers and wagons,
effecting great saving of time and money.
| HUGE TUBE NEVER COMPLETED.
There has only been one attempt made to in
troduce the pneumatic tube system in this city,
BY the act of June 10, 1872, Congress appro-
priated $4,000 for the purpose of constructing
| a pneumatic tube between the Capitol and the
| Government Printing Office. the tube to be
| operated by hollow spheres or otherwise" 1t
| was used for the transmission of books pack
ages, and especially copy and proof slips. be-
| tween those two points. A contract was made
| with Mr.. Albert Brisbane. who had some patent
| process which required the use of hollow tubes
| 1t was stipulated that the tube should be com
pleted on or before the Goth day OF June. 1873
| and that 20 per cent OF the amount should be
withheld until the tube was completed The
work of putting in the tube was begun II was
| made 81 inches in diameter. 5 inches greater
| than the specifications required. Ii was made
| OF dressed lumber about u inches thick and
| hoped at intervals with bands of iron The
| exterior was coated with asphatum 4 trench
| varying III depth from TO IL feet was dug for
| a distance of about 1000 feet northward from
| the Capitol about two-thirds OF the entire dis
| lance. which was TO be on a straight line down
! North Capitol street TO the Government Print
ing Office.
| WHY IT FAILED.
The contractor was prevented by the charac-
ter of the ground from completing the work
and this discovery made after $4,000 of
the appropriation had been paid. He offered
to complete the work at his own cost. but it was
never done. 1t appeared that the tube had to
be passed under the Il street conduit and the
| track of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad This
necessitated deep cutting and CONSEQUENT
great weight of earth on the top Of the lube
| In making this cutting several deep springs were
met with, which could not be drained under
the grades then existing in that locality. Ten
| years later a committee of the Senate appointed
| to ascertain why the government had not Sc
cured some return for the large amount eN-
| pended made a report which gave the facts as
above stated. The criticism was made that the
proposed plan had not been practically tested
| and it was recommended that pneumatic tube
| OF the description which has been successfully
| used in England be laid between the Capitol
and the Government Printing Office This
recommendation, however, was never acted
upon. This was the end of the pneumatic tube
| experiment in this city. When the excavation
| was made not long ago for the Capitol terrace
| the wooded conduit or tube of this abandoned
| experiment was unearthed and removed.
EARLY ATTEMPTS.
In this report the committee gives some in
| teresting historical data in regard to the use
of pneumatic tubes in England. The system
| Of pneumatic tubular locomotion, the report
| states, appears to have been practically expert
| mented upon in England early as 1871.
being known as the atmospheric railroad"
| In 1851 the Electric and international Tele-
graph Company of London successfully put
| into operation a pneumatic tube system of
| transmitting written dispatches between their
| central station and their substations. In 1863
4 the post Office department made of a pner-