The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-25
70 BE CARRIED A MILE A MINUTE.
That is, if a Chicago Mans Inven-
ton Does What is Claimed.


ton Docs What is Claimed.
Should the city, council, after it's
vacation, conclude to grant Richard
e. Sherman permission and authority
to construct and operate underground
electrical mail tubes, Chicago will
have the finest mail distributing sys-
tenn in the world. Think of mail
coursing through Subrerranean pas
sageWays at the rate of d mile min
ute, Yet this is what Postmaster
Hesing, Superintendent John A. Mont
gomery and Electrician Richard E.
Sherman declare to be demon
strated reality Nothing Like it ex-
Chicago will be the first city to give
the new scheme a practical trial.
Last fall John A. Montgomery, su-
perintendent of mails, made trip
to Philadelphia 10 investigate the
pneumatic tube mail service in that
city. Upon his return, he said to
Electrician r. F.. Sherman:
Sherman, why can't you invent an
underground apparatus which will
carry all our mails? Maybe you don't
know it. but we handle from 80 to
800 tons of mail a, day. Why not get
up ian Underground electrical car
system, by which all this stuff can
be transmitted from the sub-stations
to the central office, and thence to
the depots?"
That was enough. Sherman caught
the idea, returned to his laboratory,
and soon perfected the system. The
details were forwarded to Washing
ton, and a patent secured June 81.
dinance Monday night in the city
council, granting to Sherman his
successors or assigns, permission and
authority to operate electrical tubes
and electrical conduits, with all suit
able switches, branches, turnouts,
connections and stations along, under
and upon any of the streets, alleys,
avenues, tunnels, viaducts, and under
the Chicago river and its various
branches, for the purpose of collect
ing, receiving, conveying, carrying
and transmitting United States mail
packages and all other suitable com
modities. The ordinance further
provides that the construction work
shall be under the direction of the
commissioner of public works, and
that a deposit of $4,000 shall be made
Provision is also made that in the
construction eff the system, a sum not
less than $4,000 shall be expended the
first three years. The company is also
y
cent per annum of the gross receipts.
The system will cost 100000, and
we will begin work within a week
after the ordinance is passed. said
Electrician Sherman. "Conduits will
be run from the postoffice to all the
sub-stattions, 'depots, and newspaper
Offices. These conduits will have 10
go below the cables and gas pipes
probably from eight to twelve feet
below the surface Steel motor cars
weighing about 40 pounds each will
run between TT rails, and will carry
from 30 to 500 pounds. Both the speed
and distance can be regulated by a
dial. The maximum speed is over a
mile a minute Four trailers can be
attached to each car When the car
approaches within 500 feet of its des-
tination, belleis sounded at the re-
ceiving office, and rings until the mail
is removed.
THE underground system of mail
| transportation has the advantage
over the. midair system. in that rails
can be used instead of wires, thus
permitting the heavier burden:
and there is perfect safety in trans
mission. Chicago Tribune.