The evening times., 1896-12-28
IN HOUSES
Every Citizen May Have a Branch
Station Of His Own.
COST WILL NOT BE LARGE
Payment of $3.50 VIII secure the
system for Home Use-The Ad-
vantages Claimed for 1t by the
OfficiaIs-First Trial to BE Made
Here-The Saving of Time.

The ..home branch postoffice'' system
will be put into effect in this cityin n short
time, and, IL it proves successful, residents
OF free-delivery cities will the n be able to
purchase the privilege or system for 50 so
each.
The family branch postoffice will be
trifle over a foot long, six inches wide and
four inches thick. II will offer to you every
ordinary service now rendered by the
druggist who keeps the substation L the
corner. The postman will do all the walk
ing which you ordinarily perform, al
though you will have no direct intercourse
with him whatever.
In short, you may have in your vestibuIe,
If you wish, compact, inanimate medium
through which you may transmit all of
your business directly with the city post
office, except, as yet, the dispatching OF
registered mail or money orders You will
be able To buy stamps, send unstamped let
ters To the postofrice and have them mailed,
dispatch special delivery messages in the
same manner, and receive all of your letters
without their passing through the hands OF
careless serva nts.
Elaborate Styles.
81 so will be made of enameled steel You
can have your name and house number
stamped upon it for a meager sum. You
may PURCHASE more elaborate styles for
varying prices running up TO maximum Of
Sc go. The highest grade is Of solid
bronze and is adorned with artisticaIy
nodded designs.
But the most interesting and novel fea-
pouch, through which the subscriber will
transact with the main postoffice all bust
ness requiring the exchange of money 1t
win be made OF transparent ceiluloid, the
edges being bound with thin sheet Of COLI
posite metal. 1t will be six inches long and
three and one-half inches wide, being flat
like an ordinary envelope.
Pasted against the inside of one face will
be a printed list of instructions, carefully
prepared by the Postoffce Department,
explaining every detail OF the new system
TO the user. Through the transparent .cllu-
loid forming the other face will be visible
what at first might be mistaken for a
blanket ballot. This will be neatly printed
upon Il slip Of opaque Celiuloid, such as
used for making washable memorandum
tablets.
The end of the slip Will protrude frac-
ton OF an inch from the open end OF the
pouch and may be pulled out or slipped in,
like the cover OF Photographic plate
holder. The indelibie printing on the NOV
able slip consists principally of five lines.
indicating different quantities and denom-
nations of stamps. Purchases are limited
to five 2-ccnt twenty-fiv 2-cent, two o.
cent, five 1-cent or twenty-five 1-cent
stamps. Opposite each line is a little hol-
low square or frame. cross made in one
or more OF these Indicates that stamps of
the number and denomination i'll the oppo-
site line are ordered.
The Order.
After faking the crosses, according TO the
wants. the householder will ign his name
and add his address in appropriate spaces
at the bottom. He will next insert the
slip into the pouch, printed side up, so
thatit ma Y be read through t he transparent
face. The subscriber will then take from
his purse. in exact change, corresponding to
the worth OF the order, a nj inse rt it through
the end of the pouch. 1t must rest be-
tween tie order slip and the transparent
piece of celluoid, in order that it may be
distinctly seen from outside, though pro-
tected by the pouch. The end of the slip
will fold over, forming sort of valve, pre-
venting the money from falling ont. The
other end is folded in like manner that the
money may not be pulled out with the slip.
The next step will be to drop the pouch
through the lid of the private branch post
office, which is similar to the valve lid OF
the ordinary letter box. The letter sender
must work a mechanism which raises above
the top metallic signal, bobOing up from
inside and containing tie word MAIL
Some ufthese signals will besupp!ied with
discs of phosphorous, which will be Con-
spicuous in the dark. on his next round
the postman. noticing that the signal is
raised. will unlock the door, take out the
pouch, note whether il contains the proper
amount of IN Uncy. and proceed withitOn his
round. If the correct change is not inClosed
he deposits the pouch in the box again. to-
gether with such mail as he may have for
the same address.
4 Case in Point.
Suppose you Rave an important letter to
he mailed i'm me diately. but that you have
used all of the stamps left yesterday in the
little pouch Your wife is in San Francisco
and you are in Washington.
1t is showing severely aud you would 90
two squares to the nearest drug store at
great sacrifice of comfort, and probably to
the detriment of your h ealth. Under
ordinary circumstances your wife would
have to wait for her letter, thereby suffer
ing probable disappointment. But you
GET FLESH.