The morning times., 1896-03-22
HOrSeleSs Postal Wagon Is the
Latest Device to Save Pre-
cious Time in Collecting
MEN WORK ON THE INSIDE
VIII Whirl Over the Asphalt While
Clerks Sort the Letters As They
Are Picked From the Let
ter Boxes on the Run
lCopyrieht.1sg6l

Uncle sam has got Ictpetual notion
announced aPostofurr cnirr a few da ysagO.
This las a~en the ann Of the Pyst0fIce
ali its existence. and be has been fgunI.'
Within ore mnath frum the present date
~ guting, there VIII nr running in Wash-
inslun, in New YORK and probably IN other
citif~ nrgc, nantsonlr waEua-. without
horses. fur thc COLLECTION and tis-rihus lon OF
uliu matter. There has been sufficient ex-
ucrlmrutai work to warrant tnis assertion.
THESE Aur-cle-- Eiali wagons are called
uluturcIe.f-s. IuC power which wilI propel
tnefu WI D. ciil.-F nalhtha Dr sleutricity.
win Prrfrrcncc fuE naPhtn1. and the
wag1ms themselves VIII be the same long.
narrow Huta vehicles, which are u-ed now
5- -IHstll ears on tue street railways or
many cftirS.
fuc project % the horseIe,s sehicie FOR
mai matter has bcen Ou foot fO- say months.
Geu- Nelson 30 Washington. has been
WORKING at - and interesting CO pitalists.
II b not a capitaiistiC enterprise by any
means. II - a means % assist the govern
ntent, bat the Unitcd States does not ap-
pTopyiaJe any money for s-expeFimenfaI
purpps,s.' and when new things are 10 be
adopted they must be tried first before the
government VIII axe them up II Is the ar
duOus task OF finding mOneycd people to
bUild the hOrscless mail wagons and ex-
pertinent with them that has so long de
layed the hOrseleSs postal car project.
DO not say too much about IL yet
urged ten NELSON few days ago. Cap
ital IS a shy bird. Il you bIazon the idea
forth people who have money are apt to
drop ~. They do not want TO be identified
with Il failure, and they get the idea also
that tbr project has gone out Of their hands
But there are good people back OF this
IL = with such perseverance rs this that
the very efficient Assistant Postmaster
General has secured such a great advance
in mail service during his term Of office.
The plan or the new motorcycle Is a COM
pick and remarkable one. So strange does
it read that it sounds more like a chapter
from IN advanced Looking Backward"
or i paragraph from Wonderland than
The dOiues OF the year '96 II all works
well this machine viii mark a greater
epoch IN progressive history than the tele-
phone did and viii be seCund only 70 the
telegraph and Steamboat.
The pIan OF tne motorcycle begins with
. postal ear. Tins, for Washington, viii
DE a long one: FOR New York. j smaller one.
and for differens cities. according 70 their
situation and size. 4 hiIIy city, with ir-
regular streets, can use a smaller ear to
/ better advantage than q long one. Level
cities with broad streets, can handle a
long car easily.
The Washington car viii be twelve feet
long a bout SIX feet wide and SIX feet high
This viii make very good dimensions
/ The color viii probably be white. Il do
not want 10 say what the color viii be, -
said an official Of the New York poStOffice.
spel king OF the new motorcycle. ~but I
should say Il will be some distinctive shade
, that VIII be handsome, yet tel the story OF
the United States mail service
The inside OF the ear viii be arranged
/ ike the inside Of any mail car. There
Will be a counter for sorting the mail. a
seat for ihc Hlau who sorts. pigeon-hOles
! overhead. and certain str0ngboIds for con-
timing registered and other valuable mail
matter. II viii be cOmpIete-
The work of the hOrseless mail car viii
begin at the time Of starting out The
mOt0rnlan VII turn the lever that sets the
; ear going. will plstCe his feet upoG the steer
ing gear and with cad for the nearest letter
box. -Tapping the Iettcr-hox'- Is the term
applied TO g.Ithering Up the mail from
I a box.
/ II i probable tAat the driver viii tap
( the box Through "a window he viii throw
Z the mliI inside 20 the sOFter. who viii re-
I crive II on the fly and 20 10 work upon it.
Mean while. the ear haS started on q keen
run towards the next letter-b0S- Here it
gathers up more mJH and jOSses ii Inside
to tie setter ant 80 10 al NJ boxes on the
route. ThesOFter meanwhile Is working as
/ fl II aS he can and 81 much must besad for
his agility in handling mail matter that D y
the time the next box is reached, he has
: S0fird The mail from the ISt box He
works like lightning, auI his eyes require
oIIy q flash upon the letter 20 determine
/ its destination Just a quickly his trained
J fingers place It in the right pigeOn-hOies.
/ When these hOrseIess wagons return to
/ their headGGaFtCrs. which in large cities
| il sub-statiOn OF a sub pOstoffiCc. the
I mail is taken out and placed in the differ
{ cnt pouches to Ee carried 10 stations and
/ sent outward to tie different destinations.
/ HOTSclcSS wagons again come into pIa v
! IN carrying the mHiI FCUeheS to the trains
J to connect with the r1ai4 cars