The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-24
should use the telephone or telegraph. and NOT
tax everybody else for his benefit, was Mr.. Hep
wilson DOESN'T wASr rHE TUBES.
BrsehIyn's rsutrsaster Gees 70 washinEton te
Oppose the 5000. ooO Apprepriatisn.

BrsohlJn's Fsstpaster Gees - washinEtsn e
Oppose the $500. 900 Appropriated.
Postmaster Wilson Of Brooklyn went 10 Wash.
inRton yesterday to oppose the appropriation OF
100000 for pneumatic tubes for the mail ser
vice. Tho Tubular Dispatch Company. which
now has q contract with the Government for
which IL is to got $l4s, 500 a year to do the work
that has heretofore been done for $685.. has
a scheme to get further largo appropris-
tions from the Government A part OF
the scheme c~ontemplates tho laying of
tubes all over Brooklyn. The agents of
the company who were floating bonds recently
issued a circular in which It was said that the
company bad arranged an agreement with the
Government BY which 1t was TO receive CSC, OO0
rental per annum. The company has alleged
that there was an overwhelming demand for its
system. Postmaster Wilson believes the ex.
penditnre OF 500 900 10 q waste of money, TO
1T must be Understood" no said. "that the
100000 asked for Is not for merely equipping
the system. but is to be n yearly expense II
The Postmaster said that he had had under
e DSii n Presented e1nite sp' bS a the c ONE prsn' for or the the
entrance OF the tubes from New York to the
Brooklyn Post Office, and the disposition of the
immense Corliss engines which will be neces-
sary. He said that he. was not at all satisfied
that they could possibly 10 placed in the main
Post Office building without seriously interrupt
ing the regular service by wagons and carriages
unless additional space Is made In some way.
to the extent that the elevator which takes the
mail matter up and down in the Post Office
building Is In a dangerous place, and nearly
caused the death or serious manning OF q man
the other day.
81 do not deny" tho Postmaster said In an in.
terview with a Brooklyn Eagle reporter, that
there are greater possibilities for the tube service
in the future. but l do believe it would be q mis-
take to introduce hat system at a great expense
nection with New York, though ] believe there
are many objections even to that. For one
propose to lay, and one section Of which il
already laid. is. too large for the purpose.
tube nor second.ciass matter. The wagon
service will. therefore, have to be continued
without the slightest reduction in expense, and
$4,000 a year paid for tho tube. There is a
doubt in my mind whether we cannot actually
snd and n% se os RIsP Il Oh IN 'V wagons r,ai. IN Gags at inns
IF sent through the tubes It must be rens-
there. In the out-of town service this would DO
q decided disadvantage, as our present system
OF preparing the bags in the office here and
sending them over to the trains in Jersey City
in wagons would be quicker and surer. At tho
same time the saving in time on first-class mat
tiers. leads me to believe the Manhattan tube
might Be an advantage. and probably would be;
smaller. Then it would not be so expensive.
To the connecting tubes between the sub
stations and this office. lam absolutely opposed.
L q thob ~ "ouiu " W. "A " j.
and the extra expense would DO enormous. Not
only would the yearly expense Of carrying on the
service be great, but we would have to allow for
the large space occupied by the engines in each
station TO work the tubes. The space in these
stations is already crowded and the introduc.
ton of the tubes would mean extra rental
expense or serious inconvenience. And then
what could be gaincdf No second-class mat
ter could be sent through the tube. We could
not possibly sends newspapers. so that trollcys
and the wagon service would have 70 DO con
vantage in the special letters sent through the
tube, but how many of these special letters are
senti After all. I doubt if 1t would materially
increase the speed of the delivery OF these com
munications. Certainly the letter service ordi.
narily could not DO increased. because the car
riers make only certain trips. and letters re-
ceived are sorted out for them. and they could
not take more than they get under the ordinary
service.
II think that the company Is charging en-
tirely too much for the service, and believe that
at the present time it would be n hindrance
rather than convenience. / will lay my obiec-
tons before the department AT Washington and
before Secretary Gage of the Treasury Depart
ment. Eventually presume the service may
be introduced in this borough. but it must be
done cheaper and under more improved circum-
stances all around