The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-03-30
THE COLLECTION OF MAILS
A Baltimore Man Proposes the
General Use of Street Cars.
Reference TO "a System Being Expert
mented with ia Grand Rapids,
Hartford. and Des Misunderstanding
Claimed sn Expense and Time

George b. MeA Ulster, of Baltimore,
has sent To the Postmaster General
communication ~ which he describes at
length a novel experiment in collecting
mail matter in the city of Grand Rapids,
Mich. which he claims will move letters
faster from the writer to the mail train
than any other system heretofore in
vogue. b1r. McAilister says in his letter:
In Hartford, Conn; Des Moines, Iowa,
and more especially Grand Rapids, every
street car whatever is at present utilized
by the postal authorities in the direction
and delivery direct to the postofflCe Of 10
cal letters, parcels. etc. by means Of or
binary street corner boxes attached to
the rear ends OF cars. The cars stop to
enable these boxes to be used
The present idea is, in the first in
stance. to So adapt the street car sys-
| TEN to the collection Of letters that the
| stoppage OF the cars in transit viii not
be required In this manner local pos
tai plan of the kind Is to be made avaiia-
bic even in the very largest cities, with
| out Interfering with public travel.
An the electric railway systems Of the
United States and al the vehicles they
operate viii. in fact be exploited as
great postal plant which, as such is now
practically idle. 1t is proposed to devel-
op the fullest possibilities Of this plant
along the lines of both rapid distribu-
ton and rand collection, by each and
ali trolley cars, TO and from all local
points whatever, within the average IA
dius from The postodice OF fifty OF sew
enty-five square nils Of urban and sub
urban territory just as . pneumatic tu-
buIar despatch from all street corners,
| from all suburban crossroads and by
| lanes and to and from, al the myriad of
surrounding local sub poStofhces might
| be- were it within the range Of practical
achievement. AMI the system viii aim
at the complete unification Of all local
methods. discarding the city postal car,
pneumatic tubes. etc 1t will also aim to
| approximate tne general scheme Of the
| railway mail service in all its leading
| features. The incoming collections. and
| more especially the outgoing -distribu-
| tons ny the cars. for instance, VIII all
| be centralized al he city postOffice as a
| focal point by railway transfer al the
/ junction Of the car lines This viii be
| done by agents, but without stoppage Of
| the cars.
! "A new and more perfect organization
/ Of the routes OF the present foot collec-
| tors and carriers all over the city VIII be
| mapped out; automobiles may be oper-
/ ated on these running on fixed schedules
/ with reference to the car schedules
! These routes VIII be laid of on systematic
/ lines to cross and re-croSS the streets and
! suburban roads on which the cars run,
{ and continues collections by carriers and
] collectors then being made from all the
/ urban and subErpan corner boxes. These
/ viii thus VeTg- easily be continuously for
! WaTded by automobile and trolley, with
{ no SJOppaEe of he latter. 10 the post
/ Office This service may be operated at
night with especial economy II is claim
/ ed that this comprehensive trolley postal
service viii rest upon the single pivotal
{ arrangement Of the transfer agent that
I its entire labor, therefore. may be recruit
81 from = then-reorsan ized, and possibly
/ reduced, city postal force. The service
may thus cost the Government nothing
for its operation.
The citizens desiring 10 post letter
on a passing car viii 20 about il III the
same manner, precisely as he now goes
! about boarding d car 10 ride AS the car
approaches the street corner he viii step
from the sidewalk Ia meet il, when the
( motorman. at a few PAGES from him, wiz
doWHDrake, as for 4 quarter StOn' only
OF the car The motiCl of the car. how
ever, VIII not be very sensibly moderated
since me TIME required VIII, by an exact
! calculation, Re but four seconds owing
! TO the structure of the letter catcher
and the instantaneous. yet nicely gradu-
. ated, action Of the perfected modern car
brake In this time. however. the intend
ing mail depOsitOr viii be able to deposit
his letter into long and wide letter
opening found or the outer side Of every
car, whether OF Jh= summer or winter
/ pattern. This opening, in some cases
Will extend the fun length Of the car It
| viii conduct. however. 10 a CONVENIENTLY
small compartment for the letters. which
/ viii be nowhere on the exterior Of the
car.
The opening VIII be a perfectly c1aar
or flush one; tina: is. it will be protected
. b. neither cover nor hood Of any kind at
any Jlmc, and the elements freely beet
ing into il, all moisture will always be
diverted from ne letter compartment by
( an ingenious II terror arrangement At
the time when the deposit Of the letter is
10 be made, the viii run a. the grad
/ uated rate of speed Al which il is now us
CaI 70 run il. In some cities. when a mae
/ passenger i going TO board II, without
sJOPpage- The simple act OF dropping a
letter would take the flash Of Instant.
/ The vast majority OF local letters he
ing posted centrally, these business let
tiers VIII be dropped into the cars n All
points whatever. owing to the norma Nv
slow speed at which they run in that sec
ton In the outside districts mail depoSit-
Ors will At once be known by the motor
man on being seen standing al the mail
crossing
However questionable AT first sight.
this manner OF taking siu letter h4s tbs g.. -
may seem, Il Will be found on examina-
zion. II is believed perfectly practical
arrangement Two simple facts show its
feasibility. One IS that the public, after
I ali, really finds no difficulty or danger
at the present time involved IN the act OF
taking passage on 4 car. Nor do they
| ordinarily md any even in boarding one
4
| rate Of speed. There can be none there
fore. in thus posting q letter by = far
more instantaneous act than that of
/ boarding a car. The other fact suggest
ing the feasibility Of the arrangement in
yelves a simple discovery as to modern
street car traffic An almost unlimitable
/ expansion o. The stree, railways has taken
place IN re cent sF-zfs- This has so multi
Piled the cars aId swelled the aggregate
Of the trip ne lake all day IN all parts
Of the cit thai bV figuring on the esti-
I mated nun ..E u letters now collected ev-
cry TWEEN ST. -T hours IN the average city,
II can IT,. p. G.- .uted that, under a Sys-
/ TEN o: street - collection Of the kind
each car opgld .. possibly collect more
/ "Letters, II ma r be pointed out, bear
/ no sort OF ratio IN number to ear y; -
sengers. Tfet the grating OF this new
J function q: LakiGg uD and carrying let
( Jers on the present passenger carrying
traffic Of the companies. would, in no de-
/ gree clog The WneeIs OF local rapid tran
( sit ia our cities Is clearly shown by the
{ facts. Possibly al ee-EOuIths Of our 10
cal letters are posted in the business
section where the cars run slowly enough
for letters to he tossed in ar any point.
IN the outside districts One-eighth Of the
letters perhaps would he posted at the
passenger eros sings when persons were
about TO board the cars OUe-half would
probably ind their way into corner boxes
/ whence the 'arTierE would post them on
the cars and hundreds of them would no
doubt be posted at car functions. CTIIN Is.
slowing grades, and other points, where
the cars run at low speed The loss of 4
minute or two n 4 trip, however, would
Doe loss TO [ 2 company in q relative
n may readily - compensated for by re-
"a IN me g rrFF