Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-22
Pm EUM ATTIC TUBES
MAIL SERVICE BY THIS MEANS TO
BE TRIED IN THIS CITY.
Between Main Office and East Capital
Station, With Branch
at Capitol.

Postmaster Merritt wants a pneumatic
tube mail service for Washington. He be-
Ieves that here at the capital of the ma
ton the very best facilities for handling
the mail should maintain. Yesterday he
Appeared before the Senate committee on
post offices and post roads and, when the
hearing ended, came away in very salts
factory frame of mind.
while Washington may not get a uni
versal pneumatic tube service, / am rea-
sonably confident the service will be put
in, at least between the main office ard
the East Capital station. with a branch in
the Capitol 1t is impossible to estimate
the good that will accrue from this service
1t means NOT only the saving of time i'm
the handling of mail for the eastern sec
ton of the city and Congress, but will do
away with lot of extra handling of mail
and insure the transmission of letters mp
to the very minute, / may say, OF the de-
parture of trains. AS 1t is now the col
iectors gather in the mail from the eastern
section of the city fully two hours before
it is dispatched
When it is turned into Station B, which
is on East Capitol street. it must be
brought by wagon to the main office and
there assorted. BY the pneumatic service
the collections will be made later and the
mail sent through the tubes up to within a
few minutes of the closing of the mail here
at the main office.
vi couISet 1onSreSS Wall be greatly bene-
nted bE the new arrangement. for IL will
enable this office to put letters in the hands
of members very few minutes after they
arrive.
Committee of Investigation.
The present interest in pneumatic tube
service for cities is due to an order of the
Postmaster General. in which a committee
was appointed to make investigation of the
needs and practicability of the pneumatic
tube service in the cities Of Boston, Mass;
Brooklyn. n. Y: Philadelphia, Pa; Chica-
go, H.; st. Louis, Mo, and Washington
D. c.
This committee is now at work In this
city and yesterday spent the day with Post
master Merritt discussing the matter As
soon as the committee has completed its
labors 1t will make a report furnishing the
Postmaster General with all necessary data
One of the provisions Of the Postmaster
Generals order is that In each city visited
the postmaster shall be member of the
committee.
The law. 1t seems, provides that the in
stallation OF the service shall not exceed
per cent of the gross earnings OF the
post office This. it is argued by Post
master Merritt, would be unfair as far as
Washington is concerned. for the reason
that 50 per cent of the mail handled by the
Washington Office is free. 1t is believed that
Congress will see at once the justice of
this and make the necessary provisions
Shortly after the committee set to work
1t was confronted with some questions in
volving engineering considerations. In
every other city but Washington the sew
eral municipalities could grant the neces-
sary right of way for the conduits in which
the pneumatic tube service is placed. Here
at the capital Of the nation, however Con-
gress exercises exclusive Jurisdiction over
the Streets and before any openings are
made for the accommodation OF the service
it will be necessary to get a special act OF
Congress.
Capitol as Satisfaction,