Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-16
FOR SPECIALYDELIVERY
EXPERIMENTS wiTHsiss SLOT MA
CHINE BnxHs
Six win Be Placed in Convenient
Places in the Cfty-Growth
of the ssfviel.

First Assistant Postmaster General
Wynne has authorized experiments with an
automatic special delivery letter box. in
vented ard recently perfected by Mortimer
b. Mills Of Chicago. The box is slot
machine arrangement and Is very In
geniousIy contrived. One desiring to post
a special letter puts on 1t two-cent stamp
and drops dime in the slot Of the special
delivery box. Immediately lid swings
out with an opening large enough to admit
the insertion Of the letter When the let
ter is dropped In the lid Is pushed back.
which causes the letter to be stamped with
the number of the box and the consecutive
number Of the letter. Collections are made
by special messengers at very short inter-
walls. The depository for the COINS which
is a metal box, Is so arranged that the
special messenger who does the collecting
cannot touch the money. He takes out the
box into which the money falls and re-
places it with another. The key to the
boxes Is kept at the post office by the
clerk who receives and handles the letters.
In order to prevent the use of spurious
coins the repository Is SO arranged that as
each coin fails into it it rests in the order
In which it was dropped. At the same time
each letter Is stamped with number.
Thus, If the third coin should be spurious
it would be known that it was dropped in
with the third letter, which would not
only prevent the carriage Of the letter,
but would furnish a clue to the sender as
well. The experiment will begin as soon
the boxes are located.
Six Experimental Stations.
1t is the intention of the department to
place six experimental boxes at the follow
Ing points: The New willard, the Airing
ton. the Raleigh, the National Theater the
Columbia Theater and at the corner Of
9th and + streets northwest.
The wonderful growth OF the local special
delivery service during the past few years
would seem to justify General Wynnes po-
sition in regard to the boxes. In speaking
of this Mr. w. B. Crowley. the clerk in
charge OF the special delivery department,
said this morning:
at Is our desire to increase the efficiency
of the service in every way possible, and.
while we feel we have as good a local serv-
ice here In Washington as can be found
In any other city in the country, and one
which Is better than those OF most cities, We
want to make 1T even better. I have seen
Postmaster Merritt in regard to this new
box, and we both think 1t will prove sue
cess. l have seen the box work and have
heard Mr.. Mills explain 1t. In day or two
done by the regular messenger boys, begin
ming at o'clock in the morning. From
q. m. to II m. the collections will be hourly:
from IL m. to 6 pm. half hourly, and from
6 pm. to II pm, hourly. We Will all
watch the experiment with the keenest in
tereSt.
Growth Of the Service.
Few persons realize the amazing growth
of the local special service during the past
five years. When we moved from the old
post Office on street to our present quar-
tiers, we employed thirty-six messengers
and handled an average Of about two hum
dred letters day. By that mean we de-
livered that number Of letters in Washing
ton city, including those coming in from
other points and those posted in the city
for local delivery. Now We employ eighty
hundred to nine hundred letters daily We
have sixty-three branch stations including
Deanwood and Kenilworth. both of which
were established on the 18th of February"