Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-10
DELIVERING THE MAIL
Invention Of an Ingenious
Woman.
ELEVATOR FOR LETTERS
RELIEVES THE POSTWAR OF
MUCH OF HIS WORK.
Composed Of Series of Boxes That
Empty Their Contents Automatic
ally on Different Floors.

A revolution in the delivery of mail in
apartment houses may be the result of an
| invention by woman. 1t Is now under
consideration by commission appointed
by the late Postmaster General Payne, and
| If this body reports favorably the invention
will be adopted by the Post ONCE Depart
ment as a part of its official machinery
The commission consists Of e. II. Thorp,
assistant superintendent of the free deiiv-
cry system of the Post Office Department.
George NJ Sutton, post Office inspector, and
Major James E. Bell. superintendent of de-
livery of the Washington office.
The invention consists of a receptacle
with compartments corresponding with the
| number of apartments in the building in
which 1t is to be installed Its operation
is simple and electricity the motive power.
When the human letter carrier from the
post office arrives at the house containing
this invention he simply deposits his mail
in the compartments as they are identified
with the names of the residents of the
apartments, touches button when he mas
them flied. or all his mail assorted, ara
the automatic carrier does the rest.
Contents Automatically Dumped.
1t rises as any other elevator is In the
habit Of doing when properly called upon.
caught and detained for a moment by a
lever. Every compartment in the mail ele-
vator has cores pondng one in the build
ing and when the elevator is detained at
each floor its compartments automatically
dump their contents into the boxes on taat
floor and the machine proceeds to the next,
and on to the top story, after which the
elevator is automatically returned to the
starting point at the ground floor. II there
is mail for certain box no harm Is
IL OH nrN1I nlY1S rlI W
and yawns, then proceeds in quest Ct More
favored individuals. The openings OF the
boxes for the reception of mail from the
elevator are necessarily opposite the open
space of the halls where the boxes are To-
Gated. They are therefore free from dis
turbance by anyone, just as all mail boxes
now are and may be only opened by the
possessor of a key to the lock. The door
through which the mail is deposited is au-
Dramatically opened and closed by the ratch-
cts on the elevator as it ascendS.
The pause at each floor is infinitesimal
and the action of the machine, where it has
been seen in operation, is said to be per-
feet. There has been for some time one
IN building on Broadway, New York, the
home of the inventor, and one is being in
stalled in a new twelve-story building on
the same street. AT both of these build
ings the machine is being kept under con-
slant inspection by the Post Office Depart
ment and the report of the commission is
expected within short time.
Birth of the Invention.
Like many of our great time-saVing in
ventions, this device is the result of dis,
satisfaction with old methods. 1t is the
work of a woman. wealthy widow. and
was planned because she had had much
trouble in receiving her mail in the large
apartment house in New York, in which
she made her home. She has said that
every time the postman rang the bell she
was compelled to send her servant to the
ground floor for her mail. 1t is true that
may not be considered much of a hardship,
but where people are constantly striving for
greater ease in every line an automatic
mail deliverer appeared to the inventor. to
be almost necessity She believed it
would be a boon to many others than her
self and her theory has met with much APP
prevail Wealthy persons who are ready
and able to pay large rentals for their
apartments are ready to pay still larger
sum for one having such a devil as an
automatic letter carrier Larger rents are
demanded in buildings where there are ele-
vators, and those which will be equipped
with a mail elevator as well as those for
passengers and freight the rentals will be
proportional ely increased. ---
The widow stood her trials as long as she
was able, waiting for some undiscovered
genius to come to her rescue. He did not
come, so she went to her own. In the
privacy of her apartment, where she had
had so much trouble with the mails she
schemed and plotted. Plans and specifica-
lions were strewn about the floor and final
y. after weeks of study, and when the
wrinkles were beginning to take shape on
her youthful forehead and threaten to be-
come permanent, the plot unfolded and she.
with the ancient Greek philosopher, cried
Eureka"
Obtained Her Patent.
A train sped her to Washington, where
she lest no time in convincing the authori-
ties of the patent office that she had win
ner in the shape of a letter carrier that
needed no uniform and tin whistle in order
to do it's work well. She explained, and
put 1t on paper, that her invention would
deliver mail fast as the best civil serv-
ice letter carrier could plle it into its hold
and she demonstrated her claims. They
had to give her patent on the work and
she proudly sailed for New York with the
coveted papers in her handbag, because
she had no pocket In which to put them.
She had spent great deal of money in
her search for the invention which had at
last come to her mind but it was nothing
to her plethoric bank account and, be-
sides. 1t will be returning to her many
fold when the United States Post Office De-
partment puts the seal of official approval
on the device.
In the big building in New York where she
has had all the disadvantages of extreme
height and diversity of delivery with which
to contend, and yet 1t is said to have
acquitted itself with credit There are
hundreds Of tenants who have to depend
upon 1t for the delivery of their mail and
few of them. SO the story goes have com
planned of 1t. If the final report of the
commission appointed by the late Post
master General Payne is in favor of it's
adoption by the Post Office Department it
such action and the approval of the proper
authorities.