The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-09-01
QUICK HaNDLING on NAILS.
Device for Dsscllarsins sLaHs FrO1

Device for DisCslargfng Nails From
Trains Now i'm Operation
A satisfactory device for 6ischsrg-
ing mails from high-speed trains. for
which pOstoh7cee officials have been
searching for more than seven years,
has at last been discovered and fol-
lowing repeated tests, IS now In daily
use on one Of the Rock Islands fast
mail trains in Iowa
Captain z. L west, superintendent
Of the railway mail service. Chicago.
and other postOf7ce officials who have
witnessed the workings OF the new
device. are enthusiastic over the re-
suits accomplished Equally good
performance is shown on trains run
ming at from fifteen to as high as
seventy-two miles per hour
The operation Of the mail crane
for picking up mails is familiar. but
the problem of discharging mails
safely from the same trains
without hazard to the mails. trains
and bystanders. has been a difficult
one a special commission appoint
ed by the postmaster general, in 1902,
to examine the various devices offered
the department, made thorough tests
Of eighteen different devices and re-
ported, in May, 1903, rejecting all Of
them as having one or more points Of
impracticabiIity The commission
consisted Of E J. Ryan. superintend-
ent railway mail service, Boston; B.
J. Bradley, superintendent railway
mail service, New York; o. 7. HOl-
laway, superintendent railway mail
service, Cincinnati; Captain Z L
West, superintendent railway mail
service, Chicago. S NJ. Gaines, super
intendent railway mail service, Fort
n C--
tendent mail equipment, Washington;
J. H Crew, general superintendent
railway adjustment, Washington, d.
&C.
The Burr delivery device was
among those examined, but the OBJ
jectiOns entered against It have been
overcome. The device is entirely au-
| tomato and is operated by air from
/ the brakes OF the train and the in
staneOus action necessary is thus Sc
cured.
The device consists of a platform
arranged in the car door, on which
the sacks OF mail to be delivered are
| placed. Contract between the crane
on the station platform and a trigger
| on the mail-catching arm on the car,
puts the mechanism in operation,
which elects the mail sacks into a re-
| ceiving box placed at the side Of the
| track, so constructed that the air is
K forced into either end by the momen-
l tum Of the pouch and thus acts as a
| cushion, preventing damage to the
pouch or its contents. The Burr de-
1 vice, combined with the standard
crane, can be operated either to catch
/ or deliver mail.
The Rock Island has done much in
] the past few years to facilitate west
ern mail service and in affOrding op-
portunity for development of the Burr
| mail-catchng and delivering device,
/ has given valuable aid to the post
| Office department and the commercial
| interests Of the country.
Mail is being regularly delivered by
| the new device from the Rock Is
| lands Colorado fast mail at Anita,
Adair, Casey, Stewart and Dexter, Ia.
/ The saving Of time is fractional at
| each station but when the device is
/ in full operation on all mail cars in
| the country, 1t Will undoubtedly result
/ in establishing new record for the
| movement OF long distance mails and
also extend the fast mail service to
many minor cities and towns now ser
we'd only by local trains.