The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-03-05
LIVE ROOSTER IN MAIL TUBE.
Gold Fish and Cup of Hot Tea Also
Sent Through Whizzing.

From the Philadelphia North American.
Goldfish swimming gracefully in a glass
globe while being whisked at a mile-a-
minute rate through a pneumatic tube.
bantam rooster going through the
same experience, and both fish and
rooster ending their journey uninjured
were the features of the test Of the pneu-
matte tubes that have been introduced
In the Philadelphia postoffice.
In addition to the live stock, eggs, bot
ties of olives, glasses of jelly, china sill
verware, and bottles of champagne went
through the test with equal immunity.
But the climax of interest came when
hot tea, made more than n mile away,
was sent from a branch postoffice and
was served less than two minutes later,
to the guests In the big main corridor
at the Ninth and Chestnut streets office.
New speed records were also estab-
lished in the delivery of mail to certain
addresses. The test was made under the
direction of the Pneumatic Transit COM
pany which has the contract for the
system. Besides Postmaster McMichael,
many invited guests were present when
John e. Milholland directed the tests.
The stations between which the sys-
tenn has been established are the cen
trail office, at Ninth street; station S, at
Sixth street and Paramount avenue. and
Station o, at Tenth street and Column
bia avenue The total length of the
new lines is 1880 feet, or 26231 miles.
From the central office to Station s.,
the distance is .2114 miles.
The first thing, after a few speeches
had been made, was to send Bible
wrapped in an American flag, over the
entire route. 1t went to IS" first, was
handled there, continued on to 20" and
in six minutes and one second was back
in the central office.
Next, a special delivery letter. adj
dressed to w. Atlee Burpee, Fifth and
Buttonwood streets, was sent to IS. ="
Here 1t was handled and sent by mes
senger to the address, and answer of
forty words was returned by Mr. Bur
pee, and in ten minutes and five seconds
the reply was in the central office. A
message sent by a telegraph boy was
answered in twenty-one minutes.
Victor T. Bradley, superintendent of
railway mail service, who represented the
government, announced that ordinarily
one hour and five minutes would be re-
auired to send a letter to the same place.
Another special delivery letter was sent
to the John g. Stetson company, Fourth
street and Montgomery avenue. This went
over the entire route, was carried by
special delivery boy to the firm, a reply
dictated, and this reply received In a
total of twenty-One minutes and nfty-
two seconds. BY telegraph service, thirty
nine minutes and twelve seconds were
consumed.
Then came the other articles mentioned.
and the visitors were invited to send
personal cards These were received at
IS" stamped with the canceling mark.
and in a very few minutes were handed
back to the owners.
Colonel McMichael pronounced the test
a success The system is to be extended,
beginning early in the spring, to the
branch established at Nineteenth street
and Fairmont avenue, 1921 oxford street
and Thirty-first and Market streets.
Appropriations are pending before Con-