Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1906-05-04
PNEUMATIC MAIL TUBE TEST
Live Freight Unframed After
Ride of Mile Underground.
TO TRY HUMAN BEINGS
Successful Experiments Conducted by
Central Post Office at Philadelphia
Inventor Claims Air Enough
Contained in Cylinder to Prolong
Life Indefinitely.

strated that living animals may be
enclosed in metallic carriers,
whisked at high speed for miles I'M
| foreground and emerge none the
worse for the experience, says the
| New York Herald.
| In no case has an animal been
made Ill or injured by It's ride
! through the tube. Two puppies, two
guinea pigs, rooster and an aqua
| rum of goldfish have experienced
| the novel trip, not once. but several
| times.
1t remains only for a human be-
| ing to undertake this exciting new
| method of rapid transit. When the
| concern operating the tube installs a
! twelve inch tube, somebody will be
| given an opportunity to ride in 1t. A
very small man or a young boy
might do so.
Only one serious danger would be-
set him-the cartridge enclosing his
| body might become stuck in the
tube. Such a thing has happened to
! a cartridge Of mail more than once.
The tube men say there Is enough
| air in the tubes to sustain life In
definitely, and should a human be-
ing ride In a cartridge the lid would
be SO fixed that 1t could be opened
from the inside. Then. there is
clever device by which the exact
spot where a carrier Is stuck may be
determined, making speedy rescue
possible.
Every commercial establishment
Of size in Philadelphia has agreed.
the company says, to install the
twelve-inch tube under conditions.
1t Is promised that by this means
that within Ave years all packages
not large will be delivered from
stores to stations of the transit COM
pany. and thence by pushcarts to
homes of purchasers.
AS q foretaste Of what pneumatic
delivery system will mean. the COM
pany in testing the mail tubes trans
mitted a large assortment of provi-
sions-breakable, liquid and other
wise-fifty-seven articles In all
from a branch station to the Central
Post ONCE
Eggs, bottles of milk. Jars of
olives, dressed chickens, glasses OF
Jelly, china and silverware, pack
ages of biscuits-almost every kind
of article that one would be apt to
order in hurry from the grocer or
butcher-were delivered from
point over O mile away in less than
two minutes after they had been or
dered by telephone.
AS cheering climax a pot of tea
was made at the other end of the
line and two minutes later wac
served hot to the guests in the Cen
trail Post Office, after it had passed
through the tube.
1t would be too much to suppose
that the pot of tea should go through
the tube without splitting, unless 1t
were subjected to some special prep
Rration. 1t was necessary to place II
in the carrier right side up and t.
zeal the spout.
Even If left unsealed the beverage
might make the trip without being
spilled, but the Jolt at the end of the
Journey. when the cartridge plunges
with terrific force into an air cush-
Ion, would be too much for the
equilibrium.
Underground the tube is horizon
tai, and, in most places, straight. To
be sure, curve Is necessary when
going from the street into building
and again when ascending from the
ground to the room where the exit
is; but these curves are gradual,
having little effect on the smooth
running Of the cartridge.
Then came the live stock tests.
Some misgivings were emphasized
by study of the carriers In which
the live stock was to be shipped.
| These carriers resemble mammoth
cannon balls and appear Just as for
midable. They are cylinders OF half
inch iron, seven inches In diameter
inside and twenty-four inches long
A lid at one end is shut and clamped
with a device resembling a safe lock
before the carrier is placed in the
breech of the tube for transmission.
A rooster was enclosed In this.
The telephone bell rang. The roos-
ter's on the way" was the announce
ment repeated by the man who held
the receiver. All was breathless ST.
lence for two minutes.
A whistling sound made by the
forcing of the air from the mouth of
OF the tube was followeR in a mo-
ment by the steel carrier which
whizzed along the twelve feet Of cir
cular table and bumped its nose
into an air cushion spring with ar
impetus that made 1t recoil four
! feet
! Two puppies a month old and two
adult guinea pigs later passed
through the tube uccessfully-ap-
parcnuy with pleasure. One of the
puppies Wabbled a bit when taken
from the carrier, but promptly re-
gained his equilibrium and began to
play with a piece of Irvine on the
floor.
Burial Custom in Brittany.