The National tribune., 1906-02-15

as car is filled the operator, who is
stationed where he can see to advan-
tage, sets an automatic device, which
will open either one or all of the COM
partments at any table desired when
the car has reached a line of tables
where the letters are faced" The fac
ing process consists in arranging the
letters SO the stamps are facing and at
the upper right-hand corner. The let
ters are then loaded into tin trays and
sent to the cancelling machines by
means of a conveyor which is constant
" in motion. There is a long row of
the cancelling machines, each driven by
It's own electric motor.
Cancelling Stamps.
Forty thousand letters or SO, 900 pos
tai cards are cancelled in one hour by
each machine, which not only cancels
the stamp, but post-marks with the
word Chicago" together with the day,
month. year, hour and minute. Five
men are required to supply, feed and
remove the letters from each machine.
The letters are again placed in the
trays.
These trays are 2S inches long, seven
inches wide inside and four inches deep
They are made of sheet metal, timed
They always travel head end first
Several thousand feet of small convey
erS bearing hundreds of the bright trays
are constantly travelling to and from all
parts of the room, which is the size of
full city block. BY an ingenious ar
rangement in setting d combination at
the head end of the tray. the tray Will
travel any desired distance, run onto a
side track and stop, just where 1t was
sent. 1t Is really wonderful to watch
a tray of letters for. say, the Texas di-
vision, travel religiously in its narrow
path, passing without hesitation Ohio
pennsylvania and perhaps 20 other
States, but the instant it reaches the
section where il was sent il automatical-
IL turns from the main line and stops
while the never-endjng procession goes
on to other State sections still beyond.
To return to the cancelling machine:
AS the letters are removed they are put
in trays and dispatched to whichever
sorting section is running low. In these
sections the letters are sorted into the
States for which they are destined, again
placed in trays, and sent to seek out
their own State section. At these State
sections are clerks who are experts on
their special State. Knowing every post
office and all the mail routes railroad
star, rural. stage. etc, and just where
To send letter in order to reach some
little out-of-the-way place with least
delay The empty tray is returned for
n fresh supply by being placed i'm the
upper story of the conveyer which has
II double track. one above the other,
and running in opposite directions be-
tween the same points. There are 9th.
er tray conveyer systems for the inter-
change of mail, all working on the same
plan.
Distribution by states.
At frequent intervals during every
hour of each day and night some mail
will be dispatched to every State. And
this brings US to still more remark
able performance. of which single
illustration " oil
letter mail. The Overland limited Oh
the {. d y. w. Railway leaves at SOC
p. III. Ten minutes before or at 7:52
=. m. the State sections which have
mail for that train are sending their
trays filled with letters. tied In pack
ages, To that portion OF the room where
big. black pipes come up out of the
floor. The pipes are in pairs, forming
one endless pipe between the post office
and each of the several railway depots
some of them q mile or more away.
The trays with packages of letters for
the Overland are being emptied on a
big table and packed into carriers :
The carrier IS made of timed sheet
iron, with a felt buffer AT one end and
IN annular canvas oaSket at either end
to MAKE il tight in the tube; that is. ii
fits within one thirty-second of an inch
when il IS new. A carrier will easily
contain 500 letters. but the average is
much less, owing to packages and news
papers. A hinged lid is clamped in al
instant and the carrier set in position
TO be drawn into the tube. An auto
matte release once each 10 seconds
opens the tube and the carrier disa p
pears I'm the tube. Down ii goes at q
speed of 80 miles an hour, turns out
under the street, flies along beneath
skyscrapers. dives under the Chicago
River and in two and a half minutes
energies in the postal room at the
Northwestern Depot. The carrier shoots
out upon a table, is opened and con-
transferred to q lock pouch