The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-11-14
QUICK MAIL SERVICE.
Devices That Will Revolutionize
Transportation of Mail.


Washington, Nov. AT the very
moment when the officials Of the
postoflce department was consider
ing the installation Of additional
pneumatic tube services, in various
cities Of the country, a device was
called to their attention that is likely
to revolutionize the transportation Of
the mails.
Already the device is in use il.
many of the great department stores
of the country, where it has displaced
the pneumatic tube service and other
appliances for the carrying Of cash
and parcels. The invention is that OF
a young Chicago man who has been
working on it for many years. Hav-
ing perfected it, he organized a COM
pany for its promotion.
The company is swamped with Or
ders for the installation Of the sys-
tenn in business houses, particularly
in New York and Chicago, as the IN
ventor is willing to agree to put IN
the system and accept seventy-hve
per cent Of the cost Of the operation
Of any other device that the store may
have in operation. Thus far, the COM
pany has not developed its plans for
the carrying Of mails, but they are
far-reaching in their effect to the ex-
tent which they have been outlined.
The inventor has informed the
postal officials that he will be able to
displace all pneumatic tubes and
give the postofce department a
service by his system that will be far
more efficient and practicable, for a
price that is inconsiderab1e as com
pared with the pneumatic tube ser
vice.
The system is a suction service
through tubes Of large or small size.
The speed of the service is depend
ent upon the amount Of air exhausted
from the tubes and may be regulated
to nicely. The tubes may be laid
either under, Or on the ground, ano'
It is said. they are not particularly ex-
pensive.
Claims made for the service seem
To be almost in realization of dreams.
At cost Of a fraction Of that paid
for rhe construction and operation .f
a. railway line, the syestera could be
nut in, COR instance, between New
York ard Chicago. Through tie
tubes, once they are constructed, car
tridges weighing much as 1900
pounds could be carried from one
city to rne other in less than four
hours. The cartridges could be fill
ed with any sort Of mail natter it
would make no difference what its
charaS,er or bulk might be, and
could be discharged from the one
city or the other at the rate Of one
for evcly- three minutes.
1t is the inventors idea that the
railroads themselves take up the pro-
ject and lay the tubes along their
rights Of way. Power stations would
have to be erected at intervals, but
there practically would be no relay
ing of through cartridges.
The invention has appealed very
strongly to First Assistant Postmas-
ter General Hitchcock, who takes a
profound interest in the development
of mechanical devices to facilitate
the transportation Of mail. The in
vention, as yet, is in its infancy, but
demonstrations of it have proved con-
clusively that the claims made for it
by the inventor are not to be treated
lightly. The oostoffice department
will consider it thoroughly and it is
regarded as not unlikely that, in the
not far distant future, mail may be
transported in a day from one side
of the American continent to the
other.