Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-30
KEEPS MAIL A MOVING
Trolley System Working in the
City Post Office.
GREAT SAVING OF TIME
Letters Whisked From Pouch to
Carrier by Overhead Wires.
HELP IN EARLY DELIVERIES
Improvement Will Soon Be Noticed
in the Business Section, Superin-
tendent Haycock Says.
HELP IN EARLY DELIVERIES

1.-The completion early In the coming
week of the work of installing in the
local post Office the mechanical labor
saving devices for which Congress APP
propriated $4,000 last winter" said w.
H. Haycock, superintendent of city de-
livery today. will make the Washing
ton Office one of the best equipped post
offices in the country. The work of in
stalling the overhead trolleys and the
lower belt conveyors, which was begun
in July. it is expected. viii be completed
within a few days. The greater portion
of the work is now finished. and the
belt conveyors for incoming mail from
what is known as the dumping table
to the canceling machines have been
running for about ten days. portion
of the system for the quick handling of
special delivery mail was put in opera
ton this morning"
These mechanical devices resemble in
way the overhead trolieys in the
great department stores. except that they
are adapted for carrying mail from one
point in the interior Of the post ONCE to
belt conveyors serve in the same way
to convey single pieces OF mail matter
on a lower grade.
Are Great Time-Savers.
There are 600 feet of overhead trolley
work on which baskets to carry the mail
are. run between given points, there be-
ing ten Intervening stations, or stopping
points. in all. and about $50 feet Of
belt conveyance. In the carriers section
the overhead trolleys supply thirty-eight
stations and their convenience to the
carrier is inestimable. Heretofore when
mail was thrown to one carrier which
should have gone to another the carrier
receiving it laid it aside until he accu-
mulated small pile before returning 1t
rier held it until the last minute. and
the result was that 1t failed to reach the
proper carrier in time for the next deliv-
cry. thus causing delay. Now when
carrier finds a misthrown piece. he SIM
ply lays it on the station shelf until the
tray comes around. which is usually
every minute or two, when it is gathered
up. taken to the assOrter and by him at
once properly dispatched to the delivering
letter carrier. Aside from the conven-
fence to the carriers and the saving OF
delay to the mail there Is a great saving
effected in the time Of the carrier him.
self in some instances amounting to a
half hour day. With the large force OF
letter carriers at work In the delivery
service Of the main post Office the total
many dollars in the course of the year
and a big improvement In the facility
with which the mail is handled.
Almost a "Thinking Part"
The belt conveyors from the dumping
table, where incoming mail is deposited
by collectors. are arranged with grooves to
separate the letters inclosed in large en-
velopes from those inclosed in small ones,
while the constantly moving belt con-
veys them directly to the canceling ma
chine. On one of the belt conveyors a
tray is run which stops at each station
and is released by the next tray that
comes along, If the post Office clerk fails
or forgets to release it sooner.
The entire system is operated by 1--WE
electric motors. two OF which are one
half horsepower of Ito volts specially
adapted for slow speed. two are one horse
power and one is two horsepower.
In keeping with the machinery to quick
ly handle special delivery letters Is a spe-
cial keyboard by which the operator can
summon any messenger Immediately, by