The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-12
Safe Exchange of Mails From Nov
ing Trains is Problem Which
Caused Them to Set Think
ing Caps to Working.
APPROVES BURR ADVICE
Government Finds It Satisfactory Az
ter Inventive Geniuses Labored
For Hall a Century on Var
ious Appliances.

The safe exchange of mails with
moving trains Is problem which
has always confronted the Postoffice
Department and the railroads and
for the past twenty-five years the de
partment in Washington has made
continued attempts to solve 1t by
presenting the matter to inventors
throughout the United States, with
the idea OF securing device for the
automatic exchange of mails. AS an
indication of the interest aroused,
over 400 patents have been issued to
inventors of mail-exchange devices,
the search covering a quarter of a
century has finally reached a success
ful climax in the approval Of the
Burr device by the Postmaster-Gener-
al under date OF March 15,1910.
The Burr device is the invention of
Mr.. F. H. Burr, of Atlanta, Iowa, and
owned by the Railroad Mail Equip
ment Co., of Chicago This device
was first tested in 1902 on the Girls
void Branch of the Rock Island Lines,
the equipment being placed on box
car. It was again tried out in 1905
in the presence of number of mail
service and railroad officials, and this
test being successful, one of the mail
cars in service on the Rock Island be-
tween Chicago and Omaha was equip
ed with the device in August 1905,
and sixty-day test was conducted by
the Postoffice Department. ending
October Is, 1905. During this test
mails were exchanged at five stations
on the main line of the Rock Island in
Iowa, and careful record was kept by
the mail clerks, which showed very
gratifying results. In 1906 the Post
office department sent out commits
sion to examine all devices which had
been tried out by the various railroads
and the Burr device was tested at
Anita, Iowa, october 1896. with
very satisfactory results. This device
was the only one found to have any
merit making it worthy of further con-
sideration.
The commission recommended a
more extensive test of the Burr de-
vice, and two additional cars were
equipped for this purpose. In 1908 an
other commission. appointed by the
postoffice department, made official
tests of over seventy devices, and
again the Burr device was the only
one which met the requirements. The
commission recommended that the
tests be continued in order to ascer-
tain the durability of the device and
also what effect severe weather condi-
tons would have upon its operation
Accordingly, arrangements were made
with the Rock Island to equip seven
teen stations in iowa with the de-
vice for further test, and in August,
1909, three additional mail cars were
equipped. so that daily exchanges
were made by two trains in each direc-
ton, and the installation of station
equipment was completed between
Davenport and Omaha, bringing the
total number of stations up to thirty
five. It was intended to have this
test end December i, 1909 and cir
cular was issued to all railroads by
the postoffice department, calling their
attention to the Burr device, in order
that they might witness it's operation
and present any objections. However
the test was continued up to Mar. ],
1910, and careful record kept of the
exchanges. During this period about
5000 exchanges were made success
fully under varied conditions, from a
slow speed up to seventy miles an
hour, and from an empty pouch up to
twelve pouches of mail, weighing as
much as 500 pounds, and using two
doors for the dispatch.
Based on the record made during
this long-continued test, the Postmas-
ter General formally approved of the
Burr device Mar. Is, 1910, and under
date of May 9Th a circular was issued
to all the railroads, calling their at
tention to the fact that this device