The Colorado statesman., 1924-08-16

They pick from the feed belt the packages intend.
ed for the different states, and throw them onto
the various belts specified for those states. Can
vas flares at the sides of the belts prevent pack
ages from going onto the floor, at the time
DETECTING packages to belts and breaking their
fal A separation unit on the fourth floor takes
care or the belts assigned to the states of Mis-
souri,, New York, Kentucky etc. The primary
separation system this floor has the same num-
Der of belts the system on the third floor, the
only difference being that the fourth floor system
is go feet long whereas the third floor system is
130 feet In length.
The final separation and classification of all
mall handled by the terminal forces is made at
tables the second, third fourth and fifth floors,
where the mail is placed In sacks and properly
marked ready for delivery to the Union station
forces on the track floor or the basement or to
the street vehicles the street floor for delivery
to various parts of the city to other railway
stations. Such mail, in Sacks is handled by
means of tractor trains which take the sacks d.
rect to mall cars
The movement of the sacked mail from the
floors mentioned to the track street doors is
accomplished by carrying the sacks, on balanced
type trucks TO holes In the floor leading to longi
tutIinnl ceiling conveyors, five to floor, which
extend practically the entire length of the build.
Ing. The mail is dropped onto the ceiling
veyors through openings, chutes, in the floors.
There co of these chutes "a to 30 inches in
size, floor and they uniformly spaced
Since 1t Is not desirable to have the mail sacks
drop the full vertical distance oE feet from the
floor level to the ceiling conveyors. the chutes
each given quarter turn, arrangement which,
permits the sacks to slide within three feet of the
belts Each of the 20 ceiling conveyor belts Is
also connected with one of double spiral chutes
placed in different parts of the building.
The betting forming the conveyors is made Of
four thcknesses of canvas weighing two pounds
to the square yard. In splicing the belts flexible
metal. lacng is used. The ends of the belts
pulled together by means of clamps and the tech
meshed together with strip of metal inserted to
keep them from pulling apart. The belts travel
son rollers of cold-drawn seamless steel tubes
which range from 3R to inches In diameter.
This tubing is spot-welded to pressed steel heads
that support turned steel shafts z inch in di-
ameter The shafts fitted with renewable
steel races and there two roller bearings to
each roller. This method of installation has been
estimated to some $4,000 year
Operation of the belts is by of motor
driver double-drive pulleys, the main pulley being
80 inches in diameter and provided with an auto
matte gravity tnkeup. The Il separate conveyor
belts are driven by equal number of motors
Every motor has control. there being six control
boards in ALL or to each of three floors. There
lock buttons at every motor, and every 100
feet there are start and stop push buttons. The
latter feature is provided in order to prevent the
piling up of mail should section of the train of
conveying equipment In advance be shut off. The
pf this system of belt-conveyor transporta-
tlon alone balf million dollars.
1t Is the belief of postal authorities that air
craft will soon occupy important a place in the
transmission of mail railroads and motor trucks.
With this idea in mind, provision has been made
by which the roof of the terminal building
can be converted into a landing and starting place
for airplanes and possibly even driglbes
Der of foreign governments Interested in the pos
sibllities of aerial mail have already requested
from the United Suites full information this
feature of the station. while others are study.
ing the station as a whole with the idea of in
stung similar parcel post facilities in their
tries