The Colorado statesman., 1924-08-16
EZZZzyT La1CN AlZD G2uEEIOR

completed. part of the new Chicago Union
station project, a railway mail terminal building
which is unique among such structures 1t is not
only the largest existing building of Its Sort being
500 feet long by 75 feet in width, with height of
stories above basement, track level and sub
basement, but contains mechanical conveyors and
transportation equipment without an equal in the
world. This equipment is capable of handling
5000 tons of mail each "a hours. further idea
of the magnitude of the operations carried on In
this terminal will be gained from the fact that
more than 1000 clerks and porters are employed
In the railway mail terminal department alone
Robert II. Moulton, Chicago writer, thus de-
scrlbes the workings of the new plant which was
visited by mail men from all over the world VINO
in search of efficiency and speed:
The mail terminal building extends from van
Buren to Harrison street, between Canal street on
the west and the Chicago river on the east, with
private driveway along the full length on the east
side. The building is of the latest hreproot design
of steel and concrete and is furnished throughout
with fnctory-type steel sash to provide the maxi
mum light and ventilation. Its floor capacity Is
100000 square feet. 1t is of the two-level type
and Is served by platform tracks on the lower
level and teamway the street level, the private
driveway referred to affording $50 feet OF clear
taboard space or enough for 60 street vehcies
at one time. The track level has platform lengths
adequate 81 cars, while the basement af-
fords communication. by means of tunnels, with
cars at Union station platforms remote from the
mail terminal.
Perhaps the most notable feature of this ter
minal is the system of belt conveyors employed in
the building. According to the resident engineer
who has been In charge of the installation of the
mail handling equipment, this system Is the larg-
est installation of its kind in the world. 1t con-
sists of II belt conveyors requiring the use of ap-
proXimatey eight miles of betting; 400 fitting
trucks of n special design; 1,200 balanced type
trucks of standard type; and sufficient num-
ber of tractors to handle the trucks effectively
throughout the building. in addition to these fn-
cllites there 10 freight elevators approximate
Iy by is feet each
The terminal has n variety of functions. One
of the most Important is the handling of mail re-
ceiyed from and delivered to trains Mt the Union
station This consists primarily of the transfer
of mail sacks from street vehicles mail cars
and vice great part of the operations
of the terminal. however, consists in the receipt,
classification and dispatch of all papers, cata-
logues and parcel post mail originating In Chi
cago, well mail of these three classes pass
ing through the city. While the bulk of the ma
terln is received in the terminal already weighed
and with the postage cancelled, portion of 1t has
not undergone these operations, and to take
of the latter post office has been provided In the
building.
UncDssIfied mail reaching the terminal from
the street Is received along the middle portion OF
the private driveway space; that from trains, on
the basement track level. From these two
points receipt 1t is delivered the upper floors
of the building for the necessary work of cassi-
fcntion.
Formerly parcel post mail originating in Chicago
was sacked and loaded into trucks at business
houses and transported to the mail station. From
% to 80 minutes were required to load truck
and n similar length of time needed to unload 1t.
Under the system the same work is done in
from three FIVE minutes at each end of the line
thus efrecting saving of close to an hour on each
motor truck load.
The first step in the system begins at the large
business houses mail order concerns The mail
is loaded into six eight of the small fitting
trucks and the latter are conveyed by large
motor truck the mail terminal building.
Arrived there the fitting trucks pulled out of
the motor truck coupled together in trims and
attached to electric tractor, which hauls them
to trough pit, 30 feet long and 40 inches
wide, in the floor. bumper at one side of the
Dit marks the route for the train of fitting trucks
and prevents 1t from slipping Into the pit.
rs the train passes along employees tilt each
t.r"k md the contents slide to the feed belt
there being three feet of soace each for 40 men