Palisadian., 1924-08-15

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 same time
detecting packages to belts and breaking their
fali A separation unit on the fourth floor takes
care OF the belts assigned to the states Of Mis-
souri,, New York, Kentucky, etc. The primary
separation system on this floor has the same num-
Der of belts as the system the third floor, the
only difference being that the fourth floor system
Is 60 feet long whereas the third floor system In
130 feet in length
The final separation and classification of an
mail handled by the terminal forces is made at
tables on 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 or to other railway
stations Such mail, in sacks Is handled by
means Of tractor trains which take the sacks d.
rect to mail cars.
The movement Of the sacked mail from the
floors mentioned to the track street floors is
accomplished by carrying the sacks, on balanced
type trucks. to holes In the floor leading to long
tudnal ceiling conveyors, five to floor, which
extend practically the entire length of the build
Ing The mail Is dropped onto the ceiling con-
veyors through openings, or chutes, in the floors.
There are 60 of these chutes, "a to 30 inches in
size to floor and they are uniformly spaced
Since 1t is not desirable to have the mail sacks
drop the full vertical distance of feet from the
floor level to the ceiling conveyors the chutes
each given quarter turn, an 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 thicknesses of canvas weighing two pounds
to the square yard. In splicing the belts flexible
metal lacing Is used The ends of the belts are
pulled together by means of clamps and the teeth
meshed together with strip of metal inserted to
keep them from pulling apart. The belts travel
on rollers Of cold-drawn seamless steel tubes
which range from 3h to inches in diameter.
This tubing is spot-weded to pressed steel heads
that support turned steel shafts y inch In di-
ameter. The shafts fitted with renewable
steel races and there are two roller bearings to
each roller. This method of installation has been
estimated to save $4,000 year
Operation of the belts is by means of motor
driven doubledrive pulleys, the main pulley being
80 inches in diameter and provided with an auto
matte gravity takeup. The II separate conveyor
belts driven by equal number of motors
Every motor has control there being six control
boards in all, or to each of three floors There
are 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
cost Of this system of belt-conveyor transporta-
ton alone was half million dollars.
1t is the belief of postal authorities that air
craft will soon occupy important place in the
transmission OF mail as railroads and motor trucks.
With this idea in mind. provision has been made
by which the roof Of the new terminal building
can be converted into landing and starting place
for arplanes and possibly even dirigibles A num-
ber of foreign governments interested in the pos
sbilities of aerial mail have already requested
from the United States full information this
feature of the new station. while others study
ing the station as whole with the idea of in
stalling similar parcel post facilities in their coun
tries.