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Show LIGHTNING LETTER CARRIERS. An Invention that is to Reroln. . tiouize the System and Supplant the Telephone. Henry Clay, the electrician of this city, is about to introduce a gigantic system of electropneumatic transit, which he declares de-clares will revolutionize the present system sys-tem of mail carriage and the transmission transmis-sion of intelligence by telephone. The scheme is one of vast proportions and elaborate detail, and is founded on a new plan of transmission by pneumatic tubes controlled and governed by electrical appliances. ap-pliances. Mr. Clay" last year obtained letters patent on the invention in Europe and in this country, and is now taking steps, in connection with George W. Brat-ton, Brat-ton, towards organizing a stock company to cover the United States and several companies in Europe. The tubes are to be laid under ground. They will be made oi Drass ana tnrougii tnein will be transmitted trans-mitted metallic carriers or receptacles adapted to t he need of the business desired. de-sired. At convenient points will be placed machines for introducing the compressed com-pressed air that moves the metallic carriers car-riers and also the electric current, which is a valuable adjunct of the pneumatic system of Mr. Clay. As the current of air travels through the tubes the carriers containing articles to be transferred are carried along with it. The plant when fully established will be worked on what will be known respectively as the consecutive, conse-cutive, special and exciiange systems. These systems will be adapted for the transmission of mail between street letter-boxes and postoffices ; for "special deliveries de-liveries to and from certain points ; for private consultation and the transmission of moneys, stocks and bonds between brokers and banks and business men and manufacturing establishments ; for the rapid deliver' of packages from stores to districts nearest the address of the pur chaser, and for the transmission of intelligence in-telligence between police patrols and the Central Station. The system differs materially from the present pneumatic tube systems in this particular, that whereas at present several sev-eral tubes are required to run from one central point to those radiating from it, by the new arrangement of electrical devices de-vices switches and carriers are sent from the main tube leading from the central point to the various branches," with a great saving in expense in tubing. One i line of tube will suffice for all stations, just as do the water mains. Messrs. Ckiy and Bratton are confident that by this invention they will get even with the Bell Telephone Company, with whom they had such a great lawsuit last winter; since by this new . system messages mes-sages can lie transmitted with so much greater speed, secrecy and general satisfaction. satis-faction. Philadelphia Times. |