A Revolutionary Mail Test
On October 7, 1897, New York City marked a milestone with the first test of its pneumatic tube mail system. Using compressed air, the U.S. Post Office sent a container through underground tubes on a 7,500-foot round-trip journey. In just three minutes, it transported important documents, including a Bible wrapped in an American flag, copies of the U.S. Constitution, and President McKinley’s inaugural address.
Strange and Creative Shipments
The test didn’t stop at official documents. The Post Office got creative, sending a live tomcat in a cotton sack, a dozen eggs, a full suit of clothes, and two magnum bottles of champagne through the tubes. The day’s oddest item was a large artificial peach, presented to New York Senator Chauncey Depew. The gift prompted one spectator to quip, “Chauncey, you’re a peach!”
An Era of Innovation Begins
This test kicked off the pneumatic mail system’s five-decade run in New York, eventually growing to span 27 miles of underground tubes. Millions of letters were shuttled daily between Manhattan and Brooklyn, revolutionizing mail delivery in the city. Despite its success, the service was suspended on December 31, 1953, when the Post Office deemed it obsolete and too costly. The tubes remain dormant under New York’s streets, a relic of the city’s push for faster communication.
The Day a Tomcat Rode the Pneumatic Mail Tubes in NYC 📥
A Revolutionary Mail Test
On October 7, 1897, New York City marked a milestone with the first test of its pneumatic tube mail system. Using compressed air, the U.S. Post Office sent a container through underground tubes on… pic.twitter.com/49ajmoV1P1— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) October 18, 2024