A great deal of interest is being taken in the affairs of Cuba at this
time.
So many reports reached President McKinley of the sufferings of many of
our citizens who are living in Cuba, that he felt it his duty to look
into the matter, and he has sent a message to Congress on the subject.
The cause of the new trouble is this.
Some months ago General Weyler, thinking that the country people
supplied the insurgents with food and gave them shelter, issued an order
that all the inhabitants of Cuba who lived in the country districts
should leave their homes, and within eight days present themselves at
the nearest town, there to remain until the war was over.
In obedience to this order the country people were forced into the
towns, the soldiers destroyed the dwellings from which they had been
driven, and lands that had once been green and fertile were turned into
barren wastes, without house, home, or shelter upon them.
In the history of modern warfare no such cruel scheme has ever before
been devised.
The unfortunate country people, thus torn from their homes, were
allotted lands, within the fortified line of the towns, to encamp on.
They were given neither food nor shelter, but were driven into the towns
and left to shift for themselves.
Most of these people were farmers, living in comfortable circumstances.
By the order of General Weyler they were reduced to beggary.
Not only has Weyler made no attempt to feed these unhappy people, but he
has forbidden them to go in search of food for themselves. Even when
they assured the Spanish soldiers that they had crops ripening in their
fields which would be more than sufficient to relieve their sufferings,
they were forbidden to go out and gather them, and were forced to stay
in idleness and starve.
The distress is something fearful. The people in the cities endeavor to
help their suffering neighbors, but gradually their own supply of
provisions has run out, until starvation stares them also in the face.
There is hardly a town in the western end of Cuba to-day where the
people are not dying in hundreds from hunger.
Among the people who have been driven into the towns are between six
hundred and eight hundred Americans. The distress of these persons, whom
his oath of office binds him to protect, having been brought to the
knowledge of the President, he has determined to take some action to
relieve it.
In his message to Congress he asked that $50,000 be appropriated as a
Relief Fund for the Americans in Cuba.
This may be but the first step toward a much more important action; but
our President seems to be a very cautious man, and one who likes to be
very sure of his ground before he takes a step.
For the present he is determined not to quarrel with Spain, and has
arranged matters so that the attempt of the United States to aid her
citizens shall be made with the full approval of Spain.
He has asked Señor Dupuy de Lôme, the Spanish Minister, if his
Government would have any objection to our sending supplies to our
fellow-countrymen.
The Spanish Minister has very graciously replied that Spain will not
oppose the plan, but will do all in her power to help the United States
to carry it out.
The Minister was kind enough to add that Spain will distribute the
supplies for us, if we wish it. He stated that he fears that, unless the
American supplies are handled by the Spanish authorities, they may fall
into the hands of the insurgents, and hinder General Weyler in the
carrying out of his plan to force the rebels into submission.
This offer will not be accepted.
If the appropriation is made, Congress will order the supplies to be
distributed by the American Consuls, who are well able to tell the
difference between armed insurgents and starving women and children.
When the President's message reached the Senate, a resolution was at
once passed that the sum asked for be appropriated.
In the House of Representatives the request was not so quickly granted.
Some of the Congressmen met the demand with a plea that the resolution
for the appropriation be added to the Morgan Bill for recognizing the
belligerency of Cuba, and that the two matters be discussed and voted
on at the same time.
This did not please the majority of the members, and the House adjourned
without a vote being taken about the Relief Fund.
This does not mean that the House is unwilling to help the Americans in
Cuba, but that the friends of Cuba see in it a chance to push the Morgan
Bill forward, and are trying to make the best they can of the
opportunity.
Whatever the fate of the Morgan Bill, there will be a day or two of
delay in passing the resolution for the Relief Fund, but it will be
passed without doubt.
Some progress has, however, been made with the Morgan Bill.
Three members of the Committee on Foreign Relations waited on the
President, and asked him if he had received any fresh news about the
state of affairs in Cuba.
The President sent them to the State Department, with permission to read
all the official documents about Cuba that were on file.
It is stated on good authority that these papers showed such a state of
intense suffering and distress, that when the Senators reported to their
Committee the things they had seen and read in the State papers, several
of the members declared that they would no longer oppose the Morgan
Bill.
The Bill was discussed in the Senate after the appropriation had been
granted, but no decision was arrived at.
Should it pass, the first benefit the Cubans will gain from it will be
that Spain will have to treat the people she captures as prisoners of
war, or else be prepared to quarrel with the United States over the
matter.
At the present time she is able to declare that every prisoner she makes
is a rebel, and to shoot her captives down like dogs, without trial. The
soldiers are in the habit of seizing boys and old men, most of them
innocent of any crime whatever, and marching them to prison as rebels.
In most of the military towns, it is stated that at dawn every morning
one or more of these captives are led out and shot in the public square
as an example to the rest of the people.
To venture outside the lines in search of food is a crime for which many
Cubans have forfeited their lives.
The President is not unaware of these horrors, but he is determined to
be sure that he knows the truth of the matter before he takes any
decisive action.
He has sent Mr. Calhoun to Cuba to investigate the cause of the death of
Dr. Ricardo Ruiz, who died or was killed in the prison of Guanabacoa, as
we told you in THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, NO. 19.
While he is in the island on this business, Mr. Calhoun is also to make
notes of the general condition of things, and the President will be
guided in his future Cuban policy by the report Mr. Calhoun makes.
There is a very grave reason why it is necessary for the President to
take some action on Cuba at this moment. Diseases of the most serious
kind have broken out in Cuba, and it is feared that they may be carried
into our own country, unless some steps are taken to prevent them.
As we have said, no attempt has been made to protect, feed, or house the
people who have been brought into the towns; and the overcrowding and
hunger and misery have produced every form of fever and sickness, from
which these poor unfortunates are dying in great numbers.
The best way to prevent the spreading of these diseases is to stop the
causes that give rise to them. It may therefore be necessary, for the
protection of this country, that the President take some steps to put an
end to the struggle in Cuba.
* * * * *
There is as yet no settlement of the trouble between Greece and Turkey.
When the Greeks decided to put their affairs in the hands of Europe, the
Powers sent to Turkey, asking her on what terms she would make peace,
and if she would grant an armistice while the matter was being
discussed.
An armistice means that both sides agree to cease fighting for a certain
time which has been agreed upon between them.
After the delay of a week, during which the Turks kept pressing forward
into Greece and gaining all the advantages they could, the Sultan sent
his reply.
He simply stated his terms, and added that he would grant no armistice
until they were accepted.
Instead of demanding $15,000,000 and certain points in Thessaly, as it
was supposed he would do, he said that he must have $50,000,000 for his
war expenses, and the whole of Thessaly.
The dismay in Europe over the reply of the Sultan would have been comic,
if the poor Greeks had not been suffering so severely from the muddle
the Powers had made of the whole business.
The Powers supposed that Turkey would he willing to listen to them, and
stop the war just as soon as they asked her to.
Acting on this belief, they made Greece give up certain advantages which
she had regained in Epirus, and made her withdraw her troops, promising
that Turkey should not advance any farther, if Greece would obey their
wishes.
Greece obeyed, only to find that the Powers had made promises which they
could not perform.
Turkey has become intoxicated with her success, and may no longer allow
the Powers to influence her.
The Turks have taken Dhomokos, the last stronghold of the Greeks, who
fell back on this city after the retreat from Pharsala. It is feared
that the Moslems will advance to the very gates of Athens, unless
something is done to prevent them. What this something shall be, the
Powers are at a loss to state.
Backed by the approval of Germany, the modern Turks are no longer the
despised nation they have been for so long. It has been the custom to
speak of the Sultan as the "Unspeakable Turk" and "The Sick Man of
Europe," whom the Powers were keeping alive until they had quite decided
how to divide his possessions.
Turkey's success in Greece has changed all this.
Every one knew that the Turks could fight well, but it was the custom to
treat them contemptuously, and say that after all they were "only
Turks." The short war with Greece has put an end to this feeling for
good and all. The Turks have proved themselves a powerful nation. They
have won back their own self-respect, and have forced Europe to take a
more respectful attitude toward them.
They have surprised the world with their bravery and their fine
generalship; and there is beginning to be a good deal of fear lest this
despised nation shall rise in its newly-found might, and dictate to
Europe.
The Turks, despite their victory, are still the same shifty, cruel,
unpleasant people; and the Powers must feel a good deal ashamed that the
only result of their diplomacy has been to put fresh power into the
hands of people who are a blot on the face of Europe, and who would much
better have been driven back into Asia among peoples who are more in
sympathy with their savagery and semi-barbarism.
But the Powers have now to deal gently with the Turk.
They have sent another message to the Sultan, demanding that hostilities
cease while the terms of peace are being discussed. No reply was made to
the Sultan's note, but the message stated that Europe would not allow
Greece to be crushed.
It is said that if the Sultan persists in asking the unreasonable terms
he does, and will not grant the armistice unless they are accepted,
Europe will declare war upon him.
There may be another week of waiting before the Sultan sends any reply
to this letter.
The Sultan is anxious to gain time, because every advantage he can gain
in Greece makes his price for peace just that much higher. He has a plan
of his own for gaining time, which is extremely annoying to Europeans.
It is this. In the Mohammedan religion there are a great number of
fasts and feasts. The Sultan, who till now has not been noted for his
piety, has suddenly become the most religious of persons.
When he receives a letter from the Powers that he wants to keep a few
days before he answers it, he sends them a most gracious note, saying
that it is the feast of so-and-so, and it is contrary to his religion to
attend to business during the days appointed for the festival.
By this manoeuvre he manages to keep his army fighting and winning
battles, while Europe is helplessly waiting for his answer. After the
Powers had asked for an armistice he used this pretext to delay
answering for a whole week.
The European diplomats, who are made the victims of the Sultan's
devotion to fasts and feasts, wonder why he allows his army to continue
the business of war during these times if he is really so pious as he
pretends to be.
* * * * *
A report has just been spread that Russia has frightened the Sultan into
ceasing hostilities until the terms of peace can be arranged.
It is to be hoped that this is true.
* * * * *
The mining district of Kootenay in British Columbia is the scene of much
agitation at this moment.
Kootenay lies on the border of British Columbia, where it joins the
States of Montana, Idaho, and Washington.
In this region there are extensive gold mines, many of which are worked
and owned by Americans, who have been very successful, and made the
mines pay exceedingly well.
To their surprise and annoyance, the Legislature of British Columbia
passed a law the other day, making it impossible for Americans to take
up any claims, unless they give up their American citizenship and become
British subjects.
It is said that numbers of Americans who have crossed the borders from
Idaho and Montana are deprived of their finds by this law, and there is
a great deal of excitement and indignation over it.
The Government of British Columbia says that the law was passed as a
rebuke to Americans, because the United States Government has been
making laws which are hurtful to Canadians.
Some of the American mine-owners became so alarmed that they took out
their naturalization papers. Others determined to defy the law, and
commenced hostilities by sending the ore they got from their mines over
the border into Washington, to be smelted.
This took a good deal of business and money out of the hands of the
Canadians, and there was an outbreak of indignation over it.
There promises to be a good deal of trouble before the matter is
settled.
The Canadians will allow no American workmen to be employed on the
Public Works, nor can they hold any good positions in the towns.
The Americans profess not to mind this in the least, declaring that the
Canadians are welcome to manage their towns as they please, if they will
only let the Americans in the mines alone.
This law against Americans does not, however, meet with the approval of
the Canadian Parliament, the Legislature which passed it being only the
local one of British Columbia.
Many of the Canadian mine-owners are as annoyed over the matter as the
Americans are. They say that the citizens are helping to open up their
country, and that it will be a bad thing for British Columbia if the
Legislature makes it impossible for Americans to remain there.
The chances are that the Parliament will take the matter in hand and
straighten it out. We can but hope that it will do so, for Americans and
Canadians have so many ways in which they can be helpful to one another,
that it will be a pity if they become estranged.
* * * * *
Mr. Elverton R. Chapman has gone to Washington to serve his sentence of
thirty days in jail; and Mr. Havemeyer is also in that city, awaiting
his trial.
Efforts were made by Mr. Chapman's friends to obtain a pardon for him,
and a petition was circulated among the Senators, begging the President
to release him. No action was taken, however, because Mr. Chapman did
not personally ask for the pardon; so he has gone to jail. When he has
served his sentence he will still have a fine of $100 to pay before he
can be freed.
The Senate Committee which Mr. Chapman offended must not be mistaken for
the Lexow Committee which held its sessions a few months ago.
Mr. Chapman's breach of the law took place in 1894. In that year the
United States Senate held a Sugar Trust Investigation.
The committee in charge of the investigation asked Mr. Chapman to give
the names of some of the Senators who were said to have been speculating
in sugar stock.
Mr. Chapman refused to answer, and was arrested and tried for contempt
of the Senate. He was found guilty and sentenced to thirty days in jail
and a fine of $100.
For three years Mr. Chapman has been fighting this decision, on the
ground that the question was not a proper one to ask, and that he had
been right in refusing to answer it.
The result of the various appeals in this case has been watched for with
the greatest interest.
The final decision has upheld the dignity of the Senate, and shown the
people that a Senate committee is not to be trifled with.
The Senate itself was a little ruffled over the matter.
When it was proposed that the President should be asked to pardon Mr.
Chapman, Senator Allen, of Nebraska, introduced a resolution that before
the President should be applied to for pardon, Mr. Chapman must appear
before the Senate, and purge himself of his contempt by answering the
questions that he had refused to answer three years ago.
Mr. Chapman would probably have still persisted in his refusal, and got
himself into fresh trouble; so it was perhaps a good thing for him that
he did not personally apply for a pardon.
Mr. Havemeyer's lawyers are busy over his case. They intend to say in
his defence that the questions asked him had nothing to do with the
matter in hand, and that he also was right in refusing to answer them.
In the mean time Mr. Havemeyer is using his personal influence to
persuade the Senators not to prosecute him and to let his case be
withdrawn when the day appointed to try it comes round.
It is more than likely, however, that Mr. Havemeyer and Mr. Searles will
both have to share Mr. Chapman's fate, and pay the penalty of their
contempt of the Senate.
* * * * *
The log of the _Mayflower_ is now safely in this country.
It was brought over by Mr. Bayard, the former Ambassador to England, who
arrived here a day or two ago.
When the Bishop of London handed the manuscript to Mr. Bayard, he told
him that an application had been made by Mr. Hay, the new Ambassador,
for the log to be turned over to him, as Mr. Bayard was now no longer
the Ambassador of the United States.
The persons who had the log in charge decided that Mr. Bayard was the
proper person to carry the manuscript to Boston, as all arrangements had
been made with him, and so Mr. Hay's request was denied.
Before the manuscript was given to Mr. Bayard, a clerk read the
conditions of the transfer of the "log." These, among other things,
provided that certified copies should be furnished to any persons
wishing to have them.
When Mr. Bayard arrived in this country, he was asked how the English
had felt about the killing of the Arbitration Treaty.
He said that they were greatly disappointed, and that there was
universal regret in England that it had been rejected.
* * * * *
It would seem that we have too much money in New York.
Mr. Jordan, the Assistant Treasurer, has just been to Washington to see
Secretary Gage on various important matters, and among other things to
call attention to the condition of the vaults in the Sub-Treasury.
It has been known for some time that the walls of these vaults have been
forced out of plumb by the immense weight of the sacks of silver dollars
stacked against them.
When the time for counting the money came round, it was found that the
walls were so insecure that there was danger of their giving way and
crushing some of the clerks under the weight of the money-bags.
The count had to be stopped, and the bags, which contained millions of
dollars, piled up in the corridors, while a steel frame was put in, that
would be strong enough to keep all this money in safety.
The fact of there being millions of dollars in the Treasury does not
mean that such a tremendous sum of money is lying idle, while thousands
are in want of it.
Practically, every dollar of the money in the Treasury is in circulation
in the shape of the paper bills which we use as money.
These bills have no value in themselves; they are just so much printed
paper, and if we tried to sell them for the value of the paper they are
made of, we would get about ten cents for a pound of them.
The reason why they are of value to us, and we can exchange them for the
amount printed on their faces, is that for every one of these notes that
is issued, the Government deposits as many dollars in the Treasury as it
represents.
If you look on the face of the last issue of dollar bills, you will see
printed across it:
"This certifies that there has been deposited in the Treasury of the
United States one silver dollar, payable to the bearer on demand.
"G. Fount Tillman, Register of the Treasury.
"D.N. Morgan, Treasurer of the United States."
The bills that we use are really silver certificates, which give us the
right to go to the nearest Treasury and demand as many silver dollars as
we have notes for, whenever we are minded to do so.
The millions of dollars that are lying in the Sub-Treasury in New York
represent, therefore, millions of dollars in bills, or silver
certificates, that are in use and for which the Treasurer must be able
to give solid money at any time he is asked.
A country becomes bankrupt when it cannot redeem its paper money in
coin.
That is the condition of Spain and Cuba at this moment.
In Cuba General Weyler has ordered a large amount of paper money issued.
The banks have been obliged to obey him; but as every one knows that no
coin has been deposited in the Treasury to make the paper notes good,
people do not care to take them.
General Weyler says that Spain will make the notes good at the end of
the war; but as no one believes him, the paper money has steadily fallen
in value.
Falling in value, you must understand, means that the merchant will not
give a dollar's worth of goods in exchange for a dollar note.
In Cuba the merchants began by giving but ninety cents' worth of goods
for the dollar; but as the war has continued and the poverty of Spain
has become plainer, they have given less and less, until now they will
only give thirty cents' worth of goods in exchange for the paper dollar.
During the late war in the South, the Confederates issued paper money,
which they promised to redeem as soon as the war was over, but for which
they had no coin to deposit.
Toward the close of the war, when the Southern cause had become
hopeless, and the people feared the paper money might never be redeemed,
$150 Confederate money often had to be paid to get a pair of shoes
soled, and twenty-five to fifty paper dollars were demanded in exchange
for a loaf of bread.
Of course the United States did not redeem this money when the war was
over, the promise to redeem it having been made by the Confederate
States; and so the thousands of dollars of Confederate money did not
really have any value.
Those who had grumbled at paying such large sums to get their boots
soled got the best of the bargain, for they had something to show for
their money, while those who held the bills had really nothing but a
handful of waste paper.
No coin had been deposited in the Treasury for the bills that were
issued, and so they had no value whatever.
You can see how very necessary it is that we should have vaults bulging
with money if our business is to go on satisfactorily.
* * * * *
The school-ship _St. Mary's_ has just started off for her summer cruise.
This school-ship is kept by the City of New York for the purpose of
teaching boys how to become sailors.
The vessel is under the control of the Board of Education, and only boys
of the best character are received on board.
If by chance a bad boy finds his way on to the _St. Mary's_, he is
dismissed the moment his evil ways show themselves.
The youths who are admitted to the school must be between the ages of
sixteen and twenty, and they must show a very decided taste for a
sailor's life.
The course of instruction takes two years, and during that time each boy
must pay $30 for the cost of his uniform and bedding.
In the winter the ship lies alongside the pier at the foot of
Twenty-eighth Street and East River, and there the boys are taught the
art of navigation and all the seamanship they can learn before they go
to sea.
As soon as the spring sets in, the _St. Mary's_ is towed over to a
suitable harbor in Long Island, and there the boys are thoroughly
drilled in the furling and unfurling of sails, and in all the practical
knowledge that will enable them to handle the ship when she puts to
sea.
When all is ready, she starts off on a cruise which lasts till Fall, and
returns to her pier in October.
Arrived in dock, the graduation exercises are held; and the graduates
are assigned to such ships of the merchant navy as are in need of them.
This year there are eighty-nine scholars on board the _St. Mary's_. It
is the intention of Lieutenant-Commander Reeder, who is in command of
the vessel, to sail across the Atlantic to Fayal, Lisbon, Gibraltar, and
Madeira, before he brings his ship back to winter quarters.
It is said that the young sailors who are turned out of this nautical
school are in great demand, and have no difficulty in finding good
berths as soon as they have graduated.
* * * * *
A new torpedo-boat, the _Holland_, has just been launched at
Elizabethport, N.J.
There has been a good deal of mystery all winter about the building of
this boat.
Some said she was being built for Cuba; others that Spain had bought
her.
No one was allowed to enter the yard where she was building, and the
strictest secrecy was kept as to her make and shape.
At last she has been completed and launched, but the inventor, Mr.
Holland, refuses to allow any one to look at his boat until he is quite
satisfied that she is perfect.
He claims for her that she can be navigated as well under water as above
it, and that she will ride on the surface of the waters, or plunge
beneath them, at the will of her master.
The _Holland_ is a gunboat, and will be armed with three kinds of guns:
one to fire on the surface of the water, a submarine gun to use under
the water, and torpedo tubes.
In attacking a vessel, the _Holland_ is intended to fire her
surface-guns, and as soon as she has done such damage as she can with
them, to sink down under the water. She is then to make for the enemy's
vessel with her best speed, and when within a short distance of the foe,
is to rise to the surface to take aim; and then, sinking again, to
discharge her torpedoes.
As soon as this is done, she is to steam under the vessel, and fire her
submarine gun into the unfortunate ship, which it is expected she will
blow to pieces.
The _Holland_ is to be tried in New York Harbor; then, as soon as her
inventor is satisfied, a public exhibition will be given of her powers.
If she can accomplish what is claimed for her, she is at once the most
wonderful and the deadliest invention of modern times.
Two or three of the foreign governments are watching the _Holland_ with
much interest. Mr. Holland is not known to have made any arrangements
about selling her, or the patent under which she is built.
It is to be hoped that when he is finally ready to dispose of her, the
United States may be fortunate enough to become her purchaser.
If we have two or three such vessels as the _Holland_ cruising near our
harbors, it will simplify the problem of coast-defence very
considerably.
* * * * *
On page 317, Vol. I., of THE GREAT ROUND WORLD, we spoke of the
explorer who was trying to reach the North Pole in a balloon.
This gentleman, Professor Andree, had his balloon in readiness for the
attempt last year.
He waited from the 23d of June till the middle of August for a favorable
wind to bear him northward.
While his party was still waiting, Dr. Nansen returned from his famous
expedition, in which he reached a point within two hundred miles of the
Pole.
After a few more days, it was decided that it was too late in the year
to attempt the aerial voyage, and so Mr. Andree had to postpone the
attempt.
Not at all discouraged by his failure, he stated that he would try again
the next year, and has spent the past winter making preparations for a
fresh venture.
The balloon will be filled and ready for the start about the middle of
June, when Mr. Andree and his companions will once more make the
attempt.
The Russian Geographical Society has printed hundreds of circulars to be
distributed among the natives of the lands lying around the pole,
showing them by the aid of pictures what kind of an object a balloon is,
and urging them to tell the nearest authorities if they see it. They are
also requested, if the balloon should descend, to treat the men who are
in it with the greatest kindness.
Mr. Andree is full of hope for his scheme, and expects to reach the
pole. He will be spared the long journeys over the ice-fields, which all
Arctic explorers have found to be the hardest part of their work.
* * * * *
The Sixth Convention of the Universal Postal Union is being held in
Washington this month. Delegates from all over the world are here to
attend it.
The Postal Union is a union of governments to regulate the postal
business between nations.
As the correspondence of the world grew larger, and the improved means
of travelling made it possible for men to journey to all parts of the
earth, great trouble was found in the handling of the mail matter.
The rates for carrying letters varied for each country, and infinite
work and delay was caused by the calculation made necessary thereby.
At last a few of the countries most interested in the matter formulated
a Universal Postal Union, which established a fixed rate for letters
sent to all countries in the Union.
This plan was first suggested at Berne, in Switzerland, in 1874.
The countries agreeing to abide by this rule styled themselves the
Universal Postal Union, and made many useful laws for the transmission
of mail matter.
It was the hope when the Association was started that every country in
the world would join it.
In 1894 the hope was so nearly realized that all countries excepting
parts of Asia and Africa had become members of the Union.
It is expected that China and Corea will ask for admission at the
present meeting in Washington, and then, to quote the words of
Postmaster-General Gary in opening the Congress:
"When these two countries shall have joined us, the sun in its daily
circuit will not rise on a civilized people which is not included in the
Postal Union."
Many subjects will be discussed during the session of the Congress. One
of the most important will be that of having a Universal Postage Stamp.
Stamp collectors won't like the idea, because there will only be one
kind of stamp in use between all countries; it will, however, be a great
benefit to people in foreign countries who would like to prepay the
answers to their letters.
New York has decided to make some important changes in her mail service.
These changes have not been suggested by the Postal Congress; but if
they were only in working order, they would give some of the delegates
much to talk about when they return to their own countries.
The changes to be made are in the line of hastening the despatch and
delivery of letters.
This is to be accomplished by means of a network of pneumatic tubes,
which will be laid under the streets.
When a letter is posted at any of the sub-stations, instead of lying in
the box until, the postman comes round to collect it, it will be
instantly sent through the tube and deposited on the cancelling desk at
the nearest station.
By this means a great deal of time will be saved; it is even said, by
the persons interested in the scheme, that a letter which now takes two
hours to go from Wall Street to the Grand Central Depot, can be sent by
the pneumatic tubes in less than ten minutes.
The Government has given out the contract for laying the tubes, and one
circuit is to be in working order by October.
It is said that the big dry-goods stores mean to make arrangements
whereby they can send their small parcels by tube instead of messenger,
and save a good deal of money now spent for horses and drivers.
The Pneumatic Postal system is in use in London, Berlin, and
Philadelphia, and has proved a great success wherever tried.