Pneumatic mail

[Perfs14]

Many large cities in Europe, and a few in the U.S., began implementing pneumatic mail service in the late 1890s and early 1900s - it was used for postal branch-to-postal branch transfer of mail.

Pneumatic mail service is when air is used to propel or, in the case of vacuum-driven systems, to pull mail through a series of airtight tubes. The tubes were similar, although a bit more primitive, to those you might see in banks that have drive-up windows, or in large factories and warehouses where paperwork must move from two distant points.

Mail or small packages were put into cylinders which fit snuggly into a network of pipes, almost always underground. Air or vacuum pressure would cause the cylinder to move through the tube from a location with high pressure to one with a lower pressure as it tried to equalize. At the remote location, a postal worker would remove the cylinder from the pneumatic tube, open it and remove the mailed items, and then process them by hand for the rest of their journey.


Italy was the only country to issue stamps to pay for mail delivery via their pneumatic tube system between 1913 and 1966 by.   For example, Naples had access to a Pneumatic City Mail system with ten stations and a tube length of 17 km , whereas Rome had 14 stations and a tube length of 12,5 km.

Here is an example of a pneumatic mail stamp: 1913-  Leoni Pneumatic Mail - Perf 14 - Crown W/m - Letterpress

[kacyds]

Great article Perfs. I remember visiting the National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C. two years ago. I remember seeing an exhibit about pneumatic mail.

Here is the website about it..... postalmuseum.si.edu/museum/1d_Pneumatic_Mail.html

[rayb]

Whilst it is quite true that only Italy issued adhesive stamps for use in a pneutatic system, France issued a large quantity of postal stationery cards and envelopes for the pneumatiques in Paris and Marseilles (separate issues for each city - the Marseilles ones cost an arm and a leg!)

Until almost the end of the 19th century ONLY PS stationery could be used on the Pneumatique although subsequently people were allowed to use ordinary stamps to make up the (double the normal) postage rate.

Here are some bits of information I put together earlier this year on just the 30 centimes rate in Paris. Lots of other rates followed, if people want to add to this.

[rayb]

[rayb]

[rayb]

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[rayb]

[rayb]

The smaller pictures are reduced size scans of the backs. If anyone needs the full sized scans let me know and I will upload them.

[rayb]

[Perfs14]

Great stuff, rayb!

[zepherusbane]

Very interesting, I hadn't heard of that kind of service.