Saturday, January 27, 2018

A Postal Kitty...!

I, like many others, have a few complaints about our postal service. However, I don't think I would go so far as some folks did in this article From Listverse. This move just proves my point about truly disturbed people with way too much time on their hands and the troubling things they can come up with.

A Cat



Photo credit: The Atlantic

When we think of mail services, most people imagine their carriers walking between houses to drop off letters. In New York, a more impressive system was developed in the 1890s. A series of tubes allowed mail to be shot across the city using pneumatic pressure.

The first items sent were various papers and a copy of the Bible. But the operators were not content with these pedestrian items. The next canister sent through the tubes contained a live tortoiseshell cat. A postal worker recorded the event:
How it could live after being shot at terrific speed from Station P in the Produce Exchange Building, making several turns before reaching Broadway and Park Row, I cannot conceive, but it did. It seemed to be dazed for a minute or two but started to run and was quickly secured and placed in a basket that had been provided for that purpose.

When other branches to the pneumatic system were opened, a canister holding a goldfish bowl and live fish was sent through. Apparently, the fish arrived unshaken by their travels.

I can only imagine the nightmare that would occur if a system such as this were in place in this day and age.Scary, isn't it?

Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Rain is coming in later.

5 comments:

Rob said...

I don't know what to say.. but I can picture a cat getting out of a tube after being sent across the city!
That was different.

Momlady said...

Read something about an underground passenger train that will go 700 mph. Kinda like the cat I would think. Makes one wonder.

JO said...

That poor cat, I just can't imagine the terror that poor thing must have felt. Just have to wonder what people are thinking sometimes.

Kitchen is fine with me we dropped into the mid 30's again

HermitJim said...

Hey Rob...
I would imagine that running was an understatement. All claws out mayhem, I would think.
Thanks for stopping by today!


Hey Momlady...
If that cat could talk, I'll bet he would have some tales to pass on, that's for sure.
Thanks for coming over this morning!


Hey Jo...
Yeah, he was probably not a happy camper. More than likely he had trust issues long after the tube trip.
Thanks, sweetie, for dropping by today!

Hermit's Baby Sis said...

Yeah, today someone would probably send a misbehaving child over to Grandma's, or vice-versa.
No thanks!
Big hugs, Bubba.