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Artifacts

Pneumatic Tube Carrier

Artifact Details

A yellow pneumatic tube that is 4 inches in diameter and made of steel tubing

Messages traveled at more than 30 feet per second through the pneumatic tubing.

Lamson Corporation, Syracuse, NY, installed a pneumatic-tube mail-delivery system in the Original Headquarters Building (OHB) during its construction. The system had more than 30 miles of 4‑inch-diameter steel tubing. At that time, this system was one of the world’s largest.

The original system had about 150 receiving/dispatching stations throughout OHB. Shown here is one of the many vacuum-driven carriers that sped along the system, moving mail from one station to another. The system operated from 1962 until 1989.

Artifact Specs

36.5 cm x 9.0 cm

(L x Diameter)

The Debrief: Behind the Artifact - Pneumatic Tubes

Warning: This video below may contain flickering or flashing scenes.