American Pneumatic Service Company

In 1899 the stockholders of the Lamson Consolidated Store Service Company purchased several other pneumatic tube companies and organised a new company, the American Pneumatic Service Company (APSC). It also took over the Boston Pneumatic Transit Company; W E L Dillaway, its President, became APSC's President. Regarding the new company's formation, the Lamson company stated: Up to the present time the pneumatic service of the company has been confined to small tubes. The use of the tube in streets for the carrying of mail, messages and parcels has not been included in our business, and this latter use presents an opportunity for the making of large profits.

John Liffen. Mail tubes: the modern communications system of the nineteenth century. Artefacts 4 (2004) , pp. 70-83

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A corporation organised under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1899 with an authorised capital of $15M. 73,000 shares of preferred stock and 89,960 of common stock were issued in exchange for the stock or property of companies making or installing pneumatic tubes or store service. These were:
- Lamson Consolidated Store Service Company
- International Pneumatic Service Company
- Massachusetts Pneumatic Tube Company
- Boston Pneumatic Transit Company
- Standard Store Service Company
- McCormack Store Service Company
- Meteor Despatch Company
- Automatic Delivery Company
- Fuller Cash Carrier Company
- United States Store Service Company
- Transit Apparatus Company
- Algie Company
- American Cash Railway Company
- Gilman Cash Railway Company
- Merchants Store Service Company
- Acme Cash Carrier Company
- Rapid Service Store Railway Company
- Martin & Hill Cash Carrier Company
- Skinner Cash Transmitter Company
- Lovejoy Store Service Company
- New York Store Service Company

The capitalisation of the companies thus consolidated was upward of $10M. One of the main reasons for the consolidation was the constant conflict of rival claims under the many patents covering the systems made and sold by these companies.

Railway Mail Pay: report of the Joint Commission to Investigate the Postal Service, Vol. 3, 1901, p. 465

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The statement accompanying the application to list its securities on the New York Stock Exchange contains some interesting facts. It owned the following properties:

• Lamson Consolidated Store Service Co. 64,978 shares out of a total of 65,677 shares
• Air Line Carrier Co. Total capital stock of $50,000
• National Pneumatic Service Co. Total capital stock of $750,000
  
• Lake Street Manufacturing Co. Total capital stock of $10,000. • Miles Pneumatic Tube Co. All but $30,000 of the capital stock of $100,000.
• Massachusetts Pneumatic Tube Co. Owns $493350 out of total capital of $500,000.
• Owns entire capital stock of the Boston Pneumatic Transit Co. The latter company holds franchise from the City of Boston to lay and maintain pneumatic tubes in public streets. Also $299,783 promissory notes
• Chicago Postal Pneumatic Tube Co. Entire capital stock of $100,000. Also $767,450 promissory notes ef same company, being its entire indebtedness.
• St Louis Pneumatic Tube Co. Entire capital stock of $50,000. Also $300,000 promissory notes, being entire indebtedness.
• International Pneumatic Service Co. Total capital of ei nnn iinn
• New York Mail & Newspaper Transportation Co. y jf 7364 shares out of total of 10,000 shares of par value $100. Also $200,000 6 bonds.
• Tubular Dispatch Co. 11,027 shares out of total capital of $2,100,000, par value $100. Also $547,000 out of issue of $600,000 5 bonds.
• Batcheller Pneumatic Co. of District of Columbia $520,000 of capital of $1,000,000.
• The company also owns all the stock outstanding of the Bostedo Package & Cash Carrier Co., Barr Cash & Package Carrier Co., and Martin Cash Carrier Co.
• It also owns fifteen companies that are not engaged in active business. [Presumably some of the ones listed above in 1901.]

Wall Street Journal, 13 Apr. 1906, p.6

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"The Lamson Company became connected with the American Pneumatic Service Company" and Oakes Ames who was President of Lamson became Vice-President of the latter until his death in 1914. Biographical History of Massachusetts. See also publications

After it was awarded a contract for the Chicago post office, the Batcheller Tube Company claimed that their patents had been infringed. Construction News, 15 Nov. 1902, p. 280