Bostedo Package and Cash Carrier Company

and Bostedo Pneumatic Tube Company

In 1881, Louis Gardner Bostedo joined his father's retail dry goods and carpets business (A.L.Bostedo) in Atlantic, Iowa. He started the cash carrier company in 1884. In 1888, Horatio Thomas of Chicago and Louis Bostedo took out a patent assigned to the company. The patents were later sold to Lamson. (Iowa Journal of History)

The description of the system at J.T. Sheward, Los Angeles, installed in 1889 mentions four stationary tracks with thirty-four stations and baskets dropping into the proper stations. This sounds somewhat like a cash ball or cable system and not a wire system.

A pneumatic tube system, the first in Ireland, was installed at Arnotts of Dublin in 1897 (Daily Nation, 22 Nov. 1897, p. 3). I have not found any locations in Britain.

Bostedo was active in Australia and C.E. Sorby & Co. were advertising in the Newcastle [NSW] Morning Herald, 10 Feb. 1896, p. 1 that they were agents for Bostedo. The Sydney Morning Herald, 24 Apr. 1899 p.8 records the case of W.A.Lingham v. The Bostedo Package and Cash Carrier Company Ltd. in the Small Debts Court, Water Police Office. There is a detailed description of the system at Edward Hordern's in Sydney (1898). The first Bostedo pneumatic system in New Zealand was at the Direct Supply Company. Auckland Star, 18 Nov. 1899, p.1. A 5-station system was offered for sale (presumably second-hand) in the Sydney Morning Herald, 19 Aug. 1899, p. 15 . Bostedo also seem to have had an interest in bicycles in Australia - see Court cases.

The Audubon County Republic of 29 August 1889, p. 1, reported that Louis G. Bostedo of Atlantic "has sold all rights and patents on his invention for $400,000 to a Chicago firm. Mr. Bostedo is a shrewd young man of about 30." Either the "Chicago firm" must have been Lamsons or an intermediate firm that soon sold them to Lamsons.

Mentioned in "The Railway Purchasing Agent's Directory" (Railway Equipment & Finance Co.,1900) p.14 as a supplier of mail bags.

Both the Bostedo Package and Cash Carrier Company and the Bostedo Pneumatic Tube Company were owned and controlled by Lamsons by 1903.

The Bostedo Pneumatic Tube Company was involved in a patent dispute with Stoetzel in the early years of the 20th century. There is a statement by someone connected with the firm in US Congressional Serial Set.

The Bostedo Pneumatic Tube Company took out a suit against the Harris-Emery store in Des Moines, Ia. in 1900, alleging infringement of their patent - see Court cases.

The company appointed Urbine Curtis Phillips as their London agent and a clerk from Lamsons, Mr Fenwick, left to join Phillips, taking copies of all their leases for systems. Mr Kelly of Lamsons went to Chicago and arranged for Louis Bostedo to visit England. An agreement was signed for in May 1908 for Lamson to acquire the overseas business of Bostedo with rights of manufacture in the UK. (F.Wagstaff)