THE CASH RAILWAY WEBSITE |
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Home | Manufacturers | Cash Balls | Wire systems | Cable systems | Pneumatic systems | Locations | References | Patents |
The principal manufacturer is the Lamson company, known by various names over the years since 1882. The first factory was in Lowell, Massachusetts with an office in Boston. An agent was appointed in London in 1885 and the Brtish company was registered in 1888. This had rights to the "Eastern hemisphere" (including Britain to the west of Greenwich!) and branches were set up in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Many other companies competed with Lamson and those I have heard of are listed below: some have their own pages. Lamsons took over most of the successful ones, sometimes using the original trading name.
ACME (Australia). Two installations of 'The Acme' wire system in Victoria, Australia were reported in the Geelong Advertiser, 30 Aug. 1895, p. 4. They were at A. Miller and Co., Geelong and Craig, Williamson and Thomas, Melbourne. It is said to be the invention of Messrs R. Reid and H.A. Wheat of Beckett-street, Melbourne so this does not seem to be the same company as Acme (USA). The agents are Messrs N. Guthridge and Co. A detailed description is given under GEELONG: A. Miller. |
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ACME CASH RAILWAY COMPANY (USA), New Haven, Conn. |
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ADVANCED PNEUMATIC TECHNOLOGY. "Advanced Pneumatic Technology, established in 1990, is Ireland's leading supplier of pneumatic tube systems. We offer a wide range of services to cover use in Hospital, Industrial, Warehousing and Retail. We are the sole agents of Aerocom Pneumatic Tube Systems in Ireland." They are based in Balbriggan Business Park. LinkedIn website |
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AIR-LINE CARRIER COMPANY. The Air-Line system was invented by Emanuel Gipe. The Air-Line Carrier Company, 172 Washington Street, Chicago is listed in the Directory of Directors in the City of Chicago, 1900-1, with F.J. Griffin as President and E.C. Gipe as Secretary and Manager. Gipe sold his patents to Lamsons in 1903 with a condition that he withdrew from the US market for 10 years. The "Air-Line Carrier Company" became controlled by Lamsons but continued to run under its own name with address 200 Monroe Street, Chicago", e.g. Shoe Retailer, 20 Apr. 1904, p. 34 and Butchers Advocate, 31 Aug. 1904, p. 19. The Air-Line systems bore both names. |
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AIRMATIC SYSTEMS COMPANY, Rochelle Park, NJ. Makers of pneumatic tube cash systems. One location is Weavers in Lawrence, Kansas. |
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AIR TUBE CONVEYORS LTD., Birmingham Road, Oldbury, Warley, West Midlands. "Manufacture and install pneumatic tube cash handling and conveying systems, with branches in the UK, America and Australia." Sandwell Evening Mail, 21 June 1990, p. 45. Was acquired in 1982 by AirTube Technologies Ltd., now based in Kidderminster, Worcs. |
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ALGIE COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4 |
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AMERICAN CASH RAILWAY COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4 |
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AMERICAN PNEUMATIC SERVICE COMPANY. A corporation organised under the laws of the State of Delaware in 1899 to consolidate many U.S. companies making or installing pneumatic tubes or store service. |
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AUSTRALIAN CASH RAILWAY COMPANY. The photograph shows a wire car with their transfer on the cup which was sold on eBay. It was said to have come from a store near Wagga Wagga. The design of the car is very similar to Lamson's Rapid Wire. The Official Year Book of New South Wales, 1887, mentions the manufacture of cash railway systems "within the metropolis". This seems earlier than Lamson's presence, so might it be the Australian Cash Railway Company? The 1927 Sands Sydney, Suburban and County Commercial Directory lists "Australian Cash Railway Co., 17 Regent Street, Redfern." The Daily Telegraph (Sydney) [11 Sep. 1929, p. 24], reporting on the Efficiency Exhibition in 1929, stated that "the A.C.R. write [sic] line carrier is a splendid example of Australian manufacture." In 1930, J.B.Wallis Ltd. (in liquidation) brought an action against James Maher, Henry Herbert Walters and Betty Glyn, trading as the Australian Cash Railway Company, to recover £315/4/5 as the value of turbos supplied for a pneumatic railway system which was installed in the 'Sun' building. Sydney Morning Herald, 26 Nov. 1930, p.11. There was a notice in the Sydney Morning Herald, 10 Mar. 1931 p. 1, that the partnership between James Maher, Henry Walters and Betty Glynn, carrying on business under the name and style of Australian Cash Railway Company, had been dissolved by mutual consent. James Maher would continue to carry on the business at 18-20 Gibbons Street, Redfern. There is an entry in the Classified Section of the Australian Capital Territory Telephone Directory (including Section 4 of New South Wales Telephine Directory) of January 1952 under "Cash Carriers": Australian Cash Railway Co. Pty. Ltd. Manufacturers of PNEUMATIC & RAPID Wire Systems, Installation and Maintenance, 84 Wentworth Av., Sydney." This is followed by an entry for Lamson Engineering Co. Ltd. at 9 Queen Street, Chippendale. So they appear to have operated alongside Lamson until at least 1952. The Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 12 Aug. 1965, p. 3586 under Postmaster-General's Department: Contracts Arranged lists "Pneumatic tube system - Australian Cash Railway Co. Pty. Ltd., New South Wales. £1,567. |
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AUTOMATIC DELIVERY COMPANY, New York. Manufacturers of an early pneumatic tube system described in Australian Town and Country Journal, 8 Oct. 1887, p.30. The "automatic receiver" is shown opposite. |
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AUTOMATIC STORE SERVICE COMPANY, Boston. "The Automatic cash and parcel carrier is indorsed by every merchant and mechanic who has seen it to be the BEST invention of its class, the cheapest in construction, and certain to supersede all other systems. The Automatic Store Service Company, the parent company, offers a limited amount of its capital stock for sale AT PAR, ensuring to the purchasers certain and large dividends. Capital $500,000. Shares $50 each. A patent was awarded in 1890 to Frank S. Church of Detroit, Mich. , assignor to Automatic Store Service Company, Portland, Me. for a cash and parcel carrier. The illustration is from an envelope postmarked Boston Mass., 1890. |
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BILT-RITE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, Chicago |
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BOSTEDO PACKAGE & CASH CARRIER COMPANY and BOSTEDO PNEUMATIC TUBE COMPANY, Chicago, Illinois. |
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CAILLE CASH CARRIER COMPANY, East Saginaw, Mich."C'est le 5 juillet 1888 qu'Adolphe Caille et son frère Arthur fondèrent leur première société à East-Saginaw (Michigan)... A la 'Caille cash carrier company', comme se nommait alors la société, les deux frères fabriquèrent et mirent sur le marché un transporteur se monnaie, appareil qui permettait de faire le change dans les magasins de détail, en faisent voyager l'argent par un système de fils suspendus. Ce n'est qu'un peu plus tard qu'ils commencèrent la fabrication de ces machines à sous qui firent la gloire de la nouvelle firme, la 'Caille brothers company', durant les trois décades suivantes." DE GROOT, Bob. Lucky Luke: le Bandit Manchot (Paris: Dargaud) |
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CASTLE CHECK-BOOK COMPANY. Several advertisements appeared in British regional newspapers around 1894-5 for agents, e.g. The advertisement opposite was in the Drapers Record of 16 March 1895, p.687. The illustration shows a two-wire system similar to Gipe's. One location known to have this system was the Stuff Warehouse, York. |
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CHAPMAN. Listed in Companies in Kansas. |
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GEORGE CHUCK, 18 Redcross Street, ?Liverpool "will be glad to furnish estimates for fitting up offices and shops of all descriptions ... Sole proprietor and manufacturer of 'THE PATENT AUTOMATIC CASH CARRIER'". Liverpool Echo, 8 Jan. 1884, p. 1. (The only mention I have found of this.) |
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CONSOLIDATED STORE FIXTURE/SERVICE COMPANY. See Court cases. It seems to have existed around 1890-98. |
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CONTINENTAL CASH CAR COMPANY. "The Continental Cash Car Company has been incorporated for the manufacture, sale , &c., of machines and apparatus for conveying: money and packages." The Sun, 19 July 1883. |
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DENNIS CASH CARRIER COMPANY. Incorporated in Bangor, Maine, on 29 August 1882. The president in July 1883 was S.B.L(?)uffer. George B. Coram and John C. Coram took out patents in 1883. There were prolonged arguments in 1884 with Lamsons about ownership of the patents for the ball and switch with threats to prosecute users of the Lamson system. In June of that year it was consolidated into the Flagg company (see below). |
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ECLIPSE. I don't know the manufacturers but Moorhead, Nesbitt and McMaster's stores in Lismore, New South Wales had a system in 1895 and they acted as sole agents (in the area?). It was said to use "wedge force". Richmond River Herald, 6 Dec. 1895, p. 6. A patent was assigned to The Eclipse Package Handle Company, Camden NJ by Charles Gildemeyer in 1900, which might be relevant. |
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ENGINEERING AGENCY CO., 227 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW. They were advertising in Construction (Sydney), 2 Jan. 1941, p. 16, " Pneumatic tubes for cash and documents, cash railways, store systems". Presumably a sales agent rather than a manufacturer. |
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FLAGG CASH CARRIER COMPANY. "A new company, bidding for the cash carrying business, has come into the field this week, styled 'Flagg Cash Carrier company.' It is a consolidation of the Flagg Automatic and the 'Dennis Cash Carrier Company' of Lowell." Boston Post, 28 Jun. 1884 |
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FULLER CASH CARRIER COMPANY, Meadville Pa.
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GILMAN CASH RAILWAY COMPANY. "To the Gilman Cash Railway Company belongs the credit of solving the problem of using any number of stations, from one to twenty, on a single wire or rail... In this new invention two small steel rails are placed side by side. One is inclined towards the cashier and the other towards the salesman. The rail inclining from the cashier's desk to the salesmen is provided with tripping devices which come in contact with unlocking devices upon the carriers in such manner that each carrier on its arrival at its destined station is automatically unlocked, and drops into its proper place in a basket beneath." Boston Daily Globe 31/1/1886. It was exhibited at 173 Devonshire street, Boston. |
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GROVER COMPANY. About the same time that Lamsons started to sell pneumatic tube systems, William and Clarence Grover founded a company in Woodburn, Michigan with activities including "the manufacture, sale and distribution of Pneumatic Tubes; Cash and Parcel Carriers; Store, Office and Factory Fixtures". It was later purchased by the Powers Regulator Company of Skokie, Illinois. (Dead Media Working Notes 36.5). The present descendent is Swisslog who manufacture TransLogic pneumatic tubes, mainly for hospitals. There is an advertisement of 1950 on the Pneumatic.Tube website. The address given is 25519 W. Eight Mile Road, Detroit 19. Also a brochure (Pneumatic Dispatch Equipment. Brochure G) which states "Grover Tubes will convey all types of sales transaction and will centralize them into the hands of responsible trained operators where a check can be made on each transaction... The standard Cash and Change Carrier is the C215 Durasteel Carrier. The body is of heat treated steel, plated to provide pleasing appearance. Station number tabs are interchangeable, and grey, red, green and black felt heads are available... Since 1915, Grove Enginers have devoted theit time and talents exclusively to Pneumatic transmission problems." Two users listed in the brochure are the Broadway Department Store - Pasadena and Crenshaw branches- and Saks 5th Avenue Store, Detroit. The pneumatic tube system in Penney's, Brownsville, Texas was installed by Frank E.Ware, Texas representative of the Grover Company. |
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HAZARD STORE SERVICE CO., Toronto. The Lethbridge [Alberta] News of 15 Feb. 1900 records that the Co-op purchased a system from the Hazard Store Service Co. In 1912 it was combined with the Gipe Carrier Company. |
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HENDERSON STORE RAILWAY LTD. I know of this only from two advertisements. It could be that they were an agent for Lamson or another manufacturer. |
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HOLBROOK MANUFACTURING COMPANY of Chicago. Installed a system at Chasaka's dry goods store, Fort Wayne, In. in 1882. Became part of the Lamson Cash Railway company in 1883. Lowell Daily Courier, 23 Feb. 1883, p.8 |
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INTERNATIONAL CASH RAILWAY COMPANY. The Daily Morning Journal (New Haven) of 30 Mar. 1903, p. 6, reported that Mr James L. Baldwin, the western salesman of the International Cash Railway company, had arrived in the city to visit his mother. This may really refer to the Acme company based in New Haven. |
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INTERNATIONAL STORE SERVICE CO. of Manitowoc. Charles Fisher assigned patent no. 308, 480 for a cash carrier to the company in 1884. Superior Times (Superior Wis.), 6 Dec. 1884, p. 2 |
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JANESVILLE CASH AND PACKAGE CARRIER CO. An advertisement in the Dry Goods Reporter, 6 May 1905, states that the Janesville carrier is the cheapest good carrier. It works on the leverage principle, is constructed entirely of steel and hardwood, no ropes to break, no springs, no rubber and has only a single trolley wire. It features the 'Sure-Catch' automatic brake, which catches the car without jarring or pounding and releases it automatically. In a later advertisement (3 June 1905, p. 58) its address is given as "Jackman Building, Janesville, Wis." |
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KENNEY Electrical Cash Carrier Company. A patent specification by W.R. Lake is listed in the Telegraphic Journal and Electrical Review Index, 31 Dec. 1886, p. x, but no more known about this company. |
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W. KILBURN. There is an account in the Northern Echo, 26 November 1897, p.3 of a new company, W. Kilburn Ltd., to carry on the business of Mr W. Kilburn of 21 Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, Co. Durham. It had been in existence for over 100 years and now had 34 employees. A speciality of the firm was the pneumatic cash carrier, which was claimed to be the the simplest and most effective system in existence. It had recently been installed in the Co-operative stores in Bishop Auckland, Haswell and Stockton-on-Tees. |
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LOVEJOY STORE SERVICE COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4 |
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McCORMICK CASH CARRIER COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4 |
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MARTIN CASH CARRIER COMPANY and MARTIN & HILL CASH CARRIER COMPANY, Florence Mass. Joseph Chapman Martin took
out a patent in 1882 for "automatically-moving cash boxes" - see Patents |
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MERCHANTS' STORE RAILWAY COMPANY of New York. Involved in patent infringement case, 1887. |
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NEW HAVEN CASH RAILWAY CORPORATION. Articles of incorporation were filed with the secretary of state in 1902. The capital stock was $10,000 and the subscribers were Charles B. Jones, John W. Hotchkiss, Eva M. Holmes, Lyman A. Holmes (trustee) and C.H. Fowler. Daily Morning Journal (New Haven), 28 Jun. 1902, p. 9 |
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NEW YORK STORE SERVICE CO. Bought by the Lamson Cash Railway company in 1885. See CONTINENTAL CASH CAR Co. above. |
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NEWTON-WALKER. Henry Walker and Son were hardware manufacturers based at 44 Westgate Road, Newcastle, and John Newton was a foreman. The factory was at Gallowgate. They were stated to be inventors and makers of the Newton-Walker pneumatic cash carrier already in use at Bainbridge and Co. Shields Daily News, 13 Sep. 1886, p. 1. Another installation was at Jenners in Edinburgh in 1895. |
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NORTON-COFFILL CASH CARRIERS CO., 75 Hereford Street, Forest Lodge, Sydney. Advertised for equipment in the Sydney Morning Herald, 24 May 1913: "I want an engineer's lathe, with tools, new or second-hand." (Sounds like a one-man band!) By September they were advertising "Yes! Install a Norton Cash Carrier NOW! ... We supply Ball Railways with the Coffill Patent Ever-tight Cash Ball; Single-Wire Railways, fitted with Norton Patent Trigger Slide, Baldwin Patent Parcel Carriers..." (Dun's Gazette, 1 Sep. 1913, p. 18). Two years later, in The Sun (Sydney) 10 Jan. 1916, p. 2. "We will be pleased if asked to quote for our Australian-built Cash Carriers". |
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OSGOOD CASH CAR CO. A number of merchants in Portland, Maine were using this system in July 1885. Mr L.C. Goodwin, representing Lamsons, visited the city to notify them that the system infringed Lamson's patents. Some stopped using it and some changed to Lamson systems. See Locations - Maine. |
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PERFECTION CARRIER CO. This company is listed in Trow's General Directory of the Boroughs of Manhattan and Bronx, City of New York for 1911 under "Cash Carriers" with the address 6 Reade. Presumably it was taken over by Lamsons and was the source of their Perfection Cable system. |
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PETERSON MANUFACTURING CO. Advertisement in Janesville [Wis.] Daily Gazette, 31 Oct. 1921, p.5: "Cash carrier systems. Soft water service pumps. Phone Blue421, Evenings." |
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RAPID SERVICE STORE RAILWAY COMPANY of Detroit. Acquired by Lamson in 1887. Installed a system at the Drapery Importing Company, Christchurch, New Zealand in 1889. |
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REBESI. See British Cash and Parcel Conveyors Ltd. Rebesi systems were also used to convey telegrams - see Other applications. |
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ROWLANDS & Co. The Beehive Stores in Bendigo, had a "Rowland's Patent Cash Railway System" installed in March 1888. It was a wire system (the carriages had two groooved wheels) and was fixed under the supervision of Mr E.G. Emery, who stated that it was the best one he had completed. Riverine Grazier (Hay), 16 Mar. 1888, p. 4. Evan Rowlands (a native of North Wales) had been a supplier of aerated water and cordials since 1854, with factories at Melbourne, Ballarat and Sydney and "bought the patent rights for the Australian colonies" (presumably from Lamsons). He supplied the system at Edwards and Chapman in Brisbane in 1888, the erection again being superintented by Mr Emery. Rowlands died in 1894. |
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SKINNER CASH TRANSMITTER COMPANY. According to the Skinner
Family Association website, David Skinner (1825-98) patented a parcel
transmitter in 1883. It consisted of a metal basket which was propelled
up a track to the ceiling by pulling a cord. There a spring propelled
it along a cable to the cashier's office. Skinner sold his interest to
Lamsons in 1887. |
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STANDARD STORE SERVICE COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4. This may derive from Gipe's "Standard" carrier which Lamson acquired. |
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STAR STORE SERVICE COMPANY, 26 Adelaide Street, Brisbane. (Not to be confused with Starr, below.) |
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TAISEY PNEUMATIC SERVICE COMPANY. Denison Hotel Building, Indianapolis. Advertisement in the Jasper Weekly Courier, 27 Dec. 1901, p. 5 states "New ideas, new methods, new designs .. have produced the most perfect cash and package carriers on the market. We hve them all... We have associated with us the best cash carrier men in the country." | |
TORONTO BRASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 91-95 Richmond Street West, Toronto. Their catalogue of 1901 contained details and a sketch of the 'Paragon' Cash Carrier - a two-wire system that appears to work by changing the inclination of the wires. They also manufactured window display fixtures. | |
TRANSIT APPARATUS COMPANY. Listed as owned by Lamson but not in active business. Listing statements of the New York Stock Exchange, vol. 8, 1906, p.4 | |
UNION STORE SERVICE COMPANY. See CAILLE CASH CARRIER COMPANY above. | |
UNITED STATES STORE SERVICE COMPANY. "The United States Store Service Company agrees to convey unto the Lamson Consolidated Store Service Company, by proper assignment, all its patents and inventions which stand in its name." Supreme Court, 1888, p.20 | |
UNIVERSAL PNEUMATIC CASH SYSTEMS. Known only from this photograph taken from an American magazine of 1915. | |
HENRY WALKER AND SONS. Their factory was at Gallowgate Iron Works, Newcastle. In 1886 they installed a pneumatic tube system, invented by their foreman John Newton, for Bainbridge of Newcastle. In 1888 they won a bronze medal for the 'Newton-Walker Pneumatic Cash Carrier.' Newcastle Daily Chronicle, 19 Apr. 1888, p. 1. I don't know what other installations there were (if any). |
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WHITING'S Cash railway system. Installed in Hudson's Bay stores in Calgary and Winnipeg. No more known about this manufacturer. |
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H.E. WRIGHT, Hartford. There was a court case of the Consolidated Store Service company against H.E. Wright in 1895 regarding alleged infringement of patents. Several merchants in New Haven were using the Wright system. |