Pneumatic tube networks in France

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Pneumatic post Paris

Pneumatique de Paris: Route map of the Paris pneumatic tube 1868

In 1866 the first pneumatic tube line was built between the telegraph office of the stock exchange and the next telegraph office at the Grand-Hôtel. In the following years, this connection became a one-way connection with a stopover at several public telegraph offices from the Place de la Bourse to the telegraph offices in Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Rue de Rivoli, Rue des Saints-Peres, the main telegraph office (rue de Grenelle) , rue Boissy d'Anglas and back to the Grand-Hôtel. Finally, the network was expanded with a direct two-way connection between the stock exchange and the main telegraph office. In 1879 the pneumatic tube was opened to the general public by decree of January 25, 1879. The public pneumatic tube service began on May 1st of the same year. As a result, many new connections arose in the coming decades and the transition from the 65 mm to the 80 mm tube in 1888. In the following years, new polygonal connections were built to expand the network, but initially within the limits of the 20 arrondissements of Paris remained. It was not until 1914 that the Parisian pneumatic tube network was extended beyond the city limits with a connection to Neuilly. The pneumatic tube network of Paris reached its greatest extent in 1934 with a length of 467 km. After 1931 the first attempts were made to automate the sorting of the pneumatic tube envelopes in the telegraph offices and thus to further accelerate the transport, as the telegraph technology was improved.

Similar to Algiers and Buenos Aires , parts of the Parisian pneumatic tube network outside the city limits were not served by tubes, but by motorcycle couriers (out of town) and mail vans (into town). Correspondingly, it is pointed out on the pneumatic postal stationery that the pneumatic mail service in the Paris neighboring departments of the Seine (since the regional reform in 1964: 75 Paris, 77 Seine-et-Marne, 78 Yvelines, 91 Essonne, 92 Hauts-de-Seine, 93 Seine-Saint- Denis, 94 Val-de-Marne, 95 Val-d'Oise) and, to a limited extent, in the Seine-et-Oise department, “par facteurs cyclistes spéciaux” (“by special bicycle or motorcycle mail carriers”). While the pneumatic tube was accepted and removed every day in Paris, the pneumatic tube service in and to the Paris area was completely suspended on Sundays and public holidays.

Pneumatique de Paris: Pneumatic tube card letter ( carte- [lettre] pneumatique ) issued by the French post office for delivery in the pneumatic tube of Paris. The consignment was posted on December 24, 1903 at the Grand-Hôtel pneumatic tube station and reached the post office of destination in just 30 minutes.

For the transport of postal items in the pneumatic tube, the French Post issued postcards, envelopes and card letters with imprinted postage stamps in standardized formats since May 1, 1879, which corresponded to the dimensions of the tubes and the transport sleeves. Initially, this printed matter was printed with the inscription Télégramme , which suggests that a normal pneumatic tube shipment was also interpreted as a telegram (telex) because of the high transport speed and the great distance. In 1896 it was decided to rename the carte-télégramme to carte pneumatique and the télégramme to carte pneumatique fermée . With this, the media difference between a morated telegram and a written pneumatic tube was also taken into account in terms of language. Since 1898, private envelopes, postcards and postcards have also been approved for use in the Paris pneumatic tube system. The success of the Paris pneumatic tube can be explained by a. in that, although the programs were initially viewed as telegrams, there were no restrictions on the number of words that a program could have.

With the 100th anniversary of the Paris pneumatic post, on the occasion of which the French Post issued the postage stamp opposite, the end was already in sight, which can be seen from the falling volume of pneumatic post deliveries.

  • 1945: 11,271,228 shipments
  • 1958: 4,568,456 shipments
  • 1973: 3,500,000 shipments (approx.)
Pneumatique de Paris: Route map of the Paris pneumatic tube 1971

Public operations in Paris ended in 1984; However, documents are still sent this way between offices in Paris.

Pneumatic post Marseille

Pneumatic postal stationary issued by the French Post for transport in the pneumatic tube of Marseille. The card was issued on July 8, 1914, d. H. used on demand in the very first years after the opening of the Marseille pneumatic tube system. In contrast to the Paris pneumatic post, no special pneumatic post stamps were used here.

In 1910, the pneumatic post was opened in Marseille, but never came close to the Paris pneumatic post in importance. As far as is known, Marseille's pneumatic tube network was never expanded beyond the city limits and originally comprised seven post offices:

  • Main post office (poste centrale)
  • Stock exchange (la bourse)
  • place St. Ferréol
  • cours du Prado
  • rue des Trois Mages
  • allée des Capucines
  • rue de la République

In 1919 an 8th post was added: Gare St.-Charles (a station post office). The Marseilles pneumatic tube network was practically never larger than the Paris pneumatic tube network on the day it was opened to the public in 1879. The pneumatic tube postal stationery shown on the front page shows the traffic area of ​​the pneumatic tube system from the city map of Marseille. The service of the Marseille pneumatic tube system ceased on February 29, 1964.

With postage stamps to the value of 8 Fr. (4 × 2 Fr.), envelope of the pneumatic tube in Marseille dated September 24, 1945

Between 1910 and 1938, the French Post issued postal stationery (envelopes and card letters) especially for the pneumatic tube service in Marseille. In addition and later it was possible to post postcards or letters with the corresponding postage paid in Marseille as pneumatic mail. The picture shows an envelope from 1945 that was transported by pneumatic tube from Marseille.

Paris pneumatic postal stationary to the value of 100 Fr. with 25 Fr. additional franking at the postage rate of 125 Fr. and delivered on December 28, 1959 in Marseille. On the reverse a typical express message in a port city: a seafarer can not take up his post on the Esterel, which leaves the next morning because of a death in his family . The HR department writes on the bottom of the message who should replace him.

After the stocks of the company's own pneumatic postal stationery for Marseille had been used up, the pneumatic postal stationery, which was also used in Paris, were used. Apparently, the volume of pneumatic post in Marseille was already so low that it was not even worth printing your own postal stationery for Marseille. This led to the absurd appearance that the pneumatic postal stationery now used in Marseille contained detailed instructions on postal services in the Paris region, but nothing on the circumstances and conditions in Marseille.

Cancellations

Two day stamps of the Paris pneumatic post with 5-minute setting, in use between 1902 and 1930. (Here: Oct. 22, 1902 8:35 am and January 14, 1927 10:25 am)

Postmarks on pneumatic tube deliveries are another identification feature.

The purpose of stamping the pneumatic tube is to document exactly at what time the shipment was accepted and forwarded according to the schedule. This was awkward with the early dies that the moveable elements were put into. As soon as punches with rotatable elements were used, this process could be accelerated so that the time group could be changed first every 15 minutes, then 10 minutes and finally every 5 minutes. The minute-by-minute documentation of the handling of the shipment became possible when the time clock was introduced. Here a clock mechanism drove the time group of the stamp, whereby a precise time setting of the stamp was guaranteed without further human intervention.

Stamps with a 5-minute setting are known from Paris, while only the usual day stamps were used in Marseille . Pneumatic mail deliveries in Marseille can only be recognized by the corresponding postage, the usual note "pneumatique" and the arrival stamp of the delivery post office on the front or back, which usually comes from the same day.

Pneumatic post tariffs in France

Pneumatic post tariffs in France from 1879 to 1973.

literature

  • J. Boblique: Cent ans de tubes pneumatiques. In: Echo de la Timbrologie. 1966.
  • R. Cantais: Oblitérations du service des pneumatiques de 1879 à 1900. In: Feuilles Marcophiles. 168, 1966.
  • Anne-Laure Cermak: La poste pneumatique, un système original d'acheminement rapide du courrier: l'exemple du réseau de Paris des origines à sa suppression: 1866–1984. mémoire de maîtrise, Paris 4, 2003 Internet version (PDF)
  • M. Gaillard: Le réseau pneumatique de Paris. In: Revue des PTT de France. 1, 1959.
  • Pierre Gobillot, Georges Rykner: La Poste pneumatique de Paris. vol. I: Histoire générale. (= Le Monde des philatélistes. Etude 181). Paris 1974.
  • Pierre Gobillot, Georges Rykner: La Poste pneumatique de Paris. vol. II: Les obliterations. Les bureaux. (= Le Monde des philatélistes. Etude 216). Paris 1976.
  • John D. Hayhurst: The Pneumatic Post of Paris. The France & Colonies Philatelic Society of Great Britain, 1974. Online version cix.co.uk

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