The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-13

they cannot be induced to account for pouches, as
desired by the department. Believing that such
state of things should be remeded, Ihave placed
agents on the express lines between Baltimore and
Cincinnati, and Philadelphia and Cincinnati, and
required each to run through the whole distance
between those Cities Starting, say at Baltimore an
agent will give receipt for the several pouches &C.
cordng to their destination and the same will also
be entered on "waybill" For mails received and
delivered on the route, receipts to be exchanged
and entries made the "bill," and the agent will
go through in the shortest possible time to Cncin-
natl and deliver his mails and way bill for examina.
ton at the Post Office. II detained from any cause
he is to go forward by the first opportunity and in
no case TO allow passengers to outstrp him; and he
must report to the Postmasters the particulars
of oil delays, with their causes for publication.
Immediately on reaching his final destination,
that the public shall be fully informed
on the subject, and know where blame rests.
In this way one individual is held responsible,
without chance of evasion for the whole distance;
whereas under the ordinary division of duties, the
mails would pass through the hands Of perhaps five
or six persons. rendering it always difficult and
sometimes impracticable to know with certainty, in
case OF Irregularities who Is really bameable
Similar agencies will be established between New
York and Cincinnati, and Cincinnati and st. Louis,
and other great routes and all possible precau.
tons adopted to insure the regularity and safety Of
the mails.
II is frequently charged that the mails have not
uniformly equal expedition with travellers rail-
roads; and in so far this may be the fact it is
considered attributable to the want of attention to
the mails on the express lines which are without
agents of this department The evil, therefore, can
only be remedied by employing additional agents to
accompany mails long distances without changing,
and guard against all delays that can possibly be
avoided, and especially to that passengers enjoy
no advantages over the mails, but that both are
equally expedited under all circumstances.
It may be proper to add in this connection that
the preparation Of all necessary forms and instruc
lions for maintaining accountability on routes where
bis uOrk ia a
it generally proposed, will involve an amount of
additional labor which cannot be performed with the
present clerical force.
NEW ORLEANS AND NEW YORK ROUTE
For a number of years the attention OF Congress
and the commercial public has been directed to the
necessity of adopting measures to insure greater
speed and regularity in tie transmission OF the mails
between New York and New Orleans the recognized
centres these cities are of two great commercial
circles, conducting by far the larger portion of the
importing and exporting trade Of the whole country
The interest felt the subject has been manifested,
from time to time in the presentation to Congress Of
memorials from citizens, chambers Of commerce, and
State Legislatures, praying that means might be
employed to effect increased expedition and certainty
in the transmission of these nails and in the subse
quent passage of resolutions by both Houses calling
the Postmaster General to report the causes OF the
failures and delays referred to by the memoraliss,
and to state whether any and what legislation was
necessary to accomplish the object of their prayers.
The great northern and southern mails are trans
ported by railroad from New York, via Philadelphia,
Washington, Richmond, Petersburg, Weldon, Will
mington Kingsville, Augusta, Millin, Macon and
Columbus to Montgomery, thence by coach to Stock
ton, and thence by steamboat to Mobile and New
Orleans. The service is twice daily between New
York and Montgomery, and daily between Mont
gomery and New Orleans. The time prescribed in
the contract schedules for the performance of the
through trip is six days. but the instances in
which this speed is actually attained constitute
rather the exceptions than the rule Of 627
mails sent from New York to New Orleans
within the year ending 3lst March, 1856, only 1853
were carried through in six days, the time occupied
in the transportation of the remaining AGA ranging
from seven to twelve days. Of 369 mails sent in the
same year from New Orleans to New York. only l53
carried through in six days. the remaining ZIG
ranging from seven to fourteen days. OF 65l mails
sent from New York to New Orleans within the year
ending 3lst March, 1857, only l59 were carried
through in six days the remaining 492 ranging from
seven to twenty days. OF 1863 mails sent in the
same year from New Orleans to New York, lGl were
carried through in six days, the remaining 202
plying from seven to sixteen days. No mail was re-
ceived at New Orleans from New York on sixty-6ve
several days within the year ending 3lst March,
1856; and on nnetysix several days within the same
year no mail was received at New York from New
Orleans Thirty-ive similar failures occurred at New
Orleans during the year ending stMarch, 1851, and
ninetyseven at New York. The failures at in
year ending sist March, Marcel 1885, amounted to
$751; going north, to 262. During the
year ending 3lst March. 1857, the failures going
occupied in the performance Of the through trip
from New York TO New Orleans, during the year
ending 3lst March, 1856, was seven days four hours;
from New Orleans to New York, seven days one
average time from New York to New Orleans was
seven DAYS three hours; from New Orleans to New
York, six days twenty hours The shortest time
either way. in either year. was six days. the longest
going south, in the year ending 3lst March,
1856, was twelve days; going north, fourteen
days. In the year ending 3lst March, 1857, the
longest time going south was twenty days; going
north, sixteen days.
failures is aggravated by the fact that by far the
larger portion Of them occur within the winter
months-from October to March, inclusve-com-
prising the period during which the great mass
of the commercial operations of the year trans
pirc. Thus, Of the l6S mails carried through in six
DAYS from New York to New Orleans in the year
ending 3lst Of March 1856, only forty six were trans
mitted within the winter months. OF 1853 carried
through in six days, in the same year from Now Or
leans to New York, only forty three transmitted
within the winter months OF 159 carried through
in six days from New York To New Orleans in the
year ending 3lst Of March, 1857 only fty-six were
transmitted during the winter season. And Of l6l
carried through in six days in the same year, from
New Orleans TO New York, only fortynine were
transmitted during the winter months. Of sixtyive
failures, in the year ending sls, OF March 1856 to
receive any mail at New Orleans from New York.
forty-ss occurred during the winter. OF ninetysix
failures, in the same year, to receive any mail
at New York from New Orleans, fftyfour oc-
CURED in the winter. OF thirtyfye similar fail
nres at New Orleans in the year ending the
3lst of March, 1857, thirty occurred in the
winter; and OF ninety-seven at New York, sixty.
one occurred in the winter. Nearly four-ifths of
all the failures at intermediate points, in each year,
transpired during the winter months The average
time OF the through trips from New York TO New
Orleans for the six summer months ending with Sep
tember 1855, was six days eighteen hours; for the
six succeeding winter months, the average was
days, fifteen hours; for both together seven days
four hours. The average time from New Orleans TO
New York, for the same year, was, for the summer
fourteen hours for botg, seven days, one hour The
average time from New York 10 New Orleans for the
six summer months ending with September, 1856,
six days seventeen hours; for the six succeeding
winter months seven days thirteen hours; for both,
days, three hours. The average time the same
year, from New Orleans TO New York, was, for the
summer, six days, nine hours; for the winter,
days eight hours for both, six days twenty hours.
The causes uniformly assigned for these failures