The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-11

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way one individual Z held rsponsble without chance Of
evasion FOR the whole distance whereas under the ori
nary division Of duties the mails would pass through the
hands OF periaps ve OF six persons rendering taiways
difficult and sometimes impractcable 10 know with GER
tainty, in Of Irregularities who ID really bamable
Similar agencies viii be established between New York
and Cincinnati, and Cincinnati and 81 Louis and on
other great routes and all possible precautions adopted to
insure the regularity and safety Of the mails
IL frequently charged that the mails have not uni
formy equal expedition with travellers railroads and
in far as this may be the fact IL is considered attbu
table 70 the want Of attention 10 the mails the express
lines which without agents of this department The
evil shereore, only be remeded by employing adj
ditiona agents to accompany mails long distances with
out changing and guard against all delays that can pos
ibly be avoided and especially 10 that passengers
joy advantages the mails but that both equal
ly expedited under all circumstances.
Ii may be proper to add in this connexon that the
preparation of all necessary forms and instructions for
maintaining accountability routes where this work is
already commenced and for extending il generally rs
proposed will involve amount of additional labor
NEW ORLEANS AND INV YORK
For number OF years the attention Of Congress and
of the commercial public has been directed to the neces
sty of adopting measures to insure greater speed and reg
ularty in the transmission of the mails between New
York and New Orleans the recognised centres these
cities are, of two great commercial circles, conduc-
ting by far the larger portion OF the importing and
exporting trade of the whole country The interest
felt in the subject has been manifested from time To time
in the presentation to Congress Of memorials from ct
zens chambers OF commerce. and State legislatures
ing that means might be employed to effect increased
petition and certainty in the transmission of these mails
and in the subsequent passage OF resolutions by both
houses calling the Postmaster General to report the
Of the failures and delays referred to by the
asts and to state whether any and what Legislation was
necessary to accomplish the object of their prayers
The great northern and southern mails transported
by railroad from New York, via Philadelphia, Washing
ton Richmond Petersburg, Weldon, Wilmington Kings
vile, Augusta Mllin, Macon, and Columbus to Mont
gomey, thence by coach to Stockton, and thence by
steamboat to Mobile and New Orleans. The service is
twice daily between New York and Montgomery and
daily between Montgomery and New Orleans. The time
prescribed in the contract schedules for the performance
of the through trip six days but the instances in which
this speed is actually attained constitute rather the exccp
tons than the rule OF 627 mails sent from New York
New Orleans within the year ending 3st March, 1885,
only l63 were carried through in six days, the time
pied in the transportation of the remaining AGA ranging
from seven to twelve days. OF 1863 mails sent in the
same year from New Orleans to New York, only 1853
carried through in six days, the remaining ZIG
ranging from seven to fourteen days Of 65l mails
ending 3lst March, 1857, only l59 were carried
through in six days, the remaining i92 ranging
from seven to twenty days OF 1863 mails sent
in the same year from New Orleans to New York,
l6l were carried through in six days, the remaining
202 occupying from to sixteen days No mail
received at New Orleans from New York sixty five
several days within the year ending 3st March, 1856
and niney-sx several days within the same year no
mail received at New York from New Orleans. Thr-
tyfve similar failures occurred at New Orleans during
the year ending 3st March, 1857, and ninety at
New York, The failures at intermediate points, going
South during the year ending 3ls March, 1885, amount
ed to 33l going North to 262. During the year end
ing 3st March 1857 the failures going South were 1884,
going North, 1924. The average time occupied in the
performance of the through trip from New York to New
Orleans, during the ending slst March, 1856 was
days four hours from New Orleans to New York,
days hour, For the year ending 3st March,
1857, the average time from New York to New Orleans
seven days three hours from New Orleans to New
York, six days twenty hours. The shortest time either
way in either year, six days the longest going
South in the year ending 3lst March, 1856 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.
The Inconvenience occasioned by these delays and
failures is aggravated by the fact that BY far the larger
portion Of them occur within the winter months--from
October to March, incusiyeeomprising the period du
ring which the great of the commercial operations
of the year transpe. Thus, of the 1863 mails carried
through six DAYS from New York to New Orleans in
the year ending 3lst of March, 1856, only forty six
transmitted within the winter months. OF 1873 carried
through in six days in the year. from New Orleans
to New ork only fortythree transmitted within
the months. OF 159 carried through in six days
from New York to New Orleans in the year ending 3ls
of March, 1857, only fifty six transmitted during
the winter season. And of 16l carried through in
SIN uhysi IN tne IIoin new orleans 70
New York, only forty-nine were transmitted du-
ring the winter months OF sixty five failures in the
year ending 31st of March 1856, TO receive any mail
at New Orleans from New York. forty six occurred during
the winter OF nnetysx failures, in the year. to
receive any mail at New York from New Orleans fifty
four occurred in the winter OF thirty similar fail
at New Orleans in the year ending the 3lst of March,
1857 thirty occurred in the winter and of ninety
at New York sixty occurred in the winter Nearly
four ths 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 months ending with Sep
TENDER 1885, six days eighteen hours for the six
ceedng winter months the average days fifteen
hours for both together, days four hours The
average time from New Orleans to New York for the
year. was for the summer, six days eleven hours
for the winter days fourteen hours for both
days one hour, The average time from New York to
New Orleans, for the six summer months ending with
September 1856 was six days seventeen hours for the
six succeeding winter months days seventeen hours
for both days three hours The average tie the
year, from New Orleans to New York. was fol the
summer, six days nine hours for the winter, seven
days eight hours for both, six days twenty hours
The causes uniformly assigned for these failures and de
laws such these Cars off the track " Collision
of trains" Machinery deranged, - a High Winds"
Snow storms and ice Snow drifts" Road injured
by heavy rains " bridge broken &c. They are such,
too necessarily attach the description of service
composed Of sixteen different links routes the service
ON each being performed under separate and distinct
contract, having annexed to it, material part
schedule of departures and arrivals by which the
tractors 10 be respectively governed To the
speedest practicable transmission of the mails the
whole line the connexions between these links must
cesaiy be Close and each separate road must be put up