Litchfield enquirer., 1868-10-01
THE POSTAL CAR SERVICE.

THE POSTAL, CAR SERVICE
 THE OLD AND NEW SYSTEMS.
 Ihe Postal Cus-C Cmczi,g tue Mails-O Oriqi
 and Ertem of Me Raitaray Postol Serrice Although still regarded as an experimen by the POstoffice Department, the ne, Railway Postal Car System has become a, important feature in the mail service c many of the leading routes of the Unite, States, During the comparatively shor 1 time it has been in operation, However, it advantages over the old systemI of rout agencies have been fully established.
 The object of tho postal cars~pow run ming on many of the railway aAA;e t simplify the work of the distributing post offices, and avert the delays in the trans mission of letters that were unasoidablt under the old system. How these results are accomplished can best be shown by tracing the course of a letter before and since the introduction of posts railway cars
 THE OLD SYSTEM.
 Under the old system, when aletter was posted, for instance, at any of the small towns of Missouri on the line of 8 railroad communicating with St. Louis, addressed to town in Massachusetts, nea Boston, 1t was sent by the local postmaster with the miscellaneous eastern mail and Forwarded to St. Louis, the nearest distri buting of flee. There it lay over night, during which time it was robs,Sgeu With mattar for the next distributing office, which was probably Chicago. At this plad the loss of several hours, at least, was necessary, during which time the eastern mail was again overhauled. The letter was then bagged with matter forwarded b the New York distributing office, where several hours more were lost in getting it ready for the distributing offices in Boston. At this last named city it was finally sent to it's final destination.
 The delays mentioned at the several prin- cipal offices between its starting place and final destination were unavoidable. It would have been impossible for any of the western cities to make up bags for every town and village of the eastern states, and as there was no way of finally classifying the letter until it reached the distributing g office nearest to it's destination, the ire quent re- sorting of the miscellaneous cas- tern mail of which it formed part was in- dispensably necessary. In consequence oi these detentions, at least two days were lost in the transmission of the letter from Missouri to Massachusetts. It was to avoid these delays and relieve the distribu- ting offices of the work of handling sO much miscellaneous matter, that postal cars were originally established.
 THE NEW SYSTEM.
 Snpposing the letter to be posted unde, the present arraneo.4e..sr, ~rs tA- IsssJofsiee very different. The local postmaster makes up bag containing the eastern mail, and places it where it will be caught by the mail train passing over the road in that di rection. As soon as it is taken into the car, it is opened and its contents sorted Letters for way stations are bagged so as tc be tbrown off at the proper places, and the others are classified according to the gen eral direction of their route. The letter we are tracing would be placed in pouch addressed to the mail agent on the posta car of the road connecting with the one or which 1t was first started. Instead of be- ing detained at St. Louis for distribution it is immediately transferred from one train to the other, and started on its way to Chi cago. While on the road to that city the mail is sorted, and letters for the eastern states are made up and addressed to the mail agent running between Chicago anC Buffalo. It is immediately transferred te his car, and OF the way to New York, bag ged for the Boston distribution, where it i: forwarded to its ultimate destination. B, this means the letter from Missouri to Mas sachusetts passes all the distributing offices without stopping as formerly. Connec tions between the trains are never missed by the agents, except in case of accident and instead of losing two days on the road the letter is transmitted by tho fastest ex press trains as rapidly as it could be carried by special messenger. The connection. are made very close on the principal road. between the West and East, and scarcel, an hour Is lost by avoidable delays.
 | This brief comparison between the actu al workings of tho two systems will serve ] lie from the introduction of postal cars The saving of time on long transits. how ever, is only part of the benefits derived from the new system. The reception ant delivery of local mails between towns ant villages along the road, accomplished with out stacking the speed of the train, is al invaluable accommodation, affording more rapid and frequent communication be tween the various small post-ofices thar could otherwise be enjoyed.
 1 THE POSTAL CARS
 The outside of postal car is similar l, appearance to an ordinary baggage car while the inside resembles a miniature dis tributing post-office. At one end are pia l ced the compartments for letters, each bear ing the name of local or distribution of flee. In sorting the mails, the letters ar boxed according to their addresses, tied III and bagged, in order to save the necessar. labor of handling each separately secon' or third time. In front of these boxes ar convenient tables for the use of those en gagged in the work of sorting, which is per formed accurately by the experienced mel employed in this branch of the service: A the other end of the car are the boxes fo newspapers, which are made up in separat sacks. Many thousand of these are dail.. forwarded to subscribers by the postal cars and their asserting forms an important par of the clerks labors. On the long routes such as the Ere road, between New Tor and Buffalo, the work performed on tn cars was very great, and occupies the clerk from early morning until late at night. l CATCHING MAIL BAGS.
 One of the most interesting features c In Il ok11