The Portland daily press., 1873-02-03
PosToFEIcE. PORTLAND, Me.

uE.. I
February 1, 1873.
Gentlenlen-Your communication of yester-
day informing me of your appointment as a
Committee of the Portland Board of Trade to
confer with me touching the recent frequent
delays Of the New York mails with q view to
ascertain the causes thereof and apply RENE
dy, has been received.
In reply wish to state that the daily New
York mail to which you refer on its arrival in
Boston is carried to the Postoffice and that por-
ton OF it belonging to Portland is then for
warded from the Boston Postoffice to the sta
ton OF the Eastern railroad which it ought to
reach i'll season for the first morning train leav-
ing Boston at 7.30 a. m. and due at this office
at 2.30 p. m.
The arrival of the New York mail at this office
has been delayed on ten different days since
Jan. 1, the delays varying from % minutes to
9 hours, as follows:
January 3-The mail from New York did not
arrive by the II. 80 train, but was received by
the 1.l5 p m. train, 40 minutes late.
Jan. 9-Same delay.
Jan. 1G-Said mail was not received until the
arrival of the p. m. train, 81 hours late.
Jan. 17--No mail was received from New
York nor from Boston until the arrival of the
Up. m. train, delay of 81 hours.
Jan. 20-No mail from New York OF Boston
until LIS p. NJ, 45 minutes late
Jan. 21-The New York letter box delayed 9
hours, arriving at this Office at o. p. M
Jan: 28-Said mail detained till 9p NJ, 81
hours DenlnQ Time.
Jan. 29-Arrived at LIS p. m, As minutes
late.
Jan. 3O-New York mail 81 hours late, arriv-
ing at D. M
Jan. 3l-Al New York letters were delayed
until s. 20 p. M, nearly hours, while the New
York newspapers arrived at 6p. M, only 81
hours late.
have ascertained the cause of four of these
delays. That Of jan, IT, of 81 hours, was due
to the failure OF the mail wagon to take the
New York mail from the Boston Postoffice to
the railroad station in season for either of the
morning trains for Portland The DELAY of As
minutes Jan. 20, was occasioned by q similar
failure to get the New York mail from the Bos-
ton Postoffice to the Eastern railroad station in
season Tor the first morning train. 1t would
have been detained at Boston till 3.15 D. m of
Jan. q, occasioning the delay of hours, be-
cause all other mails from the South and West
arrived here at Il. 80 on that day. The New
York mail arrived at Boston in season for the
second morning train from Boston which reach
ed here at LIS p. M, Jan. %; it was however
detained at Boston from $50 a. m. until 315 D.
M, occasioning delay of Il hours at this Of
flee.
am well aware of the great inconvenience to
which these repeated and vexatious detentions
subject the merchants and other business men
of this city, for the hour of departure of the af
ternoon mail for the West is such that delay
of even 45 minutes in the arrival of the New
York mail at noon is extremely annoying to
Portland correspondents; but it will be observ-
ed that the difficulty is one over which this Of
flee has no control, because the delay originates
at Boston or beyond.
have, however, caused special inquiry to be
made into the extraordinary Irregularities of
the present week and whether any discrimiGa-
ton is permitted at Boston ON the arrival of the
New York mails between boxes or bags of let
tiers belonging TO that city and those directed
eastward.
Hoping that the evil of which you so justly
complain will speedily be remedied, and prom
isng my best efforts toward that end,
l remain, Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,
c. w. GODDARD, Z. NJ.
To L. c. HERsEY, Esq, and Hon. WILLIAM
DEERING, Committee of the Portland Board
of Trade.