New-York tribune., 1874-03-28


OBSTACLE. ...... l-. .....' .|
To ne Edifor Of The Tribune. .I5
SIR 1t seems desirable that the communication
from Progress in your issue 0f last SATURDAY shOuu
not in iustic. To the PostOfioe Department be al
lowed to pass without remark. Ihat tne depart
ment is not insensbe TO honest criticism Is evil
denced by the fact that upon noticing previous com
munication in your paper from the same CORE
spondent few weeks ago. it at once instructed the
superintendent of Railway Mail Service stationed
at New-York City to make thorough investigation
of the service between New-York and Philadelphia
and report the result That report s 40 apropos ana
80 completely explains the situation as regards that
branch of the service that here with introduce the
following summary of it
at is asked why. when trains are running almost
hourly between New otk ann % n.edy abd sre
TO ~ hours letters cannot have more SPECIFY anu ie
auent transit that letter mailed III one cry can DC
delivered in the other during business hOs no es e me
day, and even why answers could mol DC received he
same day To ana IN maknG to ms tr,ins he
tween New-York Philadelphia. In the case OF trans
convey ing mail this schedule shows the ou o ei0snS'
the time OF dispatch from the door Of ihe PostOnce'
the mo train starts the time II is due at the Other
terminus he time II IS que aI s shns UIG h % ready Tor
box delivery the train is on Time These data ~ Will
SEEN enable 10 explain the dscLepancy DetWeeh
for mails TO travel between Office and Post Once
passenger can take the last ferry-beat and nase sure
S m ds our ,u ett"- when there is Railway Post.Oice
Clerk M Agent with whom 70 H,r S Gu te%s SsS1 OF
and for thousand points az welas one, tne
case case IS de1eM. @ G n mall country postmaser can
kecp his mailbag open until he hears me whsc OF lhe
locomotive, but such close work Is not possipe ih
"Thcre s, for instance. one. particular place where
letters for each section should he posted az the New
York Office, hut there are more than dozen other
places where they may he anc sacR OF 1IGse s st he he
handled make certain tnat not ono Is elt Denind
Then there is the tying up the pouchnf' the ge,,ns
down aud locking up the bags aud ne paSsaee ,lougn
possibly crowded th0rongtdreS. Wheh ieIIies are 10
be crossed extra margin of time must Ne ~ ,ike, anu @
nearly every instance ~ y found uhsaN 70 Ma' o
the connecting boar. even Al the railway cOnpano' uu
not object to r. All nese CO.. SusI, ana rst te one ot
convorsant win the details OF the operation as an u-
reasonably long ntelna, pei"bcR E li, i f
way station The actual iline pctWeen tne rIosis .,
mali at New-YoTk Philadelphia aud the hour II Is
ncarv seven Lours according to the speed OF The tram,
press of BUSINESS that particular time, &c and these
H!kFyS !F OF SnSins SnS' mali al ct Which is the
the postal calendar The fact alone that tne averigs
time from the last moment when letter can DC pOstd
m ono city to earliest moment it can be ready for DE-
plan why, practically, letter cannot he sent ana the
S nonrs ord 81 mnutes and snpposing that thc pres
ept margin OF hour at each end waa reduced or
raj her could be reduced 10 nan an nour mere wOuIu
still remain 81 hours each way, making totai OF hlnA
hours during winch the letter and reply must neces-
sary be in the hands Of the Po,t-Ohce Department
without taking into account DELAYS OF trai- tlnc pc
tween counting room and POst-Oice, or the time re-
| quired TO write the reply
Before proceeding to consider the advsability OF
sending mail on additional trains 1t will be necessary to
explain the latest hours at which mails can be delivered
from each post-oice. In the New-iorh Pos ohce ile
hoy department is closed bur there are very few
calls for letters after $3.50 p M BY carrier mail can
not he delivered the day 1t arrives, unless It reaches
The door of the postOice by 3i5 D. ~. the aS CARRIE
dispatch beng at m, and even o. the letters sem
mat hour many are returned because thc places
of business persons 10 whom they are addressed
are close day fEs refers 70 the lower portion
al Of fuprn "A
General Office at p @ and hna one TO many oil theni
enough for direct delivery. the mails too late for
carrier delivery In Philadelphia the box department.
is closed at 6:3o r. IN, aud mail arriving after D. m
would be too late carrier delivery. Bearing in mind
these facts also that there are already seven dis.
patches from NewYork to Philadelphia, and eight from
Philadelphia NewYork1t will be seen that the time
is limited during which additional mails can be SEM to
advantage
FINALLY therefore, let us canvass in detail the trains
now used for conveying mail Fret there - from
4O5 a. M This is Understood TO be chartered trainat
ali events the railroad company declines TO carry mail
would he of li,tle use for mails Next comes the 9J5
a. III. Fast Line TINS, although very desirable in re;
spect to the time OF ITS arrival at Philadelphia, would
have almost mail to carry, because tn close must
necessarily be not later than one hour after the close for
the s45 m Railway PosOlce train aud at mat tine
viz, before o'clock, very few letters are posted Tho
next is the c p & via Ta4ads which Is closely rd iS
By the first, mail could moi he got to the Philadeipha
Ge IN a d e D = dr. G1 Ss Seg @ oveT
hour ana bali This being the case, dispatch by
not speak of the iact that i Is train on which the
company objects the conveyance of the mails. Taking
the trains from Philadelphia 10 Ncw-YOrk there Is, FIRST
the Cncnnatn Express leaving at $40 u. ~ but as
an equally fast train carving mds precedes 1t By only
be mucn nail send by the latter. Next comes train
from Camden at Gao M. This is now used for
mails 1t is useless Tor through mails, because 1t is
passed by mail train leaving West Phil dephia 7l5
a. IN. Tue only other unused train that might seem 10
| be available Is tine $3.50 ii Fast Line But the
sane @ VIZ 1 that At n there @ is so e m
| tne mai ID fDrit
further OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES necessary IN order to
| elncldate what might otherwise appear to be det
cheney in arrangement IT may be asked why, If so
large Post and train time, 1t not be arranged
that mail may be received at the tram since IT has
Rnowledged but claimed, that there il immense ad
vantage in dong IT,, but 1t costs much more and be-
sides railway companies do not care TO furnish the
| essary accommodation on every mail train IN fact.
there dissatisfaction expressed In some quarters
with the amount Of distribution IN transit that Is
aeF , 5 UiSI Whole sabeo TG b proDab
enough has Deen explained to satisfy those VINO are
either 81 he great dement's derived from the asserting
by New-York City clerks OF NewYork City letters on
eomplant % Of delays caused by the ateness OF that
train; but 1t not for the asserting In transit the
mail could not be delivered las early by an hour aud
| half as IL Is now"
| II hardly needs the explanation which has been
given in the above report of the time required be-
tween the posting of letter and the hour of de-
parture of the train which itls carried to show
| the unreasonableness of the complaint that 1T is
| impossible to obtain answer the same day to let
ters sent to Albany and Troy" The first through
train for Albany leaves New-York a. IN, reaching
Albany Ito p. MS hours and 10 minutes. The first
train after that for New-York leaves Albany 2:49
| D. m., reaching New-York p. nj hours and IL
minutes-beng about the fastest train on the road
and vet the letter and reply would he actually the