The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-08-11
THE LIGHTNING TRAIN.
Through From New York to Chicago
With the Mails in 26 Hours.

| Through From New York to Chicago
With the Mails in 26 Hours.
The negotiations for the express
mail train from New York to the Mis-
sissippi Valley have been completed
and approved by the Postmaster Gen
eral This is the fulfillment of the
dream of the founders Of the railway
postal service. Two years ago nego-
tiations were attempted to obtain
fast train for this purpose for the
New York Central For various rea-
sons they failed. Since that time
George S. Bangs, of Chicago, superin-
tendent of the railway postal service.
has had the subject under constant
consideration. Postmaster-Genera
Jewell, as soon as he entered the de-
partment, was quick to perceive the
importance of the scheme, and enter
ed fully into it. He, himself, person
ally visited the railroad authorities,
and directed Mr.. Bangs to conduct
the details of the negotiations. These
negotiations were successfully termln
ated. The train starts from New
York, October 1, at 4 in the morning,
and will reach Chicago In twenty-six
hours. It will be composed Of four
cars. which are now being rapidly con-
feet in length. 1t will contain 900
pigeon holes for the distribution of
the letter mail, aud boxes sufficient
of newspaper mail. In this car will
ha 20 .f,na Y,t To- sf
valuable matter, and an office for the
chief clerk in charge of the train.
The entire letter distribution for the
line will be in this car. The second
car will be sixty feet long. 1t will be
arranged for the distribution of
through newspaper mail and for stor-
age. 1t Is estimated that between
New York and Chicago twenty tons
| of mail matter will be assorted and
distributed in this car.
| The third car will be fifty feet long,
and will be devoted to undisturbed
mails. The fourth car will be forty
eight feet long, aud will be used,
when necessary, for heavy mails.
The train will be white, and will
be called The New York Central
and Lake Shore Railroad Post office"
The train will arrive in Buffalo in
eleven hours, at Cleveland in fifteen,
at Toledo in eighteen, and at Chicago
bin twenty-six 1t will leave and take
mail at every station. 1t will stop
| only Tor wood and water and at the
functions of railroads. twill neither
carry passengers nor express, nor Will
it do any business but carry the mails.
| 1t will carry letters, newspapers,
packages, and newsdealers' packs. 1t
| will connect with every post office
line between New York and Buffalo.
At Albany it will pick up all the mail
from New England. The time table
will he so arranged that the fast mail
will connect with ali the latest New
England trains,
/ 1t will leave the mail of the morn
ing at most every town and hamlet in
| New York before shutdown. At But
falo it will overtake the train leaving
New York on the Erie road the pre-
| vious evening, and will receive from
it for the West the mails of Northern
Pennsylvania, Southwest New York
and the tributary country. AT Cleve-
| land it will connect with trains which
will deliver the mails to the country
fed from Columbus, Cincinnati and
Indianapolis early in the morning.
The mail will arrive In Louisville in
time to connect with all parts of the
South, giving the South the adyan
tage of all the time gained north of
the Ohio river. 1t will arrive in In
dianapolis at 6 a. M, at Lafayette and
Logansport at 100, connecting there
with trains for all parts of Indiana,
and the adjoining portions of Illinois.
At Toledo it will drop the mails for
| II r.
diana, Illinois and Missouri, and also
for Michigan and the North. The
train will arrive in Chicago IN time
for early outgoing trains, will reach
| Milwaukee at noon, and Dubuque,
kuk, Burlington, Quincy and Hanni
bal before shutdown. The mail will
be at Omaha the morning Of the sec
ond day from New York, and in the
afternoon at Kansas City, St. Paul
and Minneapolis. and will make d.
rect Pacific coast connections.
Returning. this train will leave Chi
cago late in the evening after ali the
trains are in. 1t will arrive at New
York in the evening. but the mails
will be ready for the first morning
distribution before the train arrives at
any cities Going either way, expert
enced clerks, detailed from the large
Offices. will board the train and make
the distribution of the mail for the
carrier-routes in the several cities,
thus saving at least two hours in every
distribution
This new departure in railway postal
service will necessitate an entire re-
! organization in the schemes of dis
tribution, and the chief officer at New
York will be exceedingly occupied
until October in getting ready for this
change.