The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-08-05
The Lightning Mail Train.

The Lightning Mail Train.
The Post Office Department of the country,
which is conducted with singular judgment
and advantage to the people, is about to make
a new step in the delivery OF the mails. On
the LIST Of October the government mail train
will leave New York for the purpose OF max
ing more rapid connection with the West,
enabling us to deliver mails to our Western
and Southern States a day earlier than now.
This experiment will be welcomed not only
by the people of the East, but OF the West.
1t is simply carrying out tho private enter
prise of the HERALD in running fast train
on Sundays from New York to Niagara Falls,
so as to enable us 10 make a swift connection
with the Western train and deliver our jour-
nal on the same day of its publication
throughout the State and twenty-four hours
earlier to the Western States. The govern
ment authorities will see the working of the
lightning mail by taking advantage of the
HERALD train which will leave on next Sun
day morning. We have placed our train at the
service of the Post Office Department, and on
next Sunday morning the Postmaster of the
city and the Superintendent of the United
States Railway Postal Service will accom-
the proposed service. We have extended
an invitation to the Postmaster General
to join in the expedition. Governor Jewell
has shown such a practical interest in
the workings of the postal service and has
manifested so much common sense in the per-
tormance of his duties that we have little
doubt that he will bring this proposed fast
mail service to q satisfactory conclusion.
This experiment shows two things-First
that our government is taking advantage OF
al the achievements of science and enterprise
to bind the sections of the nation closer and
closer together. In the second place, it shows
that even governments as governments are
only too glad to avail themselves Of the sue
cess of private enterprise. The HERALDs
lightning train is the precursor of the fast
mail service, just as the HERALD, by its
achievements in the past, was the precur-
sor OF many other improvements in
modern life. This postal train will
contain q thousand pigeonholes for dis
tributing tho letter mail while the cars
are in motion and accommodations for tho
newspaper service also. 1t is believed that
between New York and Chicago twenty tons
of letters can be distributed ready for imme-
date delivery upon the arrival of the trains
at either city. The train will arrive in Buff
talo in eleven hours, in Cleveland in fifteen,
in Toledo in eighteen, in Chicago in twenty
six, leaving and taking the mail at every sta
ton. 1t will stop only for wood and water
and at railway functions, and will carry
neither passengers nor express matter, nor
any other business but what is directly con-
nected with the mail service At Albany it
will reach the mail for New England; at Buff
falo it will connect with the West. 1t will
arrive at Louisville in time 10 reach all that
section south of the Ohio River, aud at Chi
cago it will connect with Milwaukee and the
great Western States beyond. 1t will arrive
at Omaha on the morning of the second day
from New York, and in the afternoon at Kan
sas City and st. Paul, making through Pacific
coast connections.
We congratulate the Post Office Depart
ment upon this achievement. 1t will be
great accommodation to the people. 1t will
enable the government to do in the general
letter service what the HERALD, by its light
ming express train, has done for its sub
scribers. Beyond ALL it will bind all sections
of the Union in more intimate relations. 1t
is o step in that progress which we trust will
make New York and San Francisco as much
neighbors ns New York and Philadelphia
were hundred years ago.