The New York herald., 1876-02-06
THE FAST MAIL TRAIN.

\
BASas-rHE ADVANTAGES TO THE. PEOPLE
OF THIS TRAIN AND ITS VERY SMALL COST
SET ToRTH.
Mr.. George s. Bangs. General Superintendent OF
Railway Mail Service in the Post Once Department be-
ing about TO retire from that Office has addressed
letter to Postmaster General Jewell which he refers
70 the service OF the fast mail train as follows
There is matter, however with which have
been Intimately connected, upon which WISH 70 Say
some few words refer TO the ''iasi mall service
and this because the facts relation thereto have not
been fully published in any official form, and are not
correctly understood by many persons Ihe iast mail
tram has been called "a mere newspaper tram, ana
has received other epithes which need not mention
These ngs have brought about no little msapprehen-
sion the actual facts, which regard II as my duty
TO The best way TO do This IS by plain state
nent OF facts nasmuch tho mails carried AT so
much per ton per mile per year namely SO per ton
all above 600 pounds the element OF weights does
enter into the cost OF the carriage whether the
mails 60 ten, twenty-eght OF hfly miles an hour. The
only items Of increase IN the railway postalcar
service which the government pays at the follow
ing rates per mile per annum55 or GO foot car 500
mile per annum; so foot car $40 mile per anDum; 40
foot car, $50 mile per annum 40 loot car s25 mile
sary by the increase OF mails concentrated on the fast
line The following figures will show the increase in
NEW YORK AND CHICAGO
This line is via New York Central Hudson River and
Lake Shore and Michigan southern Railroads
Cost OF postal service between New York
and Buffalo prior TO September l6 lS75.... $24, $50
For same service between Buffalo and Chicago
prior 10 September l6 1875 .-............. 11,Cl1
Total. siO2, Ooa
PRESENT POSTAL CAR SERVICE.
Fast mail between New York and Chicago $l45 542
LOCAL TRAINS
Between New York and Buffalo ............. $4,000
Between Buffalo and Chicago ............... o2l3o
Total. 500 elo
Increase in cost OF car service. e........... $3.50
PAST MAIL CLERICAL PoRcE
The increase In the clerical force on the fast mail
train" since ITS inauguration September 10, 1875, is
shown by the following
Two head clerks, at 81 400 80 500
twenty one assistant clerks at ST 1000
Which added TO the increase on account OF
postal car service, makes Il total increase on
account of the EAST mail trainn OF. ..... 115,0s6
But great deal OF this increase is apparent rather
practicable to reduce the number of postal cars,
clerks, &c, on other lines, and the amount of this
duction Is therefore, Justly to be taken from the ex-
penses of the "iast mail
The decrease IN postal car service and clerical force
already made or intenGed at an early day, for the
son that its continuance Is rendered unnecessary by
the superior accommodations supplied By the fast
mail" IS as folows:-
Diseontinuance Of eight lines of postal cars,
costing for car service alone ......... s51 427
Discontinuance OF salary Tor postal clerks
these lines IN excess OF those necessary for To-
cal $4,000
Total decrease .......................... so, ,S27
fast man from the increase for the last
train" l$llS,O76), as above set forth and We
have net increase OF expense incurred by
the establishment Of the fast mail" Of only. Il 24s
AMOUNT OF SERVICE IN THE EAST MAI.
The amount OF service performed on the ''fast mail
tram has been all the while very great During the
months OF November and December last the clerks on
this train distributed mail follows
Sacks of paper mail distributed ...... Go,75o
Packages OF letter mail Observation-Disclosures. 303, 1856
Number OF pieces OF paper mail, allowing 200
pieces to each sack ......... 12l5O,oOo
Number Of pieces OF letter mail, allowing 60
pieces each package e................ IS 1855 100
Number of pieces OF paper mail distributed
each day, Sundays included. ............. 2O3, 500
Number OF pieces OF letter mal each day,
sundays included. ....................... 300 1856 /
Total number Of pieces OF mail distributed
But this is not ali Of the service performed BY this
fast mail train. In addition to regular mail matter
the fast mail train carries great quantities Of what
may call official matter" | here refer to stamps
stamped envelopes and postal cards-the currency Of
the postal service These government stamps are
made in New York, the envelopes at Hartford, Conn
and the postal cards at Springfield, Mass very
great proportion OF all in the United States passes
over the 'fast mail train" For the small actual in
crease ofless than SIS, 600 annually, shown above
over the expense OF the slow trains OF former times
have an exclusively government postal train travelling
go miles daily each way absolutely controlled by the
department. run at an extremely high rate of speed,
reaching by its connections and rami1cations and
directly benehting 25,OO0,000 people, to whom it
reduces the time for the receipt and despatch of thr
mail from six TO twenty four hours according to loca-
ton. regard the value Of this service the business
and the intelligence OF the country inestimable
th NIX II would be cheap If IL cost much than it
does It's benefits being more and more acknowl-
edged every day. Those who would dispute them,
understanding the facts would dispute against the SUM-
and with them have no argument cannot sneak in
800 high praise Of the manner in which the govern
ment fast mail trann has from the beginning been !
managed There Is no mail train in the world COM
parable TO IL. The locomotives and cars, manu-
featured al great expense by the railway |
companies, used exclusively for this |
purpose. I regard these trains and the
fidelity and efficiency with which they conducted
as a magnificent contribution to the public service.
Their regularity in time, notwithstanding their high
rate Of speed, is something wonderful In all the trips
thus far made there has been but tram behind
time and that only eleven minutes. So much is this
splendid train regarded exclusively under govern
ment control that ocer of the railroads. not
Mr.. Vanderbilt himself, is permitted TO ride II
without the proper authority from the Post Office De-
partmenL
Such the particular and general facts connected
with the
GOVERNMENT PAST MAIL TRAIN.
respectfully submit that they credlable TO the
department the country and especially credtable
to tho railroad management
SINGLE TRACK RAIIDDAn