The New York herald., 1878-09-23
ON THE POSTAL CAR.
Operation Of the Railway
Mail Service.
A TRIP TO WASHINGTON.
The Only Civil Service in the
Country.

Few people have adequate idea Of the Ina
menss progress madc within the last eight nine
years In the letter paper delivery system all
the United States through the of the
railway mail service in conn ectisn with the Post
ONCE Department People outside the great
dstriouting points, who before the intro
duction OF the railway mail servics wore
accustomed to get their mails ten, ffteen,
twenty and twsnty.tour hours past the time they
now receive It, have conception OF the ca uses that
nave produced the present CELEBRITY and wonderful &C
curacy in the transmission Of all sorts Of written and
printed matter through the mails. To illustrate tho
difference between the present aud the past, letter
mailed from here, say Coopestown. in this State.
len or fifteen miles above Albany weuld be left In
ono general mail bag Albany Tor distribution and
would lie IN that Office for several hours until the
next slow train (none but slow trains wero then used
for the mails) conveyed II to Its destina-
tion. Supposiug the letter happened to BIO
In the Albany mail bag and was destined for
some village beyond Rochester, It would
suffer not alone delny at the first mentioned place
oi ten twenty hours, but equal longer dsten-
ton a. the latter point Now all this 10 changed
Letters and papers travel quick the accompany
ing drst class passengers the same train. They
are not condemned to long sleep, as before, In a
distributing oice, but kept constantly In motion,
only delayed in their delivery a passenger
might bs delayed in hts journey by Unforeseen
break In the connection.
THE RAILWAY NAIL
This condition OF affairs WAS brought about by the
Introduction of the railway postal system, the
workings Of which are understood only by very
limited number OF people. 10 casual observer It
may appear thing born without thought and result
ing merely from the necessities OF the Post once
Department. but Ihe truth the result Of long
and persistent working and thnking. and, like
every other great reform, had TO encounter
ridlcule and opposition before IL finally trumphed.
In other department OF the government are the
principles OF civil service thoroughly carried out,
because, matter what political influence tho appli
cant for employment here may bring 10 bedr, he IS
ton ana show ability OF the requisite order, Tor the
reason that his acceptance without the necessary
qualifications would demOralixe the service.
TRIP IN A POSTAL CAR.
The writer took trip in the postal car OF the New
York ana Washington line belonging to tho Second
Division Of the Railway Aail Service, which started
frcm Jersey City one morning ut thirty-nve minutes
past four BY permission OF Mr. Charles H. Lyon, who
was acting place OF the superinteudent Mr.. T.
Jackson, be was permitted to accompany the postal
ear privilege Sc dom accorded 10 outsiders Al ihe
time, three O'Clock In the morning. when ne reached
Jersey City the WAS standing alone on ihe dark
And silent track, but with bright lights cleaning
through Its windows. -Four men were found inside
busy a. any men could be- They gave attention 10
the intruder seemed very much absorbed IN their
work. 1t appeared they had come from the Post
Office In the first mail wagon that LETT At two A. NJ
laden with over two tons OF mail matter, and this
they were now engaged IN sorting TO navo it
aisposed OF and out Of Inc way before the great
batch arrived at four A. NJ Immediately prior 10 the
aepar,Irs o. inc IRAN % he ns,r lorSe William 'n osr
ana four othcrs-Wisoa aud enning, both de-
signatod "sbo!t stops" or those who attended 70
signitying the newspaper bundles for dissaut
points, and s.ivers ''newspspors." such as were
keeps an eye alter the letter ''separation,"
Tor Inc difrxrent points OF delivery along the line
The clerks take of their Uniforms OF biuo cloth aad
brass buttons when they board Tho and don work
ing suits consisting OF blue flannel shirts and white
overas with navy caps The Cur Is sky feet loug,
si1e ana ut night by a series OF German stuasnts
lamps which throw out bright and steady radiance,
Way Uuruss At ono end Of the car and extending up
both sdcs some distance with counter In 'front.' are
series OF 800 letter boxes sacn % ons Labelled led. ~i n
six or seven States In the middle or the
car. on either SIDE Is double pie, row row. & ,oi
with mouths wide open gaping tor their morning
meal Of New York newspapers. Near by are sus-
pended score si strong eathern bag or pouches as
they are called. They, loo, are empty and awaiting
their varied consignment VI worid's correspond
ence A. the other end OF The car are spaces for tho
the South and Southwest
TONS or NAIL MATTER HANDLED.
II is now four o'clock, anu the rattle Of heavy
wheels 10 heard breaking The stiffness OF the scenc
Presently wagon drawn by tour well groomed horses
whose harness gtters under the gaslight drives up
ciose 10 side Of the track The driver Jumps on
and cheerily greets the men In the car Then be
strips Of his coat buckles TO the work OF empty
ing the iour tons OF out OF his wagon 1t
has come from Post Once in charge OF the Reg
ister Clerk Tom Berry, VINO jumps on the Car aud
ADDS one more to tho working force. AS the driver
f.ngs IN bag OF papers or pouch Of letters u re.
ceived by OF the clerks assigned for that
duty, who calls out the name OF tue State or
agent to whom 1t IL directed. Then it 10 handed
end Of The car the bags Washington aud Peters
burg Lynchburg and Baltimore anu Baltimore Raj
way Post onee These are not touched WI tney ges
thrown out aud taken charge OF by agents IN wait
ing at the various points along the line. There are
'separatons' Tor Psnnsy lvana. Delaware, New Jor-
iey, Maryland, Virginia, west Virginia, Georgi
Tennessee and one even Tor Alabama. some OF these
SACKS o mail matter weigh rom 100 10 900 pounds and
even over that where book matter IL carried The
work Of handling such material on hot summers
day Is as hard as coal heavng.
BOUNDING OVER THE ROAD.
II is thirty.6ve minutes past four A n. when the
shrek Of tho locomotive announces the time for de-
parture ana soon the train Is rolling rapidly
the Jersey meadows, aud the postal clerks arc work
ing away ike beavers among pile Of postal la m..tor
thinKing II will ever bo set TO rish,s. The whole
centre Of the is knee deep in newspaper bundles.
among which tho inscription "NRw York HERALD"
stands out conspicuousiy. There ~ mighty mass
Of paper contributed by the New York daily press,
clinging to It, and the HERALD is At the
top, bottom, ana nanks OF every heap. The perspra
ton rolls down tho checks OF tho workers. They are
IN Tor hard days travail, but they know 1t and
used 10 II and don't care 10 complain. On the con-
Hary they joke and laugh, and though thcy have no
time TO sit smske ana spin yarns, they arc
happy IN attending to duty. The train rs making
lorty miles hour and soon pulls up Tor halt AZ
Newark, where portion OF the freight oil tho postal
rapidly discharged, ana she Immediately on
her bounding career again. tho streets and avenues
On sitner hand undisturbed In the morning gloom
save by the sound Of solitary pair Of wagon wheels
tt is Interesting TO watch tue quick eye, The nnbis
angers and the adrvit motions vi the postal clerks
SEQ Wilson, how he nings bundle twenty feet from
him and lands exactly IA tho bag where u Is want
ed and Elder, how he angers the letters nsci j.
their proper respective places WITH rapdiy that
dasxles the ey o and excites TO admiration. See the
elustic vsrteprB oil Suvers, as ne stoops hundred
times 10 the mnute ana picks up package after pack
aye IRON tho countless heap aud plants them where
they ought to be: and then Hariesion and Chorpcn-
ming, the .short stops"no rotation TO any baseball
cuUs--sss how dexlerously they mako tneir seiec-