Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-02
st. Paul IaterUietcs.


AGLoBE representative took the articl
from the Chicago Tribune yesterday and sal
lied forth in quest Of information. he. frs
called upon Col. j. Fl. Davidson, attorney fo
the packet company and Commodore David
son. Col. Davidson on being shown the article
said he knew nothing about it and did no
know there was any such contract. he dlt
not think the matter was correctly stated an(
was very incredulous about the cOmmodor'
having received $29, 900 for mail service. H'
knew that there were a great many peIitlon'
| from small towns not reached by rail Tor I'M
river service, but he could not give details
relative to the matter. The commodore once
wrote him that Mr.. Eaton would be in st
Paul to see about river mail service, but III
was out of town when Mr.. Eaton came aHo
did not see him.
| Capt. j. II. Reaney, the general agent at st
upon. He knew that the boats had carried q
mail but knew nothing of the nature or terms
of the contract. The commodore had intend.
ed, he knew, to be in shape for doing full
and prompt mail service and but for the
| interference of the minority stockholders
would have had a line of fast boats.
There were great many towns which
desired the mail by the river, because
it reached them more reliably. Take Prescott,
diamond DUH, N1dluen hOch, Aliud, Dao AAe,
and host of other towns he could name on
the Wisconsin side, where they had no rail
roads, and they preferred the mail by boat.
The commodore had desired to have him get
some statement from Postmaster Day relatiye
TO the amount of mail sent, but beyond that
he had no clue to the matter. The fact was
he presumed that the story grew out OF some
of the disturbance with the second assistant
postmaster general, and did not believe any
such payment was made as reported.
DR.. Day was then sought and found. be
read the article and smiled. That is about the
way it was, said the doctor. The Commodore
was anxious to have U. s. Mail painted on his
boots and suppose he had a sort Of nominal
contract, getting, perhaps, $500 or Sl,OO0 per
year.
"Did you ever seud any mail from here by
the ri yer .or was it an empty pouch as re-
ported ?"
"No mail went from here. We sent the
pouch empty as the article states, but it is
nothing unusual for empty pouches to be sent
where an office has more matter
coming in than going out. That is
the way we prevent pouches from &C
cumulating frequently. When the order
came for the service / took it and went to Mr..
Bean, superintendent of the railway service,
and said what mails shall we send? We both
agreed that there were none to be sent that
would not DE delayed Dy gong Dy Ine river,
and | asked Mr.. White for Instructions rs he
states. We accordingly gave the empty
pouch, locked, to Cooks man, who carried
the mails to the depots, and he delivered 1t to
the boats.
81 see the contract ran until March. How
can they run a river contract in the winter"
~ Isuppose that was for the lower river.
They did carry quite a mail from Keokuk
down and they claimed that towns at different
points along the river sent mail, though we
did not l do not know how this was.
The last time they called on me for
a report on the arrival of river mails
in the winter endorsed the requeet, "ice six
feet thick. No mails sent or received by
river
The doctor then proceeded to explain the
mysteries and miseries of the postoffice de-
partment, but no further information was
given on the point ir question.
Commodore David on is at his home in st.
Louis, but 1t is quit likely he will have an
other side to present when he is heard from.