The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-01-06

80 miles and hour for 1893 miles-and yet
never run mile at q rate that could be
considered dangerous by the most con-
servative. The whole secret Of the trip
rests in the fact thct there is logic at both
ends of the line, aud order all through
the route-binding the trains together,
keeping everything adjusted, moving
everything OH the stroke, losing no time,
but Outstanding every tick of the clock.
The problem is simple one, aud yet the
result is mighty one.
The train must cover mile every two
minutes from the time it leaves New
York till it stops in Atlanta. This is
easy enough to do, for trains are often
run mile in one minute for mere sport,
and yet the steady work of telling Oft
a mile every two minute-ouly elev-
en- seconds faster than horse has trotted
it, and twenty seconds slower than q
score of horses have run it-this steady
work makes up the total of SOB miles in
2S3 hours-and gives Atlanta a miracle
in the way of transp -rtation.
THE PRATIcAL BENEFITS OF THIS.
But we may be asked what benefit At
lcnta gets from all this. The reply is
simple. :,
It has been said that Atlanta could
have afforded to have sunk the $3OO;0OO
she lost on the Air Line, for the good
that road did the city the first year it run
through. We say that Atlanta could
easily have afforded to have lost twice
that sum for the single boom of this fast
mail train.
We now get the papers from New
York the day after they are published.
That is, the Sunday papers are brought
into Atlanta mt 11.55 on Monday night,
so that we get them on Tuesdays morn
ing. We get the papers the morning
after they are printed that is, Sundays
Herald is Oh sale in Atlanta on Monday
morning at $50. SO there is just day
saved.
A letter is now written in New York
City, on, say Saturday night. It leaves
New York Sunday morning and reaches
Atlanta Monday night at 1l.55 and can
be delivered in Atlanta by Tuesdays
mail. Under the fast mail it will be de.
livered in Atlanta by Monday mornings
mail at 10 o'clock. So there is a day
saved.
The advantages are just as apparent
for mails coming nothward. All bank
ers and business men know what terri
BILE rush it has always been to get off their
days mail on the o'clock train. Indeed
the banks are often virtually days bus.
mess behind with New York. This mail
can now be prepared leisurely and placed
on the $40 train at night-when it will
reach Washington ard New York just as
soon as ifput on the o'clock train. This
is yirtuallya day saved. Of course it is
the same with passengers as with letters.
By taking this fast mail from I to 10
hours can saved, which is virtually a
days work. The advantages of the fast
mail are so obvious that they do not
need discussi n.
THE MEN WHO GAVE US THE FAST NAIL.
II is only just that we should know the
men to whom we are indebted for this
fast mail. Out of the large appropria.
ton made for fast mails, Atlanta is the
only southern city that gets the benefit
of Il really fast schedule, such as the
great cities Of the north and west have.
Colonel Foreacre and Colonel Hous.
ton, of the Airline road, and Colonel
Pope, of the Atlantic Coast Line, have
been persistent in their efforts to get a
fast mail line established for the past
several years. They have worked to
this one end, in season and out of season.
They have shortened up their schedules,
quickened their time, and in every way
tried to tempt the authorities to put on a
fast mail.
At length they succeeded in interest
ing Mr. w. B. Thompson, manager oi
railway mail service, and Mr.. Terrell,
the efficient superintendent of mail ser.
vice stationed in Atlanta. These gen.
tlemen went to work in the matter, and
after repeated trials succeeded in getting
what IVES needed. The result of the
experiment has excited much interest,
and ex-Postmaster General Key with Mr..
Terrell went over the route with the first
fast train to see how it would work.
And now what of the future? When
will this fast mail be considered slow
Under the present arrangement it could
be shortened three hours. But we read
that two engines have just been made fol
Colonel Roberts, of Pennsylvania, that
have run go miles an hour easily, and &C
$50 miles without stopping. One oI
these engines could run from New York
to Atlanta in IL hours with all ease
When shall we leave New York al
breakfast and take early supper in At
lanta?