Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-05-02
AN EMPTY MAIL POUCH.
THE MYSTERIES OF MAIL TRANS
PORTATION ON THE RITER
The Empty Pouch Which Went Rollicking
Up and Down From st. Paul to st. Louis
and Vice Versa-Commodore Davidson's
Contract st. Paul Parties Don't Know
About the Matter.
[Chicago Tribune, April 80. !

money in the star mail service, but not all tn
extravaganza in the postofice department i
confined to that branch of the service. An in
stance may be found, not far from Chicago
which illustrates in the most striking name
how thousands of dollars can be spent withou
comforting shadows of benefit upon anybody
except the contractor. Last year contract wal
made with William F. Davidson to carry daily
mail by packet from st. Paul to st. Louis a
S71.90 per annum, the term commencing July
1, 1880, and ending June 80, 1881. To carry
mail from st. Paul to st. Louis by boat takes
about five days: to do it by rail takes one. The
service in question was to be through service
between the two cities. This route was dis
continued March 81, 1851. There was paid
regularly the quarterly pay of S17,l97 from
July OF last year to March 81 of this year
with one months extra pay on the discontin.
tinuance of the route. The amount of extra
pay was 1882 There was deducted from the
pay for failure to perform the service during
and during the third, S15,698. The total
amount paid for this extraordinary service
for the three quarters, including the de.
ductions, was S29,9S0. The extent Of
service rendered may be under
stood from the fact that, after the first protest
against carrying mails in this way had been
overruled, the postofflce clerks made up an
daily from St. Paul to st. Louis. To put let
ters into it and to delay them four days was
something which they would not consent to
do So during the life of the contract the
postofflce authorities went through the farce
of paying man $4,000 for
CARRYING AM EMPTY SACK
back and forth between st. Paul and st. Louis
For the purpose of getting what other infor-
nation he could concerning this subject, a
reporter yesterday called upon Capt. White,
of the railway mail service, whose district ex-
tends west of the Mississippi river, and inter
viewed him, with the following result:
"What necessity was there for this scryice!"
the reporter asked Of Capt. White.
'tNone whatever" "
"Why not?"
'tBecause on that portion of the route lying
between st. Paul and Keokuk every office is
supplied by railroad, and no mail was ever
carried on that boat to my knowledge between
those two points. The only thing l know of
their carrying was an empty pouch. The
postmaster at st. Paul told Inc that he had re-
ceived instructions from the second assistant
postmaster-ge general to forward pouch to St.
Louis, Mo-, daily, and asked me what he
should do. In reply, ordered him to COM
ply with the order by sending a pouch ont
with no mail in it.
"Dd the postofice department communi-
cate with you at all before the route was estab-
lished?"
eyes, Mr.. Ray 2. Eaton, representing the
second assistant postmaster general came to
this office to look into the matter, and l took
him TO the maps and showed him that there
was no necessity for route, as there was no
Office along the route that could be supplied
by steamboat service that was not already sup
piled better by the railroad service, and he
seemed to agree with me-"
Mr.. Campbell, chief clerk of the Sixth Dl-
vision, who was by when the conversation
progressed, remarked at this point:
"Mr. Eaton informed me that he was so we'll
satisfied that the route was useless that he
would return TO Washington without going
over it'
"The route, however, was established short
ly afterwards" )" Capt. White added.
"Did you have any communication with the
department on the subject of the routes es-
tablishment?" the reporter asked.
In reply Capt. White showed copy of
letter he had written to the Hon. William B.
Thompson, Superintendent of the Railway
Mail Service, as follows:
CHICAGO, June so, 1SS0.-Dear Sir: Daily
bulletin No. 81 from your office gives notice
of the establishment of route No. 20,095
(steamboat service) from st. Louis, Mo-, to st.
Paul, Mimi, to take effect July /, 1880.
Having made careful examination of the
points touched by this route, Ihave the honor
less and connot be made available in the for
warding of mails, as every point north of Keo-
kuk, Ia, is now supplied better and more
quickly by routes heretofore established, and to
attempt to forward mails by this route could
only RESULT in the serious delay of the mails and
consequent complaints from the public. That
portion of the route between st. Louis, Mo-,
and Keokuk, Ia., can be utilized to limited
extent in supplying few fourth-class offices,
but is already covered by a steamboat route
from st. Louis to Keokuk
Already remonstrances against any attempt
to forward mail by this route are being receiv-
ed at this Office, and in view of the fact that
steamboats, in the Mississippi River make no
pretension to any schedule and frequently lie
at landings from one to five hours loading and
unloading freight, earnestly recommend
and urge the prompt discontinuance of the
route. Very respectfully,
JAMES E. WHITE, Superintendent.
NO REPLY
"Did you receive any answer to this?"
81 did not, and July l wrote to Mr..
Thompson, telling him that had, the month
before, in Washington, a conversation with
Postofice Inspector Ray P Eaton and others
OF the postoffice department, touching the
establishment of mail service by steamboats,
when l stated that such service would be use
less, as the proposed route was already covered
by existing railroad routes, and that in my
Judgment no mail could be forwarded by
steamboats, along the Mississippi river above
Quincy without delaying the same.
81 informed Mr. Thompson that, notwith-
standing my protest, this service was ordered
to go into effect on July 1, 1880, and the post
master at st. Paul having received notice
from the contract Office asked instruction of
this office as to what mails should be dis
patched by river, at the same time stating
that he knew of none that could be sent with
out delaying the same. l directed him to
send none.
''In that letter l also notified Mr.. Thomp-
son that / had been advised that the post
master at st. Paul, iMinn, had been, under
telegraphic instructions from the honorable
postmaster general, daily dispatching one
empty pouch labeled st. Louis, Mo-, by this
steamboat route.
81 closed my letter to the. department-that
is, to see the Hon. William B. Thompson,
general superintendent of the railway mail
service-as follows:
This office proposes and intends to obey
and carry out all orders and instructions re-
eeived from the department in regard to the
disposition to be made of the mails, but as the
dispatch of the mails by this route is certain
to result in delays and complaints from the
public and the press, l do not fee
like assuming any responsibility il
the premises, and therefore re
spectfully request that clear and explicit in
sfrunti0pc poov he oiV Van mo 10 VI hot if o,,x