Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-07-26
The Wall Messenger Service

HOW THE NAIL Is DELIVERED TO AND TAKEN FRou
POST OFFICES MAN WHO GIFTS ONE CENT A
YEAR
The railroad and steamboat companies carrying
the United States mails are required 70 deliver 20
and take them from post orices located within a
quarter OF a mile nom their stations or landings
as the case may be; but when the ONCE is over
that distance the government assumes the cost OF
transportation. To perform this work a class of
persons, known as mail messengers. are employed
They are under the direction OF the Second Assist
ant Postmaster General, and are paid at various
rates, from one cent 20 $500 each per annum The
one cent fellow Is, strange TO saw an Ohio man.
Clairsville and Wheeling. a distance OF lik miles
each way. He therefore has 20 travel 7,i7s miles
before earning his penny. Next TO him In the low
rates OF compensation is a man on Long Island
n. Y, who performs service as often as required
between Moriches and the railroad station, two
miles each way, for fifteen cents per annumL
THE CHEAPEST SERVICE
is procured in Virginia, while the New Mexican
demands the highest rate for his labor The
Post ONCE department has just published list OF
all the Offices in alphabetical order by states at
which these messengers are employed, giving the
county, the corporate title OF the railroad from
which the ONCE Is supplied, and the distance 20
was prepared for the printer by Captain Chas. &
Joyce corresponding clerk In charge OF this branch
OF the service, and his assistant Mr.. j. l. Porter
ana the typographical work was done In the Job
rSS 81 5ns sEyernmsn5 printing once such
mail service, also 70 the employees OF the typo
graphers office. This is the first time the list has
been printed. IL shows that the messengers are
pretty well scattered throughout the United
states along the railways and rivers from the
Canadian 10 the Mexican borders and from the At
lantic TO the Pacific oceans
THE ROSTER OF THE nEssENGERs
The state OF Maine has 80: New Hampshire. "a:
Vermont, Il; Massachusetts, 17s; Rhode Island, %:
Connecticut 1o9; New York, 6e5; New jersey ia:
Pennsylvania, 514; Delaware, 10; Maryland IS:
Virginia, W1; West Virginia, "a North Carolina.
As: South Carolina, 81; Georgia. 80: Florida 30:
Alabama, 81: Mississippi. -; Tennessee, SO; Ken
lucky, -: Ohio, 459: Indiana, 246; illinois, 255;
Michigan, 2l4; Wisconsin, 175; Minnesota 81: Iowa.
"a; Missouri, lis; Arkansas, -; Louisiana, IS;
Texas, 40; Kansas. 1i2 Nebraska, 20: Dakota, %;
Montana, 1; Wyoming, 4; Colorado. 40; New Mex
leo, II; Utah, %; Idaho, 8: Arizona, s; Washing
ton Territory, 12; Nevada. 3; oregon, 10, and
California 6l; making In all 1894 For the maln-
tainance OF this brigade Congress appropriated
eight hundred thousand dollars for the present
fiscal year, or an average OF $165. ~ 10 each man
employed. The clerk In charge says that n the
Post Office department could avail itself OF the
services OF few hundred patriots like the Ohio
man and the Long Islander there would be no
dl1nculty In making the appropriation hold out,
out as this class or citizens scarce II will re-
quire strict economy TO keep within the Congress
Slona limit as the service is rapidly increasing.