The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-05-12
The Mail Catcher,

Superlntenden Lowell, oil the ninth d.
vision railway mail service, forwarded to
the authorities at Washington the photo
graph Of q mail crane recently erected a.
Shawville, near Cleveland. The crane is
the giotet on which the mail pouch Is
hung to be caught by the last mail. There
are several designs OF cranes, nearly
ali of which are 80 constructed that the
arms OH which the pouch Is hung fall
down perpendicular with the post, when
the pouch Is snatched away by passing
train, working on the principle Of the well.
sweep. The crane erected at Shawville IL
designed to be OF pattern that Will Ia.
fringe on no other patent. The only pat
snt about II Is little iron catch for hold
ing the pouch In plsce, and this Is owned
personally by an official connected with
the ssIv ce. 80 ,..y-.sss ,,-,...s,s
The mail csfcher 10 use on the New York
Central and Lake shore fast pail was In
vented and ratentid by minister OF Berea
named Ward. The ONO minister, by the
way, has contributed not y litlls toward
the inventive industries of the country
The speed recorded In use on the n. Y, p
aud o. road was Invented by Buckeye
preacher The Rev. Mr. Ward receives q
royalty on his mall catchers aud de-
riveg comfortable but not Law.
ish income therefrom. They are con.
slructed on the principle Of the first aud
second fingers OF the hand attached to the
side of Car. When the malt pouch 10
caught In the angle at the Jun ction Of the
two fingers they are thrown over by o han.
die attached somewhat like the thumb, and
the pouch is held fast until the man having
hold OF the handle has time. to pull 1t out
OF tho catcher. "One dsy the Rev. Mr..
Ward, having Just improved his catcher
and made II stronger, was aboard
the fact mail train bound westward"
said Superintendent Lowell. He had
asked to be allowed to make the next catch
DO impossible to break the new catcher,
when the whistle for Silver Greek, Pennsyl.
vania, was heard, and he made ready for
the catcher. Now, the people Of Silver
Creek had long been using all possible
argument to compel the Lake
shore 10 stop its fast tain there,
and I suspect that the postm sster
helped to put up the job that resulted In
thu. practical joke. We were sailing along
the pouch. There was crash and the
next momeSt the Rev. Mr.. Ward stood at
the door Of the car with the oply remaining
fragment Of the catcher In his hand. The
meil-pouoh lay beside the track. tele-
eraphed back 10 have the pouch weighed
and discovered that 10 contained over 100
pounds Of circulars packed In as hard % a
OO8rus Wo now iinuit tuo WoiBAt VI
pouches to sixty pounds."
Sometimes an accident occurs from drop
ping Q pouch NJ a station. The department
10 always careful 10 make definite arrange.
ments with the railway authorities % 10
where the pouch shall be dropped, IN order
that 10 case Of accident the department
could not be held responsible. The fast
mail formerly stopped ct North Amhurst,
. small place between Cleveland and
Toledo, going westward, but did not
stop on the return trip. One day the
old man Who CARRIED the pouch from the dc.
pot 70 the post-ofnce thrust his head In ct
the car door and asked the boys to please
throw tbs pouch directly aE his lantern
when they came eastward at night. In order
70 save him the trouble OF looking for II In
the dark. The boys expostulated with him,
hut be insisted that ne would look out
for himself end the plan was agreed
70. That night e the train nsarsd
North Anssnt. the lone lantsrn
vas ssen out on The platform. and at
the proper moment the boys let go the
pouch. In IN instant The lantern oh0t up
about five feet In the cir aud then disap-
peared. The next day, on the west-bound
irip, 3 fnce We thrust sadly 10 es the door.
Il Ne one mas Of oourt-pIaeeer and
vou1ds. Il vss 6ually idsnsifisd - the
~ Of The uail<nrrief. 'Boys, drawled
-, dejsotedly. for beaven's sake don't
sSfpv bat pouch at The lsnSssn again:
Dfopit q sbog< m'ls eus 2, sosRt an IN
3 - a. H'"-f0lovo1on1 Heeo11.