Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-02-28
KILLING MAIL AGENTS.
Pertinent Remarks or Post once Inspector.

do you notice how many of our rail-
way mail clerks are killed in railroad
accidents?n asked General Cameron,
Post Office Inspector, of a Republican
reporter Saturday. The news-gatherer
admitted that he seldom read of an ac-
cident to passenger train which did
not result in the death of one or more of
the mail agents, and General Cameron
continued:
well, it's shame that so many of
these boys should be sacrificed. Only
short time ago, IN New York, four
were killed at one time, and that sort
of thing frequently occurs"
WHATS the cause of itpn was asked.
The fact that the boys didn't have
any chance for their lives Some of
them might escape when an accident
occurs, if they could have any warning
OF the danger. but they can't under the
present order of things. You know, the
mail car is placed just next the engine
IN making up a train of cars. Then
comes the fruit car, then the express and
then the baggage car, followed by the
| passenger coaches.
lit is easy to appreciate the reason
| for this arrangement. 1t gets the prop
erty OF the railroad company, and that
for which it is responsible, as far away
as possible. Now. our boys get killed
in this way. You know the inside of a
postal car is fitted with partitions and
compartments for the reception of mails,
and furthermore, that the boys are busy
distributing mails between stations. If
they ran to the door at every foot of
the whistle to see if danger was ahead.
they would never get their work done
The baggagemen and express agents
transact their business at each station
at which they stop, and hence can, if
they choose, always be on the alert for
danger. But the mail boys, busy at
at work, have no thought of it-they
are too much occupied with their work.
The engineer and fireman even have
a better chance for life than these BOYS
If they see danger ahead they can pre-
pare to jump, and they also know just
at what time escape is possible, if at all
The sound of the alarm whistle may
reach the ears of one whose mind is
not occupied, but it would hardly reach
those of one busily endeavoring to de-
|
an ordinary mortal. Consequently,
when an accident occurs the mail agents
are among the first to receive the shock,
and also to go down to death in the
wreck. If they are not killed outright
by the shock, they are either killed OIL
MANNED by the broken wood and iron
which fills their cars
What do you propose as a remedy
for this state of affairsp"
II think Congress should pass law
requiring all mail cars to be carried
next to the passenger coaches. OF
course this would simply put some one
else in the place of danger. But some
thing of this kind should be done, never
| theless. | am not anxious to see the
express agents nor baggage masters
killed, but if somebody must run the
chances of sacrifice, | believe one or
two lives had better chance the danger
| than four or five, 1t would be very
| good idea to put che fruit cars on next
to the engine. and give them the bene-
fit of the first shock. It's better, /
think, to lose dozen barrels of apples
than to smash up three or four men.
''Then. for another reason, the mails
| will stand much better show of being
saved if they are put back next to the
passenger cars. Nearly every mail car
carries many documents of great value.
If the car is next TO the engine, and a
broken bridge is encountered, not only
are lives lost, but the mail, or at least
a greater portion Of it, is lost. If col
lision occurs the car is liable to take fire
and burn up. In the express car the
valuable documents are in the safe,
which defies fire and water, while the
heavier articles stand anexcelIent chance
of resisting destruction from ether OF
| these sources.
These are few of the reasons why
| think the present way of carrying the
mails should be altered, and, as said
before, the mail car should be placed
next the passenger coaches. The mail
boys feel their perilous position keenly,
| and would welcome any change that
would make it possible for them to have
warning of danger and no opportunity
to escape.-DenUer Republican.