Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1884-02-08
ALONG THE 0. 5. L..
The Postal Clerks DutieS--Heavy
Grades East OF POcatellO-The Best
WAY to Address Mail Matter.

Grades East OF POcatellO-The Best
Way to Address Mail Matter.
Nate kingsbury, who was recently
appointed Railway Postal Clerk on
the Oregon Short Line, came in yes
terday from his first trip. For the
present his run extends from Sho-
shone to Granger and back. Leaving
Shoshone at 1:20 a. M, his train
reaches Granger about 4 o'clock the
afternoon Of the same day. About s
the next morning the train leaves
Granger for Shoshone, which it reaches
at midnight. During this tri p Mr.
klngsbury is not allowed to be absent
from his car over 20 minutes at a time
and even then he must keep all the
doors locked, and everything as secure
as possible. He, in common with all
the Railway Postal Clerks, is armed,
and it is his duty to resist to the very
death any attempt to tamper with the
property in his charge. On arriving
at Shoshoue, he gets rest of three
days, while his "rclief" clerk makes
run. After while the service will
be extended to the end of the Oregon
Short Line, and additional clerks will
be put on; but the runs will doubtless
be much longer than now.
The Oregon Short Line runs through
a barren country much of the way;
but it will nevertheless control vast
traffic, and of the kind that pays rail-
ways the best, to wit: mining camp
freight and travel. A portion of the
road, however, runs through as fertile
country as can be found anywhere.
On one portion of the road, at least
that from Pocatello east to Twin
Creeks-the grades are SO heavy that
two engines must accompany every
train. At present the train from
Twin Creeks to HALEY is preceded, in
addition to the two engines, by a steam
snow-p pillow which keeps half an hour
ahead; and the chances OF accidents
are therefore greatly diminished. The
worst that could occur from the more
or less unsafe condition of the track
would be the derailing of the snow
pillow, which would soon bring the
mixed train following it to a halt
There is very little snow along tn,
line east of Twin Creeks to Granger
The latter-named place is simply /
way station on the main line of tn.
Union Pacific, and consists of al
hotel, general merchandise store
and a few shanties. All trains OF
both the Union Pacific and Oregon
Short Line stop there for meals. A
travel is very light, just now, the hote
does not make much.
Mr.. kingsbury says that the Woo
, River postmasters, except Mr.. Fuld
of HALEY, in making up their mai
frequently mix their packages an
bundles intended for the West wit
h those intended for the East. This
=, due principally to the practice of tn
o postmasters referred to IN directin
n their mail matter to the car, instea
v of to Shoshone. If they directed it t
:. Shoshone it would be stopped an
S sorted in that postoffice; but by direc
ing it to the car 1t has to be taken t
t Cokeville, Wyoming, and sent back
d thus involving an unnecessary della
n Of three days.
r. Something that has struck NJ
: kingsbury very forcibly as GOO
= thing is the practice ind llg ed in t
ot the TIMES, by T. r. Jones's ban
and others, of writing the Gestinatie