Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-07-17
THE RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.
An Interesting Description Of the Post
office ON WheeIa

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An Interesting Description Of the Post.
Office on Wheels.
In 1911 there were 1904 postofices.
and during the year the mail was car
ried 46, $50 miles in stages, and 81, III
miles in sulkies and on horseback. In
1888 the railway mail service began
with 1913 miles of railroad through.
out the country. In 1916 mails were
carried 1902 miles of railway, which
increased Is 1882 to 100, 563 miles. 1.-THE
miles of annual transportation of mail
by railroad In 1852 amounted to Ii, 0S2,-
766, which increased to lib, 995, 318 in
1882, with an increase in the number OF
railway mail service employees from 40
in 1916 to 3,072 in 1882.
The machinery of the Postofice De.
partment Is o system of cog-fitting
wheels In all its component parts; and
were it not so, in the necessarily linn
tied period and space allotted, the work
in postal-cars could not be successfully
accomplished. The interior dimensions
of postal-cars vary from whole cars
sixty feet in length to apartm snts FIVE
feet five inches in length by two feet
six inches in width The most compre.
hensive conception of the practical
working of the postal-car system can
be found in a railway postoffice car
from forty to sixty feet long. 1t is in
charge of four clerks, one of whom has
charge and makes the "trip report" in
which are noted connections missed and
other irregularities that may occur.
The interior of the car is fitted up with
carefully studied economy of space.
Occupying one end of the car are cases
of pigeon-holes or boxes, numbering
from 600 to 1000, arranged in the
shape of horseshoe, for the distribu,
ton of letters. These boxes are la
beled with the names of the postoffices
on the line of road, connecting lines,
States, and prominent cities and towns
throughout the country. A long, mar.
row aisle passes through the center OF
the car, on both sides of which are
racks for open sacks and pouches, into
which packets of letters and pieces of
other mail matter are thrown; on the
sides above are rows of suspended
pouches with the mouths open. By
this plan upward of 200 different
pouches and sacks can be distributed
of the aisle is narrow counter, upon
which the mail matter is emptied from
the pouches and sacks. This is hinged
back to enable the clerks to get at the
pouches more easily. The space be-
yond, divided by stanchions, is for the
storage of mails and for their separa-
ton into piles. The lights in the car
are kept burning from the start to the
finish, in order not to lose time in tun-
nels and dark stations.
The work in the car begins some
times several hours before the starting
of the train. Transfer clerks and porters
deliver the pouches and sacks into the
car, the label of each being scanned
and checked by the clerks to detect if
all connections due are received, and
that no mail may be delayed by being
carried out on the road with the other
mail and returned. The two clerks to
whom is assigned the duty of distribut-
ing direct packages of letters and news
paper mail, including merchandise,
empty the pouches, out of which pour
packages of letters and circulars to be
distributed unbroken into pouches and
others labeled to this route and differ
erent States, which are in turn to be
separated into packages by routes,
States, and towns, to the letter case.
To the clerk in charge is assigned the
sorting of such letters as are destined
to distant routes or terminal connect
ing lines, and his associate or second
clerk is busy distributing letter mail
for local delivery. and into separations
for intermediate connections. In adj
dition to sorting letters, the clerk in
charge has the registered mail, which
requires special care in its reception
and delivery, booking, and receipting
therefor. Large pouches of registered
mail are also placed in his charge in
transit between large cities, and repre-
sent great value.
The peculiar footing of whistle, or
the peculiar movement of the train
around the curve, warns the fourth
clerk of "catch" station; the letter
mail for that postofiice is deposited by
the local clerk in the pouch, the lock is
snapped, the pouch is thrown out at
designated spot, and one is deity caught
without Stacking of the speed of the
train. The contents of the pouch thus
caught are quickly distributed, and the
work goes on. When the stations at
which pouches are caught are within
mile or two of each other, the greatest
activity is needed to assert the mail be-
tween stations.
The manner of catching the mail from
the track side is as follows: A crane
is erected near the track, having two
arms, between which the pouch is sus-
pended lightly, being held in such
way as to be easily caught by an iron
rod slightly turned at the end, which is
connected with bar across the door OF
the car.-Col. Z. p. Cheney.