Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-01-11
HOW THE MAILS ARE LANDED,
The Tiny Graft That Oo-operates With
the Ocean Carriers

l. ' NSW 4 vi ItteyfuW IluH ltCtIslN
~ 'ntered down the wharf of the Cunard
q. The big steamer had been report
ed early on the previous evening, and
he. mail had already been distributed
throughout the city. The reporter ex-
pected to find the ship snugly docked
and the passengers disembarking at
the hour Of 10 u. M, but such was not
the case. AT the end of the wharf was
lying the William Fletcher, that ubi-
quitous steamboat met at steamship ar
rivals, departures, regattas, excursions,
fires, wrecks. etc. In the pilot house
that he has filled for nearly fourteen
years sat Capt. j. G. Emmons. and
him the reporter accosted:
"Where is the steamer"
"Outside the bar"
"Why is she not IMP"
"The tide was too low when she got
there, and when it rose the fog shut
her out"
"But her mail is upp'
"Oh, yes; we brought it from near
the light-ship and landed it here at Q
o'clock last evening"
And then the captain explained
that the European mail was brought to
town and placed in the hands of read
ers while yet the steamer that brought
it was far out at sea.
"When a steamer is DUE" said the
captain, 1--WE arc ordered to lie at the
wharf of the company, to which the
telegraph report from Fire Island or
Sandy Hook is Immediately sent. We
must have steam up and the crew on
board when lying for a steamer at
night, as the competition is so great
between the fast mail lines that they
will brook no delay. So you see that
am virtually prisoner here much of
my time. ."
ave start Immediately, no matter
what the weather-icc, snow, gales, fog
we must at least make an attempt.
But we seldom fail to get the mail up
ahead of the steamer If the telegraph
gives US prompt notice of arrival. They
do not always do this, however.
'Our first stop is at the barge office,
where we take on board an officer of
customs to see that nothing but mail is
taken from the ship. Then we make
all haste toward the ship, meeting her
at quarantine or beyond the bar, as the
case may be. If a gale is blowing we
take the windward shore for smooth
water. If the ice is running we try to
avoid it; if we cannot get around it we
crash through it. l was once about two
hours getting from the Battery to the
Cunard dock with mail on board If
it is foggy we proceed at half-speed by
compass, sounding the whistle fire.
quently, listening for bells, horns and
whistles, occasionally using the lead.
| had queer experience once in the
fog. towed vessel to sea safely and
left her off the light-ship. We then
groped our way back to the hook and
steered for steamers anchor bell in
the lower bay. 1t proved to be the
Parthia, for which we were to wait that
night. The officers thought we came
down to look for them, and congratu-
lated us upon our skill in fog. We
put the mail on board and found our
way to the city before the fog lifted.
But sometimes we go to quarantine or
sea upon false report. Occasionally
we find the steamer aground or dis
abled when we reach her, and so are
able to render immediate assistance.
Yes, we frequently take the mail out
side in a heavy sea. never lost bag
of mail matter.
after the mail is all on board and
snugly slowed away out of the wet we
take an officer of the steamer on board
and make all haste for the city. The
mails are taken ashore and loaded In
huge trucks and ratified away to the
postofficc. We have had as many as
eight hundred bags at once. The or
dinarv number now is three to four
lr, roI haorc \Nhnn 7 ,,,to
the mail business in the George Birk-
beck, twenty years ago, there was not
so large number. Then the steamer
would anchor in the stream, fire a gun,
and We would. go for her. We would
take the dozen bags or more to the old
barge Office, throw them into an express
wagon, and, if no horse was ready, run
them to the postoffice ourselves. The
Australian and New Zealand mails usu-
. ally double the quantity of bags. Some
times we take these mails out to a
steamer bound for Europe.
THE tide occasionally prevents mail
steamers awaiting the arrival of the
overland train from San Francisco The
postofficc officials are anxious to make
the connection and the fast time, so it
is arranged with the captain that he
wait outside the bar for the fast mail
boat. remember putting the mail on
board the Germania Off the Sandy Hook
light-ship once in north-easter that
was blowing great guns and the sea
, rolling even with the steamships deck.
2 We accomplished it safely, with only
the parting of some ropes Capt.
Kennedy put the ship head to the sea
and moved ahead slowly, and the mails
were piled into rope cheese sings six
> at time, and whipped up from the
fore yard-arm. Sometimes the steamer
. will start for the city as soon as we do
but we can cut across lots where she
!. cannot float, and so we beat her up
Yes, these modern 'racehorses' can bea
us on any other boat in the harbor. w,
D must watch for every advantage to ge
= up ahead of them, and we generally
q