Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-03-16
THE PEOPLES SERVANT.
The RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
4 Fe~ Facts Relative TO us Early His
tory Growth ana Present Magni-
t0de Something OF the En-
pioyes and Their Duties.

BaEos soss


General Superintendent. double service,
that l., service twice day each way, Was
placed Oh many routes, and treble service
was established on feW OF the most import
ant through lines. lie also established al
interchange Of closed pouches, called FL
press pouches" whereby mails are forward
ed aud their delivery materially fastened By
Ineans of transportation on trains that are
not regular mail trains. A change was
made in the designation OF routes, the names
Of terminal points being used, instead Of the
corporate titles OF the railroads constituting
the routes. Many other Improvements and
reforms were inaugurated by Mr.. Bangs
and the Railway Mail Service made It's
greatest strides while under his supervision.
His successors found the system well de
yeloped, and there was little for them 10 do
except 10 perfect in detail some of the IN
finished framework already set up.
Chief among those who have held the
Office Of General Superintendent of late
years, is Hon. VIM. Is. Tho mpson, who
gradually climbed the ladder of promotion,
round by round, from route agency TO the
honorable and responsible position of Sec
ond Assistant Postmaster General and his
ever intelligent and faithful discharge of
duty has not only been of material advan-
tage TO the Government and the people. but
has reflected marked credit upon himself
While Mr.. Bangs Is entitled TO abundant
praise for the work he did In organizing and
developing the Railway Mail Service, Mr..
Thompson Is entitled 10 equal credit for
perfecting il IN its minutest particulars, and
bringing IL up TO It's present high standard.
His personal experience while ascending the
ladder of promotion, not only familiarized
him with every detail. but afforded ample
opportunity 10 observe where changes and
improvements were needed. And as Second
Assistant Postmaster General-that branch
of the Department having charge of the
transportation and distribution of the mails
he was pre-eminently the man for the
place. He knew when the work was proper
ly done, and was not obliged TO depend upon
the judgment or knowledge Of some subor-
dinate.
In order to form something like an intel
ligent idea of both the intricacy and magni-
tude of the Railway Mail Service. let Us look
into some of the details of its operation in
Grand Rapids and in Western Michigan
bearing in mind the fact that its opera
ton here Is only similar 10 that of every
Olher iocallty hdNlng Il Ike pOpulallOn anu
equal railroad facilities. Suppose We watch
the travels of dozen letters, deposited in
the post Office IN this city at in the after
noon of any week day, eight of them ad-
dressed 10 Michigan towns, as follows: Lud-
ington, Traverse City, Kalkaska, Cheboygan,
Newsygo, Benton Harbor, Battle Greek and
Adrian, and four 10 the following places in
other States Burlington, Ia, Erie, Pa.
Cincinnati, O., and New York City. The
first thing, of course, is the cancellation OF
the stamps and affixing postmark, the latter
showing the date and hour of the day the
letters were mailed Al the mailing clerks
distribution case those for Ludington,
Traverse City. Kalkaska and Cheboygan are
put into a package for the Cadillac and Fort
Wayne K. p. o., which leaves this city going
north at 5 p. m; that for Newaygo into
package for the Newaygo express pouch,
leaving this city at 4:l5 p. m, and reaching
Its destination about 8 p. M; that for Ben
ton Harbor into the express pouch
for that place, which leaves at
9:35 =. m, and reaches Benton
Harbor at 2:10 a. m; those for Battle Creek
and Adrian, and for Burlington. Iowa. and
Enc, Pa, to the Grand Rapids d Elkhart
K. II. O., leaving nj y. m; that for Cincin-
natl into an express pouch for that city,
leaving at 4:30 p. m. and arriving in Clncin-
natl about o'clock next morning, and that
for New York City to the Detroit i Grand
n. il.
Grand Haven d Milwaukee road al 1896 =.
m. The clerk in charge OF the Cadillac &
Fort Wayne X. L. o., IN distributing his
mail, places the letter for Ludington IN
package which he delivers to the west-bOund
Ludington Il Toledo clerk at Reed City at 3
p. m, and that clerk delivers il 10 the Lud-
ington post Office at 1915 the same night.
The letter for Traverse City goes into an eY-
press pouch for that place, made up and for
warded by the Cadillac Il Fort Wayne X. y.
q. every night: the letter for kalkaska into
a pouch for the clerk on g. r. 4 /. train six.
leaving Mackinaw City at 6 next morning,
and that for ChebOygan into pouch for the
clerk leaving Mackinaw City for Detroit over
the Mackinaw division of the VI. c. road at
n. IN. next day, and reaching Cheboygan three
quarters of an hour later On his run north
ward, the Cadillac 4 IT. Wayne clerk stops
a; Cadillac, but his train goes through to
Mackinaw City. arriving there at $40 a. m.
and by il he forwards made-up express mails
for Manton, Kingsley. Traverse City, Fife
Lake, kalkaska- Manceiona, Boyne fails,
Petoskey. Harbor SprIngs, Charlsvoly,
Mackinaw City. II. Ignace. Msckinac Island.
Mack. City 4 bet X. y. .. and Mack. City
4 Cd Rap. X. 4. @. The pouch sent the
latter contains mail for ali points north Of
Cadillac. not included in the express mails
Just enumerated. Its contents. carried past
their destination by the night train, are die
Mackinaw City At a. ~, and thu. the letter
for Kaikaska. mailed AZ 2 .. N. the day be
fore, reaches home AT 9,f5 a. IN. The eI-
press mail for Traverse City he forwards by
= MIXED train from Walton, and Il reaches
home at 12.50 .. m. The letter for AdrisD.
and that for Erie. Pa. the Cd Rap. 4 Elk
clerk puts into pouch for the New York 4
Chicago r. =. o.. bound eastward over the
old line Of the lake Shore road from
EIkhart The Adrian letter reaches
horne at 7.42 next morning. and the Erle
letter Al : g. ,. 10. same day The letter for
Burlington. Towa, ia delivered ~ Eikhsrt -
the " y 4 Chi. fast msii train bound wesf-
ward. and reaches Chicago 81 - minutes
past midnight There IL j. transferred -
TIE fast mail over the g. b. 4 y road. iesr-
ing Chicago AZ g. ~. and reaches Burilng
Ton shortly after noon. The New lork City
letter j. placed With other eastern express
mail which the Det 4 O "a Rap. clerk for
wards from Detroit over the Canada South-
EN- n the y. Y & Chi 4. y. -. b0Und essf-
wsrd from Bufslo. and it rsaches ifs desti-
ustion ~ g O'Clock fhe Derf evening sfte'
F leaving Grand Rapids Thus u vib be ses1
fraf nearly aN these letter. reached ffseIi
. respective destinations INSIDE q tvsuty -foU'
F hoars from me time teef were mailed. snS
that in the course ~ their trsnsIf. eech vas
ham7is5 by several different clerks
Had they been mailed II m
forenoon. ssy - = m-. AZ