Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-01
THE SPECIAL MESSENGERS START.
Inaugurating the New Service at the
City Post ONCE.

1naugufot1ng the New Service at the
City Post ONCE.
AN EARLY MORNING SCENE AT THE OFFICE
THE FIRST LETTER NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
THE BoYs-How THE LAW WILL BE CARRIED
OUT IN THIS CITY.
Over a score of boys assembled in a room in
the basement ofthe city post office at seven
| O'Clock this morning. The boys ranged in size
from little fellows in knee breeches to tall and
slender lads approaching six feeet Overhead
| trucks were rolling and the work ofgetting out
the morning mail was in rapid progress.
Postmaster Conger appeared on the
scene with a fresh morning glory in
| his buttonhole, and descended at once
to the basement or cellar room where the
boys were congregated. Superintendent Bell,
of the city delivery, was also on hand, and the
clerk who was to take charge of the corps OF
special messengers, for these boys were the mes
sengers selected tO begin the new service this
| morning. A long table and a number of benches
were placed about the room. In the corner
near the door leading out upon street, a short
counter or desk had been improvised, and be-
hind this the clerk took his station. A large
Dook to contain the record ofletters dispatched
oy the messengers was spread open upon the
pocket memorandum books, to be used by the
| noys when delivering letters, was also lying on
INsTRUcTING THE BOYS.
The clerk called the boys up and assigned to
each number corresponding with the number
| ON the delivery book. Then Mr.. Bell made a
speech to the boys, telling them briefly what
their duties would be, and read the "instruc-
| uons to messengers" as follows:
All letters, when turned over to a messenger,
must be delivered with the utmost dispatch.
| Messengers must be orderly and well-behaved
| In the office and while delivering letters.
No messenger will be retained In employment
who Is not prompt and faithful in the discharge
of his duties, and who is not respectful to all
persons hQ hac hncip
Letters must in every case be delivered to the
person addressed to some one specially au-
tnorlzed TO receive his mail. In the absence of
the addresses or any one having such special au-
thortty from him the letter may be delivered to
any responsible member of the addressed
family, or any partner or clerk of his, to any
responsible person employed in his office, or to
the omcer or agent OF any firm, Incorporated
company or institution to which addressed.
The person to whom q letter is delivered
should sign his name in the last column of the
book and enter the precise time of delivery in
the column Immediately preceding.
II there be any postage due, postage due
stamps TO correspond to the amount must be
affixed to the letter, and the amount must be
collected by the messenger and turned over to
the Post Office.
Messengers will not be allowed car fare or
This delivery book must be left at the Post
Office after each trip. Care must be taken by
the messenger not to injure or soil it.
advice. 1t would be easy. he said, to get on the
wrong street, as the numbers between differ. mt
crOss-streets correspondent on parallel streets.
times made this error.
keep your eyes on the corner lamp-posts,"
Nj. Bel then turned edns 20 the letter sbute
through which special delivery letters are dis
spatched from the city delivery division, and
took out
THE FIRST LETTER
received. It was addressed to gentleman at
The EVENING STAR office. It was put into
book No. 1, and handed to messenger No. 1,
who happened to be q young gentleman in
Derby hat, named Joseph B. Johnston. He
started up the stone steps on an easy jog, and
down, and were quickly dispatched, in a SINH
lar way. While these boys were gone, Mr.. Con-
ger and Mr.: Bell talked over matters. Now and
then one of them raised his voice to deliver
some injunction to the boys. For example:
After a few minutes conversation with Mr. He'll,
Soy sns as
"You viii be careful" said the postmaster.
will notice the walls have been newly white
washed" The boys near the walls SHE'D out TO-
wards the middle Of the room and low CONVEX
sation was resumed. AS only eighteen deliv-
cry books had been received from the depart
ment, seven of the twenty-five messengers were
past three in the afternoon. The eighteen were
kept on duty, because the postm aster did not
know what demands might be made on the
Meanwhile messenger No. 1 returned from
his trip. His delivery book showed that he had
delivered the letter to THE STAR office four
minutes after it was given TO him.
He said to STAR reporter that no one had
waylaid him, or attempted to obstruct or him
he walked. One of the boys said they would
not make much money if they had only one
letter day to deliver.
SPECIAL "DRoP."
Postmaster Conger said that big placard
will be put up over one of the slots or "le:ter
drops in the public part Of the office announc-
ing that local letters for special delivery shall
be dropped there. The letter will fall upon a
table in the dispatching room and Be separate
from ordinary letters They will be turned over
at once to stamper stamped and thrown into
hand, which he will pull, and a messenger will
carry the letter OR letters over to the delivery
room. where they will be dispatched down
through the Slot before it viii leave the ofREce.
letter in the wrong slot, 1t will not be more than
five minutes before the letter is reached" It
was expected this morning that later in the
day the special delivery business would pick
up considerably. One man who came to the
Office with letter bearing a special delivery
as to be sure it would be delivered Quickly.
The clerks and carriers in the Office were not
accustomed to the stamps this morning. and did
of the Postmaster General require that in MAX
ing packages Of letters the special delivery let
CeTS Shall Dc put on the OUTSIDE, SO that thew
may be handled at once. This Injunction has
not yet been strictly observed.
MESSENGERS AT BRANCH STATIONS
Postmaster Conger thinks the service will be
used largely for local letters Messengers will
be stationed at the branch offices in West
Washington and Capitol Hill and on street
near 18TH He could, he said, keep the bows at
the main Office for day or two until thew are
familiar with their duties and then send num-
Der to the branch offices. The boys will deliver
letters anywhere within the city delivery. and
an effort will be made to SO alternate that each
boy will have fair chance. 1t is thought the |
bankers and other business men in the neigh
borhood Of 18th street will patronize the ser. |
vice at the F-street branch considerably.
THE MESSENGERS NOT MAKING MUCH YET.
Up to one o'clock to-day only twenty-eight |
special delivery letters had been received and |
delivered. In cases where letters were re- |
ceived at the branch stations to-day, messen. |
gers were sent from the main office to get them.
or the twenty-eight letters, sixteen were local |
letters, four were pOstmarked at the East Cap
itOl stations, and the remainder were from out |
of the city. The boys had had about two trips |
each. Tell the people," said one of the small /
boys to STAR reporter, ito hurry up and mail |
some letters" Another boy said, in q very SER |
ious way, that Il business did not improve he |
would be forced to tender his resignation. |
why, haven't earned enough yet" he said, |