The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-08-28

1t was twenty years ago that the rail.
way postoffice took the place of the
old distributing offices. You know
certain postoflices, designated for the
purpose, used to receive and collect
the mails both in large parcels and sep
arate package from various points for
particular regions of country, aud then
distribute them to the various places
to which they were addressed. These
were called distributing offices, and
served as landmarks to guide the
course of the mails to distant points
They received them in bulk from the
mailing offices, and after asserting them
with regard TO their respective desti-
nation, dispatched them by rail in
charge of the baggage master.
"Ths system of asserting in the sta
tionary Office was slow process. While
the work was moving slowly on time
was flying and SO were the railroad
cars, but the mail was standing still in
the same place. Twenty years ago it
occurred to somebody that the work Of
distribution could be done on the rail.
road car while it was flying along to
lis destination, and thus the work was
removed from the distributing offices.
Railway postal clerks or, as they were
then called, route agents, took their
places. AT first the number of hands
were comparatively small. During the
first year or two their number was not
above 800 or 400 for the whole count
ry, but now there are more than ten
times that number constantly
engaged. Sometimes there are as many
as sixteen clerks aboard single train
gong from New York city.
''On an average railway postal
clerk works about fourteen hours
a night for six consecutive nights, then
he has six nights off. The men who
60 from Washington to New York to-
night, will return with the mail train
from New York to Washington to-
morrow night, and will keep OH going
between the two cities night after night
then thoy rest for the next six. On
the through mail TO st. Louis one set
of men work from Baltimore TO Graf
ton, where they are relieved by anoth.
er set, who proceed to Cincinnati, and
third relay take up the work there
and 90 to st. Louis. This is how all
the through lines are managed. One
set of men always travel between the
same two points.
Carrying the mails is not the fun it
used to be in the old coaching days Z"
"No; there was no room for staff
of distributing clerks on the old stages
Why, sometimes there wasn't even
room enough for the mails. When
people began to be numerous and the
number of letters increased, aud es.
pecially when the newspapers began
to be formidable both in size and
weight formidable, / mean, for two
horse stage. You know the roads were
none too good, and when the old ma
chine got stuck in hole it was quite
the custom to heave the mails, especial.
ly the newspapers, which were twenty |
or thirty times the weight and size of
the letters, overheard, so that the pas.
sengers might have room, and the stage |
with its lighter burden might trudge |
on. But the stages were independent |
institutions. 1t was only at their own
that they would take the
mail. The money had good deal to
do with the matter. You know the
stage would not take the letters until |
a sufficient number of them had accu-
mulated to pay expenses, and often
they might lay in postoffice for weeks
before Mr.. Stacey would think the
quantity sufficient to trouble with.
'.And when the railroads came into |
use fifty years ago they were very little
better for speed or regularity ; in fact
the stages beat the railroads for some
time. In the last years of the coach
ing period, you know, the distance be-
tween Philadelphia and New York was
covered in six hours, being at the rate
Of fifteen miles an hour, whereas for
the first week or 80 the railroads com.
planned that eleven miles an hour was
TOO much to ask for the money. As a
matter of fact the stages kept the mails
from the railroads for good while on
q score of speed. However, 1t was but
, short time, and the stage had to CO.
But thirty years ago $50 route agents
md "a local agents performed all the
work required in handling the mail
or the whole country.
"Do you know that at present more
han l20 tons of mail matter leave
New York city every day. Some
'ears ago, when great deal of the dis
was done in the city Office,
he WORK fell behind, and there was a
,reat accumulation of paper mails on
certain days of each week. The de-
'artment then arranged with the pub.
ishers to separate their mails by states,
nd by this means the block was en-.
irely overcome. At present one-half
+ the newspaper mail received at the
lew York Office for distribution pass
s through it intact to the railway
flice."