Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-23
THE HOLIDAY RUSH.
heavy Business At the Express once
and Post once.

The Southern Express Company's
Offices and the post Office are busy places
! this week. The huge piles of boxes and
nondescrlpt bundles, big, little, and of all
/ ICES and kinds from the cumbrous box
! full OF nobody knows what to the suspi-
cious looking black jug, with the neck
! sealed, and even to . canary bird cage,
bird and all, piled up in the express once
LAST night told of the near approach or
: Christmas. The messengers are busy,
the clerks are busy, the drivers are busy,
and everybody about the office ls busy
and will be until the holidays are over.
Attic post office the rush began last
week, and has been getting heavier every
/ day. The mails are loaded down with
Packages and missiYes of all sizes, shapes
aud kinds. The Christmas card is the
thing that the clerks and carriers have
the most trouble with. They are all sizes,
from the big and bulky prize card in
box foot square down to the diminutlye
card so small that the envelope is hardly
large enough 10 write the address on.
When the clerks assert the mail as II
comes into the office the big card
gets alongside the little card, and
the packages are awkward and bulky.
The custom of sending Christmas cards
is becoming more general every year.
! ears ago st. alentine's day loaded the
DOstmen's pouches, but the festival of the
February saint has had to give way to
Christmas. Extra pouches were sent out
yesterday on ali trains. and the route
agents mad all the work they could
handle. The mailing department was
piled from the floor almost to
the ceiling last night To-day and
to-mOrroW's mails will be heavier still.
The amount OF mail matter handled this
week VIII be more than double that OF
last week and the week before. If old
st. Nicholas could get into his pack all
the merchandise that Uncle Sam gets into
the mail pouches there would be enough
TO I'LL all the little stockings that will be
hung up tomorrow night all over the
country.
towards OF forty tons of express mat
ter was shipped out Of Savannah yester-
day by the Southern Express Company.
six cars were sent out loaded, aud when
NEWS reporter dropped into the COM
pany's Office last night there looked to be
enough there for six car loads more,
Seventy thousand pounds of express
freight is a good deal to handle in q single
day, but it was done yesterday through the
Savannah office. This, it is understood, is
only the freight shipped out OF Savannah.
The amount coming in, although not 50
large, Is very heavy. 1t is estimated that
the shipments this week will be fully five
times greater than last week. Agent
Cooper is utilizing all the obtainable
storage room in the company's building,
and the clerks are busy day and night.
To facilitate the work of the Office it has
been necessary to have extra room, and
the basement Of the building has been
utilized as an additional billing depart
ment. The immense amount OF matter
to be handled just at this time, makes it
necessary for the clerks and employees to
exercise greater care to avoid confusion.
In order to facilitate the work and secure
quick transmission, shippers OF perish
able freight will do well to deliver all
shipments to the company as early as
possible. Agent Cooper has been kept on
the go for the past week, but under his
efficient management all matter has been
dispatched on time. The biggest work
will be to-day and tomorrow. After the
holidays business will settle back to its
usual state, but for the next week every
thing and everybody Will be rushed.