Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-04-13
THE PEOPLES SERVANT.
T7s RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE
4 Few Facts Relative 10 rs earis his
tory. Growth an0 Present Magni-
tuoe Something OF the Em-
ploges ano heir Duties
BY A~a


sal8Ts not exceeding $50 Ter anuuIA. har-
ny that probationary period they have a
ease examination every thirty days. and al
TIE expiration Of the six months thes gnasi
DC able 10 distribute correctly al least ~ per
cent. Of tie State OF States thes work WHEN
on duty, and otherwise demonstrate or dis
close general apiness for their position, or
fail 10 receive d perul8 nent appointment.
During the past year. only about seventy
five per cent. of the pTobationers succeeded
ia passing muster al the end OF their terms.
Case examinations are conducted a. follows.
The names of the post offices IN given State
are written upon cards, the number OF cards
corresponding 10 the total number of Offices
Ia that State, each card representing a letter
for the Office named upon II. The clerk IN
der examination distributes these cards IL
miniature letter case. appropriately labelled
for all the routes and junction Offices III the
State, after which they are carefully IN
spected by the examiner, Who notes ali Tie
errors and makes a record of the result
There are about ,635 post Offices Ia Michi-
gan, and they are supplied with mail by
seventy -one railway and large number OF
stage lines and otter star routes To pass
muster on Michigan, therefore. a clerk must
be able 10 correctly distribute al least Az
of these cards. II his route extends into
Indiana. which has about SO offices, be
must be able 10 do proporuonaiely well by
that State. IL ms route takes him INTO In
diana anG Ohio, a. some Of them DO, he must
also master the latter State. which has about
.. 20 offices. dc must not only know by
what route each Office n supplied, but where
an Office II served by two or more FOsteS, a.
many are, he must know which route Viii
take mail there quickest from hls then stand
point. Thus II Will be seen that "A case e1-
animation Is "a test by means of which
clerks ability 10 correctly distribute the
mail for any given State. II determined aud
demonstrated, through the use of an imag-
mary mail. consisting of a card addressed
TO each Office II the State.
IA glance AT the map Of any State dlsclOses
a may network of railways. TO and from
all points of the compass, IA straight and ln
curved lines, they cross md recrOSs each
other IN a bewIldering way. Scarcely a
county l. without al least one railroad. and
many have several, with numerous points of
intersection. or functions. Add 10 these the
stage lines and other star routes which
traverse the country everywhere. and va
have a network like unto that OF the blood
vessels and neTN g. of the human body; and
the medical student who has spent years Ia
learning the location. names and functions
of these VEINS ana nerves, may be able 10
form some idea of what postal clerk - re-
0uired 10 memOrlze. Ia short. II requlrts
patient and exhaustive study, a highly re-
tentlve memory, constant revision, mind
unburdened with other cares, healthy.
active body and Willingness to work, 10 make
"A tirst-class postal clerk And We venture
the assertion that the amount of study done
by most of those who have been Ia the hall-
way Mail Service for a series OF years. sur
passes by far the time devoted TO study 10y
many OF cur professional men. Particularly
is this the case with the clerks assigned 10
duty on the New York Chicago *. 4. O.,
which IL the most gigantic railway mali line
IN the world. II beng the man artery for
mail communication between that pOpulOus
region embracing New York and t1e New
England States. and the Great Vest and
Northwest Ii l. 81 miles III length, aud is
divided into three divisions, as follows:
Eastern Division, New York 10 Syracuse,
80 miles; Middle Division. Syracuse 10
Cleveland, .s5 miles West Division, Cleve-
land TO Chicago, .k51 miles. Ii has three
regular mail trains each way every twenty
four hours. each train having two mail car~.
which run through from one terminal point
to the other. Each tram has crew Of from
seven TO ten men. who run from one termiD-
al point 10 the other of their respective d.
visions. and something over 300 clerks are
employed on the entire line. each clerk being
on duty seven days and nights. and of duty
a like period. Ou tins line newspaper mail
"a well a. letter mail D. worked hy route for
almost every State and Territory IN the
Union. To accomplish this. each clerk has
certain State or States assigned him -
work going east, and certain oihers 10 work
going west. which requires him TO under
stand the distribution Of several States. a.
many cases a. high a. seven or eight
The postal clerks task not only involves
vast amount of men ntal effort and discipline.
but active and exhaustive physical labor.
ON long runs be- is on has feet many con
secutive hOurs. sometimes az high ~ eighteen
or twenty out OF each twenty four. and the
muscular effort Necessary t. DeutTallze or
counter balance the rocking aud Jogging
motion of the train n much more fauguuZ
than like number of hours V0uid ot on
stationary floor. When has train is several
hours late. a. T. frequently the ca-e- getting
ia barely in tame - start 0n the return
trIp. perhaps-he Is ca dDty without rest
from forty - forts eight hours. TIE fol
l0 wing extract from the January report u
one Of the Neu York a Chicago y T. %.
clerks assigned 10 duty on the fast mai
trains, vii give toe reader something of an
idea II ms duties, and the rate of speed he
has 10 work Letters and papers distributed
during twenty one days ~ Jaugsry. lss-e-
For Wisconsin. ~. ~. for MInne@ota. 4Nlfsi.
for Iowa. 80. foT Ioaho. 80. for CaiIfor
MA. .po0. for Nyouine. 40 for Indiana,
1000 for Michigan. lz.es. fpr Ono. a.
90 Pafers-For Indiana. 5.1si. fof Mich
gan. a.tfte for MIune10ta. I.4ti. MAKING
graud total N 3H.sH letters and 1860
r.suers. which - an average If s.ss sach
day. and reckoning teu hgur- - tse dag
Work. 80 each boar. ~ lf esch minute As
mach ~ Sire time B. ecculled In other iator
fhan disfrifsufiou. n follows fi.af Gre rate -
distribution uHsf i,e abolf ~ letters fsef
To-. i t..