Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-09-07

have business ability enough to conduct
them with some degree of satisfaction to
the people.
On last Tuesday night one Of the great
est calanites that ever afflicted any part
of the country occurred. Throughout the
entire Unien-in fact, the entire civilized
world-there was the greatest anxiety to
get the news OF it.
Strange as the statement may appear,
no newspaper mail left this city for the
South from Tuesday morning until the
following Friday or Saturday morning.
Thousands OF people who are dependent
upon the MORNING News for informa-
tion of current events OF the world were
left In the dark respecting the effects OF
the earthquake in other localities than
their own because the mail service
proved wholly unequal to the emergency,
and yet the officials at Washington loil
back in their easy chairs inflated with
the notion that they are managing the
mail service successfully! Ii the CON-
mittees of the House and Senate on post
Office affairs don't stir them up when
Congress meets it will not be because OF
the lack of complaints of indignant
people.
What excuse has the Post Office De-
partment for this outrage upon the people
of this sectioni They Will say, OF course,
that the SOuth-bound fast mail. which
takes the Savannah mail, was stopped at
Charleston for two days. But is that any
excuse? Trains went South from this city
every day and could have taken the nail
as well as not, and after Thursday the
regular mail trains were not delayed.
The route agents, however, neglected to
take the Savannah mails because they
were so crowded with the Northern mails.
What pitiable exhibition of misman
ment is all this What business man or
corporation would deserve to succeed
whose affairs were conducted In this
fashion!
The Postmaster OF this city sent the
mails TO the depot, and they were dumped
there, and there they remained, the gov
ernment officials being wholly Indifferent
apparently of the rights of thousands of
people VINO were anxiously looking for
their newspapers.
Ii this were new story it would not
probably arouse great deal Of indigna-
ton. The people who are the sufferers
would be willing to overlook one or two
failures to deliver the mails promptly.
The story, however. is an old one. The
people find that there is a failure in the
mails, not only frequently but on about
every occasion when the newspapers
contain news Of extraordinary interest.
The mail route through this city is from
Wilmington, n. O., to Jacksonville, Fla,
and If break occurs at any point along it
the entire mail service that passes over it
is paralyzed. In the recent trouble some
of the route agents we're caught in Char
lesion, but there were others, between this
city and Jacksonville, who could have
kept uD the service. These latter ones,
however, went over to Charleston in spite
of all efforts to get them to keep up the
service south of this city. They banked
up their cars all about Charleston, utterly
regardless Of the obligations of the gov
erRment to the public. There does not
appear to have been anybody clothed
with authority to order them to continue
III tHo iVCdlbl WhoIe bDcy WIRE H6eueU,
and, in fact, at headquarters there does
not appear TO have been any disposition
to find out the situation here or, If it were
known, no one OF the officials was capable
OF graphing with it.
The post Office in this city has not the
necessary force to handle the mails prop
erly. There are not clerks enough in the
mailing room. IT one is sick, or required
to perform extra work, his regular duties
are neglected. In fact, there are duties
which are now neglected for want OF nee
essary help. The office Is without a tele-
phone, and there is no way to get prompt
information from the railway depots re-
speeding the mails. Four or FIVE days
mails may accumulate there without the
Postmaster knowing anything about the
after, unless the contractor, who carries
the mails to and from the depots, informs
him. The Postmaster, the contractors
and the route agents have no connection
with each other, and act independently,
with no head, apparently, to keep them
| In harmony. This being the condition of
affairs, is it to be wondered at that the
mail service is unsatisfactory
These mail troubles can be remedied bv
making the mail route from Savannah to
! jacksonville separate one, so that
| agents may run from this city to Jack
sonville and hack. Under the present
system Savannah has no better mail IA
cilities than cross-road station on q fast
mail route.