National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-15
ON THE ROAD.
a Fow Trips on the Washington and
Petersburg Railway Postal Car.

Petersburg Railway Postal Car.
Weekly Bulletin, Fredericksburg, Va, Feb.
2, 1871
The railwayp postal car service, introduced
here about 1867, has, through improve
ments, become nearly perfect for sure and
quick transmittal Of mails throughout the
country. The cars are differently fitted to
suit their respective services. Here one
end is devoted to the paper mail. In IL
are four circular rows of boxes, ten In each
row, with movable fronts, labeled; capacity
oil each about three pecks. At the base,
Two feet, OF these boxes, and in the circle
formed thereby, is a table with sliding CEN
ter covered with zinc, where all the mail to
DC worked, lie dumped. 1t comprises 100
canvas sacks on going south, each holding
about four bushels. Besides there are forty
or fifty leathern pouches Of letters. Here
1t Is also set up, Virginia and North Caro-
lima on the left side, South Carolina, Geor.
gia, and Florida on the right. AT the end
of these boxes and on each side Of the car
are hung three rows OF canvas sacks, each
row containing nine sacks, making fifty
four sacks and forty boxes for paper mail
only. Each sack is marked by tag with It's
destination. Often during trip they must
be emptied into Others while thus hung up.
The distribution complete, they are taken
down aud tied with tag attached.
About the center OF the car are placed
four hundred small boxes, two hundred on
each side, with wooden sides and wire
bottoms, SO arranged that nothing therein
may escape the sight; each one Of these
boxes is capable Of holding about one hun
<lred letters. These boxes are labeled with
their respective destinations. When filed,
the letters are taken out and tightly bound
In, packages and put into leathern pouches
which are securely locked.
(fhere Is no chance for mail going astray
without its being known at the superinten-
dents office, as each bag Of paper mail and
each package Of letters is marked by a slip
with the date, route, and name Of clerk
stamped thereon. On opening o bag OF
mail and finding any OF 1t going in the
wrong direction, the clerk who opens IL
must report all errors to headquarters.)
AT the base Of these boxes, and on each
side OF the car, is narrow, shelf-liko table
for the reception Of letters while being
worked. Underneath these letters are two
or three drawers, which are generally used
Tor the safe keeping OF registered mail
About midway, and In each side Of the car,
is also small opening for the reception of
letters, &C., from the outside while the car
is at stations The other end of the car,
comprising about one-third of the whole, is
set apart for piling the worked and un-
worked mail. In this part of the car are
fastened the mail catchers, one on each side
OF the car, and close to the door. There
are four doors aud eight windows In the car.
The mail is transferred to and from the
offices and depots In charge Of local agents.
All clerks, before entering upon their duties,
are required to subscribe to the official
oath. Their ages range from 22 to As years.
Usually OF robust constitutions when first
appointed, q few years Of active jostling
service usually ends with killing back
ache and comparative loss Of eyesight, a
head filled with nothing but postofIlces and
their appurtenances, uniting them for any
other profession In life.
The railway mail service, when Mr..
George 8. Bangs took charge, was In its in-
fancy. IL was he who originated what is
known as the ''scheme" Through this
system each and every state and county In
this wide country Of ours is so accurately
mapped out that the location, distance,
time, and modes Of transportation, whether
by mule power, steam, or breeze, is fol-
lowed up with an accuracy which admits OF
no possible doubt until the final destination
of each mail package is reached. The
scheme-maker must not only be enabled to
follow the mail through oil its various con-
tortions, but he must also know by whom
1t Is handled, whether by local agents, postal
clerks, route agents, mail carriers, or post
masters; he must guard against floods,
freezes, and accidents by rail and water.
The binding snow storm, blockading roads
and impeding travel; the furious "Arctic
blizzard,n tbickening the waters and chill
ing the very heart blood; the uncomfortable,
mad, rushing, roaring deluge, which tears
away bridges, flooding lands, and carrying
destruction In Its path, must be met aud
provided for. The statesman, the soldier,
the banker, the merchant, the lawyer, the
doctor, the author, and the lovesick swain,
are all served alike by this scheme.maker.
He 1t Is who provides the route by which
the secrets Of the nation must go.
Before the Introduction of schempS the
mail was carried in charge Of route agents
who generally knew about so much of their
duties os would enable them to get rid of
oil their mail regardless Of its destination.
The mail is always guarded by some one
of Uncle Sans much-abused children from
the time 1t enters the postofiice until its de-
livery. "What will become Of my mail ?"
How often has this question been asked by
the unfortunate carrier, unable to ford
swollen stream, night coming, storm ap-
preaching, jaded team, broken-down We
hicle, and no shelter or succor at hand.
"Where's my mail ~ utters the crippled,
disDgured pootal clerk, as he is being hur-
riedly rescued from the smoking ruins Of
some horrible railroad accident, caused by
the breaking down of bridge or the mis-
placing OF switch by a negligent railroad
employe.
"What became of the mail ?" exclaims
the superintendent, upon hearing of floods,
fires, and collisions.
These men take pride In looking after
their mail, and to forward 1t safely and
quickly is their only aim In life. Each
postal clerk at stated periods undergoes an
examination; this takes place In presence
of the chief head clerk In his office. This
consists in casing tplaclng) cards with name
of postofllce only written thereon in their
respective counties. This is no simple feat
to perform, as the state of Virginia alone
comprises about / 500 postof1lces, and there
are between 5000 and 5000 offices In the
five states-Virgnia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They are
also examined by schemes, a case being
fitted up for that purpose. The gentleman
in immediate charge of tho railway postal
service, his assistants, and head clerks have
all risen to their present positions through
years Of hard study and laborlous work.
Men appointed by and Tor political purposes
alone, with no desire or capacity to succeed,
do not last long.
The ran is generally made with three
men; head clerk is boss man of the car; he
is responsible for every act done therein.
He attends TO the distribution of letter mail,
there being 400 cases (boxes) labeled for as
many different places for the letter distri-
bution his head is filled with postoHlces,
postal routes, postal agents, postal
tions, catcher pouches, canvas taggs, slips,
and slides. He is supposed to know be-
yond doubt every postofllce In the five
southern states Virginia, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Georgia, and Florlda),
for which he distributes on his down trip,
the most direct and quickest route to
reach each Of those Offices His geographical
knowledge must be sufficient TO enable him
on the up trip to distribute for the north,
northeast, east, northwest, and west.
All letter mail is securely bound with
Irvine in packages convenient to handle.
Directs for large cities tied with addresses
outward on both sides; packages TO be
opened en- route are Enclosed In slip of