The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-09
OUR EXPRESS SYSTEM.
MARVELLOUS PERFECTION or OUR
PUBLIC CARRYING SERVICE.
Primitive Me hods Of Early Days-Wo
dcrfuI Promptncss aud Celebrity Of the
sxstem Of Today-A Frequent Cause Of
Mi.taises-Thc "Old Hoss' Room.


w,.takes-Thc "OId Hoss' Room.
Next 10 the mystery Of the postofiice with
its thousands, and even millions, Of letters,
crossing and recrossing each others paths
daily. coming from everywhere and going
everywhere else, with comparatively few
miscarriages. the great express systems in the
modern public carrying service are equally
matter Of marvel to casual observers In
primitive days. when Keziah Root passed
the door on regular days Of the week ~ his
farri wagon on the way 10 market, and was
the common carrier for everything ''goin to
town. il WINS not hard to understand how
the knibbed socks reached Uncle Ben Tin
the first white house with a red barn beyond
the orthodox meetin house at the corners,"
or how Aunt Tabby got her pail Of butter,
for Farmer Root was explicitly directed to
Ego down the mash road" on his way from
Market, "Gnd turn i'm the lane next TO So
phrony Thomas she who was Sophrony
Pearce. old Dea. Pearce's daughter, whose
barn in the medder was burned last year and
lost all his pigs. and then twould be the
small white house with the cobbling shop in
front"
Later. as the world grew and modern bust
ness methods arose with the increase OF
trade, The problem Of sending packages,
whether Of merchandise or Of private goods,
was still comparatively simple, for the driver
of the express, who took the parcels at the
door, was in the majority Of cases the same
who delivered them at their several destlna-
tons Even after the railroads were III
vented and put into common use, during
] Al did not
form anv great system. Now, however, with !
the greatest business centers Of the world /
within the country, and with these centers |
intimately connected with each other by IN |
Vulnerable ties, public and private, CONNER /
cial and social, the interchange OF goods ana /
packages has reached an enormous extent, |
which ia not found anywhere else IN the /
world In no other country IS such mar
velous amount Of business done nor such
perfect running service found. And it is this
promptness and CELEBRITY Of dispatch. consid-
cred with the number Of pieces handled and
the confusing variety Of destinations, which
makes the wonder Of It.
A man is relieved Of all care in sending
parcels IL is as easy TO send package TO a
friend in Arizona or a great box OF dry goods
to merchant in New Orleans as 70 send
letter to either party. All that is necessary
after the parcel is arranged is 20 know tue
address Of the party to whom one IS sending
the parcel Instead Of getting postage
stamp one simply hangs out q flag. There
the consgn0r's labor ends The express
company, carrier appears, takes the parcel
in hand, gives a receipt for II, which repre- {
sents it in value, and the company thereupon 4,
takes full charge Of it until 1t reaches It's des-
tiaation, or until 10 IS handed over at the :
end Of that particular company's limit, INTO /
the hands of some corresponding company, ,
which amounts 20 the same thing as far as ,
tho sender is concerned. one docs not need
20 know anything about the location IN the !
city il the address is given, nor take tie +.
trouble u find out how 10 get 20 the city, J
whether it is in Maine or New Mexico. Tie !
express people 10 all that FOR him.
One OF the most frequent causes Of mistake q
in sending parcels IS absent mndedEess. \ /
clerk viii fill out u way bin from "a box S
marked for Portland, putting in the name {
and street address all right, and then, with !
tho name Portland before bis eyes, write New c
York on the bill. The New York messenger =
in tho haste Of pressing business, simply
counts the way bills sees that BE has the sev-
tnAffll u twenty ittf' 'lli.tl i-N't afHff 10 Hf
and sends them on. The mistake is not found
out until the delivery marking takes place in
New York. The same absent way of writing G
what ole does not think occurs with the con- I
signors themselves. Very often they send &
box TO a friend on Fifth avenue, New York. q
whose rame and number they know init c
mately, with an address 10 some small town &
in Massachusetts. Another cause for great a
deal Of confusion is the Old markings on dry h
goods boxes which have been used before -
Jordan q Marsh, or any similar large firm, =
will sell some Of the packing cases in which :,
goods come 70 them. When the boxes arc :,
again used the address 10 Jordan &, Marsh.
Boston, is left upon the side The new cd- Il
lress is put upon the top, indicating, We will
'ay, some che in PawtucSet H. l. Some
where along the line, in looking over the
took the messenger picks out all that which a
s going TO Boston, among which he takes a
he box with the name Of Jordan & Marsh Il
ipon It. Then confusion arises, indeed el
There is a curions feature in connection al
With these losses which is known in every p.
Express office as the ''old hoss1 room This ;;
S the room which holds all Of the unclaimed | =
wanderers, the tagless waits and ragged out !;
asts who are awaiting an owner They are :
foods ION hand" and the letters 80. H." on =,
he slips which are attached TO them gave
Use to the equine appellation. These stray
iarce!s get into the "old boss room from al
most as many causes as there arc startling
-arieties TO their character. The cousignec II
ouldut be found, ana the consgnor, al al
hOugh duly notified, has never cared 70 re- Je
laifu One firm has sent goods 70 some per- III
on az his own order He returns them with "
One complaint The firm viii not admit X
he complaint, and send them back with O b,
cry pressing bill, or else 70 avoid being held h,
or receiving them back az all, they will not fl
ouch them. but leave them in the store room
( the express Office
As neither party viii have them, they
aturally &c 10 the dead room Some are -.
bs0lutely lost. No one OF the name indi- u
ated can be found at the address given, and 81
Or some reason all trace Of the consiguor II
isappears lie has moved, or died. perhaps. pr
10 they all drift into tho "oll boss. and are "
ept a year-unless If per!shable nature N
nj then sold at auction. Tie variety Of ye
lese waits is both interesting and amusing.
lafa - Iar1ic aprfllf,rr ia .hn ,ia.,,.s.f.