The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-08-31
PATCHING OLD MAIL BAGS.
The Shop Where Uncle Sam Has Els
Sewing Done.
From the Washington Star.


Sewing Done.
From the Washington Star.
Did you ever wonder what becomes Of a
mail bag when it Is prematurely old, when
catcher has torn it or when repeated
hauling across rough floors and throwing in
and out of cars has worn holes in its ordi-
narily durable substaucel Some of the
bags are nothing but dirty rags when thew
are rescued from Smash-up or dragged out
of a river but it is very rarely that they
have been rendered entirely useless. Down
on c. street between Four-and- half aud
Sixth and Ion the north side Of the street is
a large red brick structure, known as
Young's building, and here it is that the
damaged jute sacks and leather pouches are
taken for treatment. On the ground floor,
which is under the control of Postmaster
Ross, is the mailbag depository. William
Flynn is superintendent and he has for an
assistant a veteran of two wars. Capt.
David Crouch. bay after day brings to
this place huge wagon loads Of torn bags
and on the back trip the vehicles
are loaded up with similar goods
which have gone through the repairing
process. The bags are separated in
the depository leach laid in a heap with
its kind. That which is good and service
able remains down stairs, while the dam
aged receptacles are sent to the story above.
Orders for repaired bags are received in
this department, aud the number necessary
is sent out in bags Of the same description;
that is all the packing that is done. The
superintendent, an assistant, and about
fifteen laborerS manage to do the work
just now, but the force huctuates consider
ably.
THE REPAIR SHOP.
n,,
is entered upon. Cap. Robt Collier is
Superintendent and he is responsible to the
Second Assistant Postmaster General. This
is repair shop. Up a large elevator
huge piles Of bags are continually coming
and going. The arrivals are stacked up
against the walls, aud as soo1 as
possible they are examined by man who
works at a long table near the center of
the room. He examines each bag seplr-
ately and decides its fate. If he thinks it
can probably be repaired he whisks it of
to one side, cut if the wreck is hopeless
one he drops taem through a rallied open
ing to the floor below. Whatever can be
saved is taken care of. The metal catches
and the clOSely-woven cords are taken off
the remains of the dilapitatod sacks, and if
there is q piecs of good jute two inches
square in the N ke-up of sack il is cut
out and saved so that it may be used for
patching. The department disposes OF not
less than $4,000 pounds of jute each month.
ANARMY OF NEEDLE-woMEN.
On the third floor is the most interesting
sight in the building. Sixty-five women,
young and middls-aged-noneo Of them old
are hard at work, and they do not talk
very much either nor do they often upset
the equanimity Of Assistant Superinteu-
dent a. j. Ryder, whose desk faces the
major portion of them. Five of them are
engaged in putting strings through the
brass eyelets which are in the lutte sacks
Frequently they find an old cord which
is quite good and then they use 1t instead
of a new one. That's economy, for each
cord costs cents Each Of these five
women can string $50 sacks day. The
other sixty are repairers, and several Of
them wear odd-shaped head gear during
their hours of teil-head gear such of only
a woman could design and manufac ure-
hardkerchiefs Of all hues, and twisted in
nnny shapes, and paper caps and bonuets.
Some of them look d well, especially the
pink-tinted Tam O'Shanters worn by q
brlght-lOoking girl. In front of each one
of these workers is a pile of sacks, and from
these they take toe nearest one and patch it
or do whatever else 1t needs. They average
fifty-SiX sacks each for every day. All
their work passes through the hands of an
examiner but it is only in rare cases that
any sighting IS discovered. One of the
women is totally blind, but she does very
fine work. The hours Of labor are from
to o'clock with half an hour at moo for
lunch) exceps Saturday, when work
ceases at O'CLOCK Nm,
WHY rHEtlf1 ns THANKFUL.
Light, ventilation and accommodations
are well-nigh perfect. illumination cones
principally from a-farge skylight, but there
q la, icrSariDor m a
When Secoad Assis ant Postmaster General
Whitfield selected the Young building for
the repair shop he realized that on the up
per floor the heat would be intense when
there was any sunshine, so he Immediately
ordered two powerful cylindrical steam
fans, and when the shop was opened
on the LIST instant, the fans
were in place ready to stir up the warm
air whenever such proceeding Was neces-
sary. The name Of Whitfield is revered by
toe employees on that floor. Especially
er0nl Is Capt. Cullen OF the capacious
dressing rooms which have been parttioned
off for the accommodation of the ladies'
Everything in moderation that would adj
to their comfort or convenience has been
done. Their remuneration is S45 per
month.
A PILE OF DAMAGED POUCHES.
On the west side of the room are about
L, 4UU 'cabCu0r' pouches, waiting I'd De re-
paired. The shop is getting away with
them very rapidly, so Capt Cullen told a
reporter, aud it can, he says, keen
away ahead of either the demand
OF the inflow. Foreign mail-sacks are
stacked up against a partition that runs
across near the northern end of the room
They have to receive a good deal of alton
| tion, especially those which have to go to
Germany. The German government insists
that whenever one Of its sacks is patched it
must have a leather patch beneath the
| strip of jute which is sewed on. All these
| foreign sacks are repaired by expert sail
makers. 10 one corner are kegs of rivets
and burrs and boxes of the many little
things needed in the makeup OF mail sacks.
Such things as these will, as soon as a store
room can be constructed. be placed therein.
| THE SAIL MAKERS
| and the leather workers are on the north
ern side of the partition-lsve of the
! former and twenty-one of the latter.
| They are paid $75 per month. The number
of laborers in the repair shop is twenty-one,
and $50 is their regular rate of monthly
'ho Il,