Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-24
IN THE POSTAL CAR.
Busy and Hard Life Led by the Clerks
Who Handle the Mail.
PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRAIN.
How the Men Are Tested as to Their Fitness
for Their Important Work.
THE NEW YORK SLEEPING APARTMENT
rcoRRxsroxDENoE OF THE p1srATcH.1

NEW YORK, August % Amid the rush |
and roar of Park Row, Broadway, Fulton |
street and all of that maelstrom of metropol- |
itan business life focused on the city build |
ings very few people think of the complex
machinery in operation In the granite build
ing known as the Postofice. If they do
think of it the subject is too vast in all its
ramifcations for even the best-posted human
who works in the building probably knows
as little about it as whole as department
clerk at Washington knows about the work.
ings Of the department In which he is en-
ployed. He knows his own branch, or mar.
row routine-no more. He is good clerk
if he knows that thoroughly.
The operations of the railway mail service
in the New York division alone are enough
to tax the executive abilities Of the best men
the meager Government pay will buy. Even
the small army of railway postal clerks have
daily tasks more difficult than the trials of
most men in private business.
HANDLING DUMMY MAILS.
The unhappy probationer is given several
thousand cards addressed to all of these
offices, stood on end in front of this memory
machine and told to fire away. The accur-
acy and speed with which he can do this
will determine his efficiency. His dummy
mail represents Just what he will be called
upon to handle in railway car running
from 40 to 80 miles an hour.
The real mail has been first assorted by
routes and through mail in the big 'distribut-
ing room of the New York Postofice. In this
mail car distribution he is handling only
his share and doing what is being done
night and day on every postal car in the
country. It never stops. The day shift is
succeeded by the night shift, and day again
follows night. The rest Of the world sleeps.
sits down to breakfast, works, comes home
to dinner, plays and sleeps again. The
postal world sleeps and eats in wayside
gangs-its work goes on increasingly, on
thousand cars rushing through sunshine
and darkness, hither and thither, and the
steady chuck, chuck. chuck, OF the swaying
clerks among the railway pouches is never
stilled.
POSTAL CLERK REQUIREMENTS.
There are 4,544 postofices in Pennsylva-
MIA, for instance. Think of the job of a
postal clerk between New York and Pitts
burg, who must be so familiar with these
(only q part of his route work) that he can
instantly tell into what pouch letter must
by the shortest branch lines. The severe
civil service examination that he goes
through to get his place on the probation
ary list is but the stepping stone, as 1t were,
to harder mental work. The first test man
who has passed the civil service examina-
| tion for the railway mail service is subjected
to is that of reading quickly and clearly the
addresses on 100 envelopes, all in different
handwriting, and the addresses taking in
every portion OF the country.
Probationary men. the stage of the first
six months, are subject to examination every
| 80 or go days as to their knowledge of their
routes. A pigeon-holed case arrangement
| is set up IN the chief examiners (War-
tributing offices along the route, and each
from to 20 subordinate offices.
WONDERFULLY ACCURATE.
The accuracy of these human machines is
something wonderful. Let but a single in
competent man get in mail car and the
peace of mind OF the whole business world is
broken. Therefore this ceaseless drill. And
when this clerk has mastered that one route
he must master the distributing offices of
the entire country If he would 60 up higher
in grade and salary.
When postal clerk has boarded west
ern-bound train, say at o'clock in the
afternoon, has gone into his travelling post
Office and worked till he gets to Pittsburg,
about 9 o'clock next morning, without even
having a chance to sit down, and all this
time under the mental strain of several hum
dred postofices, to say nothing of the ardu-
Gus physical labor of catching, sorting and
throwing off, it may be fairly presumed that
he earns his salary. But the railway mail
service man may not yet be through. He
may possibly have three or four hours crest
in Pittsburg. Then he gets on his ear again
to 60 through the same labor on the return
trip.
THE CLERK AT REST.
When he arrives here in the night he
directs his footsteps to the postoffice. He
takes the elevator up to the top floor where
a rice, clean bed awaits him. He enters
small reception room where hotel keeper G.
d. Turner awaits him. There is a register
here, similar to the ordinary hotel register.
In this register he writes his name, the
name OF the postal route with which he is
connected and the hour at which he wishes
to be called in the morning. Opposite this
entry the keeper places the number OF his
bed, Just as the hotel clerk assigns room.
There is but one room in this hotel and no
discrimination as to accommodations.
He is then conducted across the way over
| a marble-tiled floor to the dormitory. This
is large room containing 65 beds. These
beds are substantial cots with springs, mat
tresses and pillows, and sport the snowiest
of linen. The windows of the room are
heavily shaded to keep daylight out-tor
many OF the men must sleep during the day.
The greatest quietude is observed. 1t is as
| if you were entering the critical ward of
hospital
KEEP THE BEDS FILLED.
Every minute of sleep is valuable to the
man who works at night and especially to
| one of irregular hours. Here,c come in when
you will, nearly every bed is full day and
night. For the moment you may think
| these tired sleepers are the same men, but
| they are not There are $50 railway mail
| service men who use this room. There are
| but 65 beds. But then there are always
some getting up and always some going to
bed-some coming in and some going away.
Every hour of day and night they pass up
hand down-a set of tired, or refreshed, home
less railway wanderers.
| 1t is to enable the men to catch these few
hours of much needed rest that the system
has sprung up. For the privilege they pay
the nominal sum of 70 cents month. The
linen of each bed is changed as soon as the
present occupant is through with it-which
opens to the newcomer more inviting pros
pect than be could get anywhere else at 70
cents night.
A NICE PLACE TO SLEEP.
Here, high above the noisy traffic OF the
streets. he can lie down in clean, fresh bed
| in shaded room where every sound is ex-
| cluded, as tree from disturbed slumbers as if
| he were camping in the piny woods Of the