New-York tribune., 1891-01-31
SELECTIONS FROM THE MAIL.
THE GERM OF THE RAILWAY NAIL SERVICE.
HOW TRAVELLING POSTMAsTERS WE'RE flhsI
APPOINTED IN TIE ADMINISTRATORS
OF JAMES X. POLK.


APPOINTED IN TIE ADMINISTRATORS
OF JAMES X. POLK.
TO the Editor OF The Tribune
Sir: The presence Of Mr.. sachse. director OF ,he
Post and Telegraph Department Of the German h'''
plre in this country at the present time ior 'c p
pose OF extending the railway mall service system ~
ocean steamers, calls to mind an important 'a' "
connection with the postal service OF the Ohtod 'a'
which has as yet never been printed, hameH' 'na'
,, s.so,p ~ travelling postmasters which has been
ru+ In use bv the railway mail service system was
first suggested the United states Po,tomce Dep'
meut by a newspaper editor, the late Hon. oshuci
Covington. OF Cincinnati, whose erahdlaV"eI ""'
Robert Futon's uncle In 1850 the PosVohce Dep'i.
mcnt issued History of the Railway Mall service
in which an effort made to fix the date Oh .''o
establishment OF the travelling postmaster owms
N the fires I'm the POstoncc Department bullhhgs AZ
Washington which destroyed many vaiuao1e uo'u-
ments the information Obainable for ths Naua"'0
work was incomplete, and the historians "e'e 'o'
.sd to conGne the subject to the railway branch OF
the mail service matter Of but few years s'an""s
To whom the credit Of the railway distributing sysc"
hond he given is stll matter Of discussion severa
claimants for the honor have arisen but the oac Vi
the establls shment not far from looo, some hA's
il at 1862. The travelling postmaster one WHO "ouu
receive put into proper pouches ana deNer @U way
stations (which embOdics the idea OF the railway hldh
service) was established the Louisville Mall Line
the earliest named railway postmaster
"The Indiana Blade" published at Rising sun, lhu
Of which 5. +. CovlngtOn editor. printed the lo
lowing extract from " The Washington Union Oh May
: 1916: "The Postmas ter General IS anxious TO
expedite the mails. well to reduce expense lie
is now engaged on scheme for transporting the h'h
from Boston 10 Washington I'm twenty four hours, ana
il all the railroads will extend the same faclte'
which some are willing to do the work VIII DC ac
compshed. lie proposes to economic the Tune Wll'h
Is now lost at the po>tOhces in Baltimore ihi%ie
phia etc, in waiting for the mails, 50 as 10 mana III
the bags at the postoicc as the ear passes anu re
cevc in turn the madeup mailbag for the postofhce'
on the route
In the same paper IL says: samuel F. Covngton
has been appointed postmaster at this place 10 HI
the vacancy caused by the death Of John Lanius'
Prompted By the article from The Washington
IJnon,n Mr. COvingtOn addressed communication 10
the Hon. Cave johnson, PoStmaserGeneral under
President James X Polk notifying him that there was
unneces sary delay In hau ng the mails at towns on
the Ohio River between lcinnati and Madison, arls
ing from the fact that the mail was made up at Cln
cinnati, and all way mail was put In a pouch ior
| Madison Ind where IL was distributed In pouches
for way points and delivered upon the return OF the
mail boat thus losing twelve hours in delivery. Mr.
Covngton suggested to the Postmaster General in the
| letter that postmaster should be appointed VINO
should travel the steamboat. and be author<ed 70
open the through mall, the way letters, place
| them in mail pOuche, for the several towns
along the river receive mail ana open
| pouches and distribute the same; tlG sysien
| that i now In In the railway mail service
II required a sworn official with poStmasters conIniS
sion To this. that the person IN charge was a
! travelling postmaster in fact. The suggestion met
with The approval # the iOstmastcr' eneral, ana
The Indiana Blade of June 6, l-id made the follow
| ng announcements An arrangement has been maze
! bv which a mail IS received at tn, place dally
both from Cincinnati and Louisville. The Cinclnnat
mail arrives about p The Louisville mall arrives
| on mail boat at night The mail for Cincinnati j.
closed daily at p. the Louisville mail Is closed
| daily at o'clock p. m. ,.
| I'm connection with this hiSorlcals memorandum
| concerning travelling po>tmasterS. it may be oi IN
| terr,t to add that Judge John j. Hayden, OF Washing
ton Say, that John Lanius, who was Mr.'t ovngtonS
| predecessor i'm Office, probably one Of the first
| letter carrier, I'm the United >taeS. lie h1f no
regular posoifcc and when the mail was received az
| Rising -un Ind he would take it in his hat carry
| n around and deliver il - the individuals to whom
il wa, addressed in different parts of the town, thus
i'm a primitive way fulfilling the duties delegated TO
| the carrier Of the present day. H. ,.
| N,rlr Ian. 1-gl