The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-16

Russia, Turkey and Persia, and others are
expected from elsewhere. The South
American republics are disposed to Sc
cure representation In Il permanent
show OF Mr.. Wanamaker >. The post
master general wishes to respond in kind.
by supplying these nations with samples
illustrating Uncle Sans way of carrying
mails, but no appropriation for the pur
pose Is at present available. 1t ought to
be very useful for civilized countries to
compare their postal methods. There is
very fine postoffice museum of this sort
now In Berlin on which great deal of
money has been spent.
In Mr.. Wanamaker's museum will also
be illustrated various primitive methods
of carrying the mails, as practiced in diff
ferent parts of the world now and in
ancient times. For example, there will
be shown a model of the negro postal
runner of South Africa, who bears the
letter entrusted to his care in split
stick, which he plants upright in the
ground when he pauses to rest. lie con-
sumes little food but much tobacco, and
his endurance Is wonderful. He
wears no clothes, but covers his
naked body with oil, rolling in
the dust thereupon. so that the dies will
find him too unpleasant to bite. He car
rles the letter IN the manner described SO
that 1t will not get greasy, and, while
swimming with one hand across q stream,
he holds the missive out OF the water with
the other. The architect of the postoffice
department building once said that he re-
GREETED not having placed a statue of this
primitive mail carrier above the main door
of that editice.
Another type of postman shown will be
the messenger of Scriptural times, fire.
quently referred to in the Hble, who con-
yeyed royal messages 10y word of mouth.
1t is incredible how swiftly information
he mil fa6 in
this way across the country, every
man being obliged by law to immediately
iorsake his occupation and run and tell
the next person along the line of commu-
nication. The Bedouins practice this
method of conveying intelligence at the
present day. Ii there is news for an indi-
vldual, each one who hears it communi-
Gates 1t to all his neighbors, and they
spread it in every direction until finally
the man is found for whom il is meant.
Japan has now as good a postal system as
that of the United States, but fifty years
ago letter addressed TO anybody in that
country usually bore only the name, with
no address whatever. The missive reached
the intended recipient from hand to hand,
either directly or by method similar TO
that Just described.
Other models in the new museum will
represent the wonderful postal couriers
who carry royal messages in China. They
are the must Edpiu TiuSfS IN TIE WpTlu
and have oeen known to make the entire
distance OF 5000 miles from L'hasa, the
capital of fhlDet, to Pekin in twenty-five
days. They have right to seize by i'm
perial requsition any horses on their
routes, no matter 20 whom the animals be-
long. One hundred miles day is about
their average rate of travel. They eat and
sleep but little, dismounting once in a
while TO smoke little opium. Before
leaving his point of departure, each such
courier has his dispatches placed in the
lining of his robe. which is sealed upon his
person so that he cannot open the garment
during his journey.
The work OF these Chinese couriers re-
minds one somewhat OF the famous pony
express that used TO make the distance OF
600 miles III ten days from St Joseph to
San Francisco over the toughest sort of
country. Daring riders, each traversing
his allotted distance between two stations,
simply transferred the mail bags from sad
die To saddle, so that the entire journey
WAS one continuous galop. There was
always great danger from bandits and wild
Indians. To illustrate this. story, which
the writer knows TO be- true, IS told of the
famous Wild Bill, who was employed
for time as one OF these pony
mail carriers. As he was dashing
up TO lonely station on
the plains, ne saw several men standing
was almost the only building there. His
practiced eye perceived IN the fraction of a
second that he was going to be attacked
Leaping from his horse, he ran into the
side entrance of the store, which led to
the dwelling quarters overhead The men
followed him with drawn weapons, and.
while he retreated up the stairs, he killed
ali seven OF them one after another.
Other interesting methods for carving
the mails will be illustrated in the museum
by miniature reindeer sledges such as the
Russians use on routes in Siberia, by dog
teams. sleds. snow-shoes and skates, all OF
which are employed for the same purpose
IN the frozen arctic; also by canoes. in
which the people of the South Sea islands,
vino have no kind Of writing. carry the
news. The Eskimo have no postal system
at all, and for lack OF mutual communion.
ton whole villages sometimes perish. On
one occasion. about ten years ago
trader lett two barrels OF
New England rum on ST. Lawrenc.
island, just south of Bering strait. in pay
nent for some furs. The native resident:
proceeded TO get drunk and stay so. Con
sequently, they did not do any hunting
and when winter came they died of starva
ton. The explorer Wilson landed upor
the island about year later and found 10.
| or 500 dead, the entire population having
| been wiped out. Looking in through tn,
! chimney holes in the roofs of their dwell