Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-07
Written for The Evening star.
THE DELIVERY OF MAIL

Written for Ths Eveninx Star
THE DELIVERY OF MAIL
A New Postal Museum On the ress omes
Department
Mr. wksknaKrns rLks-Bov LETTERS Ann DO
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Mr. wANAMAKERs NEW POSTAL Mu-
Asl scum viii be ORGANIZED a. quickly q. nae.
can be cleared FOR IL in the building Of ths
Post Once Department In response 20 his re-
guests, sent out some months ago, many tor-
eign governments have already forwards 20
Washington exhibits illustrating the methods
they adopt for carrying the malta Inciudsdin
these eonsignments are costumes Of letter EAR
riers. which In Europe are very gorgeous and
military; specimen letter boxes. miniature lnaiI
vehicles. superb photographs Of foreign POST
Offices, statuettes representing people engaged
in transporting mail after various fashions and
ever 90 many other interesting things Tasre
is . set Of e1quisitely executed figures IN papier
rnache from India which now adorus the ham
telpiece Of the Postmaster General One OF
them shows q postal runner in British
India carrying q bag OF letters and Cad
only in breech elout with long spear IN his
hand. from which little bells bangle. The
weapon is for his defense against the Wild AMI
mails that infest the juneles through which be 10
Obliged 10 pass, though one would think % .
poor tool for coping with q striped ttges cf
Bengal, while the bells are intended 20
| brighten cobras. krsits and other yenomnus
| serpents- Another ssatuette presents the
same runner in the act OF padding q stream in
his customary manner, on q raft made simply
| Of four big corked jars OF eGrthen ware
fastened together. Other mail carrier. are
seen riding on camels, which easily travel
eighty miles day, or in light carts drawn BY
Indian b1fRloes over rough roads where
horses could not 60.
| ArsTRrA's rxHfBrr.
Austria has sent q particularly gorgeous az
hibit, unbo xed yesterday for the frst time 10
comprises everything imaginable that has 70 do
with the business Of carrying mails. even 70
postmark stamps. ink pads and the writteu
music Of the bugle calls by which the postiIen
| IN that country announce their arrival
| England has promised costumes but n fou
set Of uniforms has already arrived from Can
| ada Letter carriers IN the British possessions
are all bowling official sweils with winter cen.
| ana collars OF real Astrakhan Eur leather
/ leggings, scarlet chamois skin uncerwniscosts
for cold weather and gold buttons With e.~h
suit comes bristle brush flor keeping the buttons
bright. Italy, spain, Germany. France and swifz-
erland have sent contributions for the museum.
80 nave huss,a, turkey and Persia. and others
American republics are disposed TO secure
representation in this permanent show OF Mr..
| Wau0mGker's. The Postmaster General wislse.
70 respond in kind by supplying these nations
with samples Illustrating Uncle Sans way OF
carrying the mails, hui no appropriation for
the purpose is at present available. IL ought
TO be very useful for civilized countries 20
compare their postal methods. There is a very
| Tine post Office museum OF this sort now IN
Berlin, on which great deal Of money has besa
spent
Il PRIMITIVE MrrHops
| In Mr.. Wanamakers museum viii also he
illustrated various primitive methods Of carry
ing the mails practiced in different parts II
the world now aud in ancient times For Ct
ample, there VIII be shown o model OF TIE
negro postal runner Of South Africa who bears
the letter in;rusted 20 his care in a split silica,
which he plants upright in the ground when Es
pauses to rest. He consumes little food, bnt
much tobacco, and bis endurance 10 wonderful.
he wears no clothes. but covers his nsked BODY
with oil, rolling in the dust thereupon 80 that
| the mes will IND him too unpleasant 70
bite. He carries the letter I'm the man-
ner described so that it will not est
across a stream, he holds the missive out Of the
water with the other. The architect OF the
fost Ofice Department building once said thst
! be regretted not having placed . statue Of this
that edifce.
THE MESSENGER or scRrpruRAL rrxrs.
Anothertype Of postman shown viii be lie
/ messenger of scriptural times, frequently re-
ferred TO in the Bible. who conveyed roys1
= messages by word Of mouth. Il il incredibls
how swiftly information or orders could bs
transmitted In this way across the country,
every man being obliged by law to Immediately
forsake his occupation and run TO tell the nes q
: person along the line Of communication Tie
: bedouins practice this method Of conveying
. intelligence AZ the present day. II there 70
: news for an individual, each one who hears
= u communicates il TO all his neighbors ana
they spread it in every direction until finally
| the man is found for whom IL Is meant. Japaa
= has now as good postal system as that OF the
Z United States, but fifty years ago letter nd
dressed to anybody in that country usually
, bore only the name, with no address whatever.
Q The missive reached the intended recipiens
g from hand 20 hand, either directly or by .
1 method similar 70 that just described
Q ROYAL coURIERs OF CHINA.
= Other models in the new museum viii reprs.
sent the wonderful postal couriers who carry
royal messages in China They are the moss
| rapid riders in the world and have been known
TO make the entire distance Of 5000 miles from
L'hasa, the capital of Tibet, 20 Pekin in
twenty-five days. They have right to seize BY
imperial reqnisition any horses on their routes,
| no matter 20 whom the animals belong. One
hundred miles day IL about their average rate
| Of travel. They eat and sleep but little, dis
mounting once in while 20 smoke a little
| opium Before leaving his point OF departure
each such courier has his dispatches placed in
the lining Of his robe, which IL sealed upon his
person % that he cannot open the garments
during his journey.
LrKE TIE PONY KxrREss.
The work Of these Chinese couriers reminds
one somewhat Of the famous pony express THAI
used to make the distance Of 1900 miles in 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
saddle to saddle, so that the entire journey was
one continuous gallop. There was always
great danger from bandits and wild Indians.
To illustrate this . story 10 told of the
famous Wild Bill, who was employed
for time a. one Of these pony mail CARR
ers. As he was dashing up 70 lonely station
on the plains be saw several men standing
about the entrance Of the store" which wa
almost the only building there. His practiced
eye perceived IN the fraction Of q second that
he was going to be attacked Lesping from
his horse he ran into the side entrance OF the
stores which led to the dwelling quarters over
head. The men followed him with drawn
weapons, and while he retreated up the staira
he killed all seven Of them, one after another.