Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-07-26
TINE FOR THE NAIL
When II Arrives and Leaves
the City.
PERSONS THAT HANDLE MAIL
!. A Detailed Description Of the Local Mail
Service and the Grand Rapids
Postofscs System.

Few psrsons that daily receive letters
have the slightest knowledge OF the
perfection OF the system that brings 10
their doors within five hours = letter
written and mailed $50 miles away.
When letter ~ dropped into the post
ONCE box il Is almost Immediately
taken up and placed on the stamping
table, where the stamp clerk "sets EN-
up" He places them all in row with
the stamps showing one above the
other. and the csncellsr 10 passed rap
IDLY over them. caneeihng the stamp
and printing the postmark. Then they
are placed on the distributors table
aud are sorted out BY states. all the
Michigan letters, however, being
punched upon the Michigan desk for
distribution by mail routes and towns.
II . letter is sent wrong the error 10
checked back &c the distributing clerk,
and II therefore stands him we'll IN
hand TO be accurate. This position re-
qulrcs Close study and = thorough
knowledge OF locality. OF the mail
that goes out Of the Grand Rapids post
Office the largest amount by far goes TO
Chicago. Fully 5000 letters per day
leave the local postoffice for the city Of
wind. Mail 10 received 1T all hours of
the day, but the busiest time is
from TO z q. NJ. and from 70
8 p. m. At the early hours the mails
are coming in, the daily papers are to
be distributed and the carriers are
there, impatient TO start out on their
routes. The heaviest mail of the day
comes into the Union depot at clio ..
m. and is received At the postofiice fif-
teen minutes later. All letters mailed
in Chicago daily between the hours of
III .. IN. and l0:45 p. N. reach this city
on the 6:l0 mail. Letters mailed in
New York require about twenty-four
hours for the journey.
Arrival OF Other Mall.
There 10 . southern mail arriving at
$3.50 .. m. and $40 p. m, but il 10 not
very heavy. Then there y . northern
mail Of closed pouches 1t 1910 p. m.
and go .. m, way mail on the q. X.
4 l. 1t ll:50, $50 and 1890. Closed
pouches are sent on out on the c. d w.
n. for Chicago and the west 1t 1910
and las p. m. Through and way mali
south ON the @. r. h I. 90 far 90 Fort
Wayne. which 10 . distributing point
east and west, 10 cent At 1:50 p. m.
Quito bulk OF way and through mail
leaves at 1915 p. m. on the
D., L. 4 N. and the L. s. 4
N. s. carries way aud through
mail east and west ct 9:20 .. m. and
SOS p. m. The D.. L. 4 N. carries way
and through mail ct 1890 p. m. and
5:2S p. m. The D., g. 81. 4 N. carries
. small amount of through mail 1t 7
.. m, p. m. and p. N. The night
train ct 10 o'clock carries . few local
pouches only. Every road has daily
postal service-that 10 . postal clerk
with . post0ffice arrangement in
charge. These have double service:
The Michigan Central. G. X. & l., D.,
L. & N, D., g. H. Il NJ. and l.. S. 4 NJ.
8. This double service gives towns in
this vicinity four mails per day, and
the larger towns get better facilities
yet, for through pouches are sent to
them on other than mail trains, the
pouches being in charge of tho baggage.
man. Kalamazoo, Allegan. Plainwell,
Holland, Rockford, Lowell, Iona and
scores of smaller places receive mail
matter four times per day from this
city.
Following 10 . schedule of arriving
and departing mail trains: q. X. Il I.
going mort, 7:2o .. m, Ais p. m. Going
south, z .. m, p. m. q. & w. NJ,
north, $3.50 .. m; to Chicago, sos .. m.
L. S. & NJ. s., TAO .. M, p. IN. D.,
L. 4 N, 7:20 .. m, $40 p. m. NJ. c.,
=. M, 100 p. m. D.. q. H. Il NJ,
east, 1920 =. M, 1925 p. M; west, SOS
p. m. NJ, G. r. & l., IA. m, HIS q.
m, $50 p. m. c. 4 w. NJ. to Muske-
gon, 9 .. m. and ll:l5 p. m. Muskegon
gets five mails from this city daily.
Hours for sunday Mails.
Sunday mails leave ~ follows: l:S0
p. m. east and sou th; $50 p. m. and
Ills p. m, south, connecting 1T kala-
mazoo for east aud west. The c. d w.
NJ. also carries mail west at IL :35 p. m.
All mail received on Sunday reaches
the postoffice by 7:30 .. n.
In the distribution of mail by car
riers the mail that reaches the back
door Of the postofice nj ESQ O'Clock 10
again on the street with the carrier at
7:30 O'Clock, about forty minutes being
allowed TO distribute the heaviest mail.
There are thirty three regular carriers.
and the mail - soon - received 10
stamped with the receiving mark. and
lie then distributed 10 the carriers boxes
by three eorters. All known letters
are easily disposed of, but the unknown
are referred to the directory clerk, Who
looks up the address.
The postoffice employee Z generally
grows more valuable and efficient with
his term of ONCE. There are seven
sub carriers whose duty il ie TO take
the place of the regular carriers in case
of their illness or other absence. Col.
George q. Briggs 10 the present post
master, with The following corps OF
workers: NJ. K. Melis, assistant post
master; A. L. sibley, superintendent of
letter carriers; sheldon Alien, chief
clerk OF railway mail service; Charles
IL. Hall, chief mailing clerk; Joseph
Dillon. registry clerk; Miss Stella
Thompson, assistant; Fred b. Foote.
money order clerk, assisted by Mrs. VI.
+. Lewis, and Miss Abbie Weller, stamp
clerk.
Clerks That yugeie Nail.
The mail dispatching clerks are
Charles VI. Hall, George E. Fox, John
Sowerty. Fred B. Hunter. Glenn W.
Holmes and Henry Kslmbach; post
mark clerk, Frank Barter; sorting
clerks. George II. kIyp, John O. simp-
| con. Daniel II. Gardner and Henry J.
Melis. Glenn W. Fak has charge of
the foxes and the general delivery.
Many Of the employers have long
been connected with the Office.
The business Of the Grand Rapids
posfof5ce ~ constantly increasing and
| there is great need OF more room. The
receipts Der year average $780,
a =