The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1893-09-06

stone country, President Arthur sat on
the boot with it's driver in 1883 and
General Sherman in 1877 made q trip
on the ancient vehicle.
Near the old-timer is the modern
yellow-bodied open coach used in the
Yellowstone Park for carrying tourists
and mail. It has usurped the proud
position once held by the stage coach,
which Indians used to capture. The
post rider, mounted on his spirited
broncho, armed with revolvers and
booted and spurred, tells of the letters
carried over slkali plains, broad
prairies and wild western lands. This
mounted group is the admiration OF
the small boys, who gaze on it with
wide-open eyes. The pony express
was the original letter-carrier across
the plains, and to-day 1000 mail routes
use ponies and bronchos. The Indian
question was most serious one to the
men who carried mail-bags through b q
country swarming with redskins. In
the. dead-letter exhibit is mail-pouch
stained with the blood of post rider
and slashed by the keen blade of the
Indian murderer.
From these exhibits, around which
people gather in wondering groups, to
the mail car, mail-delivery and mail
collecting wagons, the special-delivery
messenger astride the bicycle, and the
familiar city carrier and railway postal
clerk, is coming from the romantic to
the realistic commonplace.
Statistics are usually dry, but the
large tabulated postal statistics from
1775 to 1893 are always the center Of
an interested group. The totals reach
almost incredible figures and demon
strate the enormous business trans
acted by the Postofice Department.
Benjamin Franklin was the first post
master general. He was appointed by
the Continental Congress July &c,
ITS, and apparently made no report
of the work done in his department.
Samuel Osgood, appointed September
26, 1889, who was the first postmaster
genera! of the United States to hand
down reports, had seventy-fve post
offices to look after in 1889, and 2275
mill of post routes. The gross revenue
for tile year amounted to $7510, and
postmasters were paid $1657 for sal
aries. The total number of mail
pieces of all kind handled was 500, 900,
evidently an estimate.
At the close of the fiscal year, 1892,
there were 67, ,119 poctoffices in this
country. The extent OF post routes
aggregated 447, 591 miles, the miles of
mail service performed reached the
amazing total of 1853, ,0S7, sos, the gross
receipts were $40, $50, ATS and the post
offices cost $7G, 96O,846. There were
2,543, 270, ,210 ordinary postage stamps
issned, 593, 6S4, 700 stamped envelopes
and wrappers, 511, ,433, 800 postal
cards. Of registered letters Is, 5,26C;-
094 were carried and 6,7Sl, 100 pieces
went to the dead-letter Office. The
domestic money orders issued
amounted to Sl2G, ,066, SOL and S15,-
120,271 were sent by international
money orders. During the year the
Postoificc handled 4,77G, 575, 07G pieces
of mail matter of all kinds.
From 1851 to 1855 the postal rate
was three cents for every half-ounce.
In October, 1883, the rate was reduced
to two cents. The total receipts for
the last year OF three-cent postage
were $45, ,334, $50. The first year of
the two-cent rate dropped receipts to
$42, $50, ,S44, but the figures crawled
up so rapidly that last year they
amounted to $40, ,930,475. Genera!
Hazen was firm advocate of cheaper
postage. He believed that the slight
decrease in receipts would be made up