Omaha daily bee., 1893-10-15

"As a postal Official Mr.. Armstrong was
acknowledged by all who knew him well, to
be the ablest oft0ur century. He was IN
tensely alive to the wants Of the people, full
of energy in everything he undertook, thor
oughly acquainted with the postotfice de-
partment and GENERALLY consulted on all I'M
portant postal questions.
with a nobility of1character that i'm
pressed all who came in contact with him,
he had a mind of great originality and force,
and these characteristics. conjoined to his
remarkable executive ability, fitted him ad-
mirably for the grand work that he planned
and that he fortunately lived to see so sue
cessfhlly carried into execution throughout
our continental domain.
MANY were the weary Journeys he made
to Washington during the closing years. of
President Lincoln's first term. and many the
he submitted for his new scheme
before the postoffice committees and postal
officials, his quenchless enthusiasm at last
enlisting President Llncoln's admiration and
support,
IN 1869 the greatness and indispensable char
acter OF the service was given by his admin
istration more complete and unreserved of
fetal recognition than it had received since
its birth. President Grant was early con-
WINGED of its great value and Mr.. Armstrong
was summoned to Washington and justly APP
pointed general superintendent. IL had been
a ~favorite idea Of Mr.. Armstrong; to have a
fast mail service placed upon the trunk line
from New York to San Francisco, shorten
ing The mail schedule across the continent
at least two days. But while he was elab-
Grating the details Of what he intended
should be the browning feature of his sys-
TEN, death overlook him, and his labors
were brought TO a sudden close"
He left three sons, who are we'll known
citizens of Chicago-Harold and ]. j. Arm
stron-the latter is tamIliarly called doc"
by the boys IN the service-aud deeply inter
ested in the progress of the work bequeathed
than hv hntt nfhn II tha n1.
George b. Armstrong, is much admired in
literary and musical circles, having been for
hfteen years musical critic of the Chicago
Inter Ocean, and is now editor of the lndi-
Gator.
Early History.
The early history of the railway mail
service of the Uuited States is full of inter
est, and a brief outline will here be given.
Previous to the year 1864 all the mail from
New York city for the northwest was tied
up in packages and came direct to Chicago.
All mail belonging TO Indiana and Ohio
came right through those intermediate
states and landed in Chicago, where it was
sorted and redirected TO the minor offices,
and perhaps from one to two weeks later
reached tho final destination. In the orlgi-
nal method of making up the mails a post
bill was put in the package made up for
each postoffice and a duplicate bill sent to
the general postofice at Washington. The
bills were supposed to be compared and
checked up there. But that work was never
done. The job was too immense. Mr..
George B. Armstrong was at that time
assistant postmaster at Chicago. His com
prehensive and progressive mind soon
enabled him to discover the unnecessary in
convenience and delay of such a mode of de-
livery, and he set his fertile BRAN TO solve
the problem of a. complete, practicable and
rapid railway mail service. When he had
focused his plans, he wrote to the post
master general, who only laughed at his
ideas as chimerical but the managers of the
Northwestern railroad looked upon the
Armstrong system with favorable eyes and
signified their Willingness TO assist him by
lifting out a baggage car according to his dt-
r%ections, he, however, bearing part of the
expense. And upon the Northwestern rail
road, between Chicago and Clinton, Ia,
August, 1854, the first ira yelling postofice In
the United States made its trial trip under
the charge Of Asst4F. Bradley. Notwith-
standing all the predictions to the contrary,
the great limo v alton proved TO be a brilliant
success. In October, 1864, another mail
coach was run on the line between New
York city and Washington. Then following
x Quincy, the Chicago, Rock Island < Pa
cifc, the Illinois Central and the Chicago,
Alton & st. Louis railroads.
Marvellous Growth.
In twenty-nine years the railway mail
service has become a complete network all
vast proportions that thousands of men work
day and night with busy brain aud hands To
keep trace of all the lines, however minute,
that go To make up the routes over which
mail must travel. The city of Washington
is the headquarters Of the system, which is
divided into eleven divisions, the following
cities being headquarters of the different
divisions: Boston, first New York, second
Washington, third; Atlanta, Ga, fourth
Cincinnati, ff.h Chicago, sixth 81. Louis,