New-York tribune., 1893-12-31


Ncw.York aud ri'.hurr line Of the halfway Post
office.
Far instance. y. begin, "rnrr' on MONDAY ~
iIarrl.bufg Penn. IIr may Nv ti"f" "r u" may
i've IN iirooklyn II hia homo y" on '"ns island ~
must leave II early enough to get I" liaff"'irg ~
10 y, a. m , at which time his train. y" :" 'f"r' ~
Louis ras-cs on ns way to Jcr."y 'i'y. " t'irh'"
that place at I p m n It "a on tine. "ni ~" '"th
makes any teibrt necessary and IL fr"" nn'N IN"
next day at noon. II hs homo r. IN IiarfshhrI' he
hasn't had such n terrific day ~ II.
foN1 PAYS WORK.
n. spcnds the night In the dorory 'hr top moor
OF the Federal I,uilding. which In hotel as well ~
postof'ce and courthouse. tn" train on which th"
man leaves Jersey city starts ~. m. but ty noon
or little later. the hour depending Oh the heavin"ss
Of th, mails h. must report for duty on 'h" mall
car. Ills FIRST work Is to dress the car-that is.
to get It ready for the Journey. From III" h"''
under. the floor he gets out mo,a1'r racks on
which q hang his pouches AMI sacks Ih'r" IL
great art In arranging "a many as possible III 'h"
given space 30 that openings will l." pres nt"l
into which newspapers ami packages may lie
thrown. Letters are tosr ! into IL" Iig'on"1's OF
u rack fastened to the sii" - the car
II also takes time 10 arrdng" the slips, ~ which
his name IL stamped. AMI which are !acci Ia every
pigeon hole. When the bundles ~ i i''r- are te'
up a slip goes with each. - IN, mistakes In A.
sorting letters may be trac i 20 the man who ma ie
get 10 work on the mail IN alter. which IL haul- o.
tho car IN gr~a, bags. Tho cl".k "a busy un'ii ~"
train starts al T. M and probably unili l?'sburg
IL reached. uftcr III" Journey Of ii' mills
Some mail for way stations - pitched oT AMI
great deal more r. taken on Th,rc ar" th"ssinIs
of letters 10 b. assorted. among them i,ch,l's,
scor. with addresses il'shl" that even trained
eyes must give som" time 10 a'iii H'rins them. an
rcv~ral which defy all scrutiny. III" "ti"rs must d.
tied up In parcels AMI lhi"ll'i. ani the sacks ari
pouches must tc locked or ti~i NY. with proper
tag attached.
SHORT REST AFTER L"N'' JouKNLr
The train Is due at Irtisburg AZ : ~ n. m. but
travellers know that trains rot always time.
The poor clerk Is pretty we'll tir'l out bat h" must
keep his eyes open long enough (, report his
rival and II he l. In charge Of thc r. e-'cr' inin.
to get receipt for H. II" II hunrry. t"o AMI must
gr, his breakfast II viii not hc far fr" IL O'clock.
II all has been we'll when h- throw hir form
a i,d In the I'ttsburg dormitnry. II" has worked
steadily for perhaps twenty-five hour. Standing on
his feet nearly all "a" time. AMI 'n" w'ul. sLy ihat
h. deserves "A go"i long II "i.
50 h. does but h., doesn't g,t II. His train lcir-s
Pitt,burg for the East at : y. IN. ani h" must De-
On hanf a short while before 'ha, hour. He doesn't
need t. 'dr..s" his ear f"r II has com" through
from ST. Louis Harrisburg Is rra, h,i a, :lO "a. IN.
THURSDAY. always with the Ii,Nisp itat III" tram
time. and he gets on there feeling that there
IL stili consid. rabir scrp la" him from The nr't
before. liut he now gets only ri, hpLrs "f r!,"p.
perhaps he gets less
At 10 - a. ~. th" day. Tiursiay. he steps
on the train for Jcrr.y Ciiy. which l. reached AZ
y m In Sew.York h. gets u good sleep. AMI the
next day. Friday. ~ noon. h" S"is III nrin I" i'"-
pare his and TO assort hiS mlN Tn" train r""s
at D. m. getting To- mt -burg at ~ =. !'.u-
urily. After righ, hours of s''p hc starts
for Harri ,hurg This he rcachc. ~ 10 4.
sunday and his tour" Of sN days dt IA really
nearer scvenJ j. ,nl'-i
A TERRIFIC STRAIN.
II is easy TO 80. that hum Icing could stand
this for any length ~ time. y II only the hours
long. but the work IL extremely '.uoLs. Th' men
are on their fc"t nearly all the t.nc. bracIns tl
selves To- Withstand TIA" loltins of IN" This l.
"a great muscular and rIrain. If a." clerk
had 10 star, again Sunday Monday hr
would be 4 physical vi. ck IN short time. There
IL "a record Of "a man who work-i thus for thiriy
days but this WAS an unsail'fn T. ~ ach"m" ihan-
cially for I, took him wrcbs I" recover from the
shock He lost his pay ,lurinE tbs tine.
RI. Department ai Wa.hnpi snizing th,.H
facts, gives the On the Sew w-Y"rk -I'tishirs
line ak days uf sunday d"ra not enter into
the calculations IA" routine ~ ,is days ''"n' AMI
six ,iays on" ON the next Saturday morning the
clerk again starts On another "tcrr" Tho hours
are made long not from any lack Of consh,rIl.
ton for the mel, but brcaur. "f In, "satcs
the service. II IL found that the sam. men must
handl. the mall from New-York 10 ttshurg. -
that proper account can be taken of tn" way In
VT ich the work IN done. On the journey eastward
the mail Ia largely classified by the time II gets {"
P!ttsburg and II IL possible to change "crcws" at
Harrisburg.
One might think that with six days Of rest even
such nix days Of labor would he bcarab": but the
six days ar. not really spent In resting. We have
left our clerk at Harrisburg on Sunday at a. m.
thoroughly tired out. Should his home be- In Ph!Ia-
delphia or New York. he must "dcadhcad" there.
Sunday and Monday are given. to use "A paradox. to
good hard rest. II Is found by experience that
man does not get back to hts normal state after the
six days strain In less than thrty-sx or forty
eight hours Tuesday and Wednesday, probably. are
spent In study. These clerks must memorze u
terrific scale Those the heavy through lines like
that spokeh OF must know the situation Of eight
ten thousand postofficcs and the trains running To
them Then there are constant chanGca In time
tables. which make It necessary to correct the
schemes OF distribution.
The New-Yorker will havc Thursday for enjoy:
make his reports about rcguls rites. and that night
Will travel 10 Harrisburg 10 begin another tour
on SATURDAY morning.
sOME LINES NOT 40 HAD.
This 10 perhaps the most trying line ir tho Second
Division Of tho service This division consists of
thu Middle Atlantic States. The superintendent In
H. G. jackson. and his chief assistant, Victor J.
BrsAtsy Beth have oAices In the Federal Budding
here eoms Of the men on the 20 lines have . COM
passtivsiy cosy tivas. Thsrs ara only half doesn
wtsA Wat most pseess would call entirely Fsasse-