The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-12-23
ON THE FAST MAIL.
FROM NEW FORK TO BosroN On THE
RAILWAY POST OFFICE.

Hsn ClsrH- who Nest ne wsiki-s Cycle
petiss-Frs- Te- 20 Fite.r To.- OF Natl
Ws,aisa-Th. strsi- Exhsustne-Nst =
Iittis Dagger Involved In the work
Lets OF Red Tape Asout the System.
The night trip of the fast mail between New
York and Boston IL one of the most interesting
phases Of the postal service. Two lighted lines
Of speed flashing forty miles an hour pass each
other midway between the two great Eastern
mail centres, New York and Boston, every
night On each train IL . crew Of thirteen men,
who handle from ten TO fifteen tons Of mail each
trip. On this line IL assorted during the round
trip the mail that goes through Boston snd New
England. New York city and New York State,
Pennsylvsnis, New Jersey, the Western and
Southern States. Besides these divisions dis
tinct district, carrier, and box separations are
made for both terminal citiee. Eighty separa-
lions are made for Boston and nearly one hundred
for Now York. Three clerks assert New York
city mails on the westward trip, and three
others work Boston going east. New York is
divided into branch of1ces alphabetically each
having its section Of the city; Fifth avenue, for
instance, IL divided into perhaps half q dozen
sections, and 10 IL the mail clerks business to
know whether q letter addressed to 200 Fifth
avenue goes TO d. e, or r; then separations are
made for big firms, newspaper, publishers, and
DOOkk, anu tno pOsthi Ciotk nun kuOW II UOk
system Of the New York Post once perfectly.
Thus . letter TO New York after being punched
At the Post ONCE from which II starts upon its
journey and locked In q New York pouch goes
from tho hands Of the railway clerk without
further sorting into the hands Of the proper
carriers at the branch ofics or the box of the
big firm 70 which It 10 addressed.
That all this detail shall DO carried out per-
fsctly, that no smallest bundle of letters for q
tl.At- NJ II. aA-n =. q h.AG-oaA. N.-
York village shall fail to be ready locked Il In the
proper pouch to be thrown OF at Worcester or
Springfield for the branch road connections, It IL
necessary that there shall DO rapid work and ac-
cursts brains and flying fingers In the railway
post ONCE and that each mans head should be
. oyclopodia OF tho case he works at and Of
postal geography in general The average days
work Of the night postal clerk begins at z O'clock
in the evening and at o O'Clock thonoIt morning
he II glad to tumble into . bed in the dormitory
in the Post ofice building and sleep the sleep Of
WEAKNESS. On Sundays he works eighteen
hours, and SIX days Q week he averages thirteen
hours. That he lives - long IS other folks IL
due to the fact that he has an alternate week on
and week of the year round. The clerical force
of the night service of the Boston, Springfield
and New York Railway Postofics consistsof thir-
ty-six men, who take turns on the night crew.
This Post Ofioe on wheels, a. II stands side
~ hAS heA "Ah AAAaa
wagons rafting up to discharge their freight of
pouches and the express wagons Gathering In to
add their loads TO the express cars ahead. Is one
OF the busiest places in all Now York about 0
O'clock every night, And Just now at the holt
mas letters and Christmas packages. the
mail clerks are as busy As 90 many santa
t Esssss'N New Ss'n YORK sGir' sSd q B Sssssnihf Follow iiRss' the Ss,
the station. where the lights wink knowingly
OF. trains and the shrek Of locomotive whistles
mingie with the explosives Of the driver. as the
mail pouches 10. the crowded car begins Tho
clerk In charge, with a pencil stuck over his ear
houetted in the doorway Of the lighted car-the
sliding doorway at the side and as the wagon
"Hsilo. BiIli get a move on tSers%
Bill backs the mail wagon to the car and be:
Inc railway Post Once. with a glance at the la
Tel of each pouch and a stentorian call of the
nams. e aieep il hhe on his list, ana When rsPt the last
pouch from that wagon is discharged sticks his
OF pouches ont Of range OF the door. so that there
may be clear space for the next arrivals. There
, i%fs DC on iFG at New slssyiin Ori. 70 The ss's slsyI IL D SSs g
knows them all by heart, and calculates anxious
Worried over the late coming Of a wasonfui Of
branch office pouches than a lone woman over
s ,as SSsiIsy a i Hf her to h. GSss SsiSst on 81 z tho iSS9fi ass.co n.
Ing wagons II he Is out OF sorts; He 10 usually
good hupSrsd; h sNG . S: even went 4 the ss msil i q ~,
there Is something exilarating in. the last min
utss OF preparation and the start for the trip.
the chief clerk 10 dancing on the ,leathern pile
with excitement. One wagonload is late. 1t
minute before the start. A clatter Of hoofs, a
rush Of wheels, a jolt as the wagon backs has
Go come fast and heavy, the last one falling
AS the train moves, The clerk slides 70 the door
sistants TO drag the last pouchess out OF the
aisle and pile them M for future emptying as
switches and signals flash red, green, and white
In the darkness:
the men turn 70 their cases with scarcely word
over miles and miles or Journeying. The letter
with : broad aisle between; two sections Of
pouch racks, two reversible tables. and beyond
9Hs t I,a .n s91rs tri Tp1 TWO 'e case, sse sp mA degotsd 10
Massachusetts, one to Maine. two 10 Boston;
one on Z, to SvSnnsS.icuffS ons to Se Nv H Ian P%c snd
sets cases ago gige0nh9lefk These eight cases
hanging on hooks on either side OF the car.
Below the single upper row OF bags on the
iron frames. The mon at. the letter cases arc
separating, distributing, punching, and tying
OF them working in their shirtsleeyes, for the
car e warm. though Il Is Chilly enough outside
day workers, because thirteen hours Of night
WOTks blAuuiu8 II II laI y u q ugluA bNhlns VII
the brain tense and the eyes sharpened Is not
the most healthful life In the world.
There are men at the tables emptyinR the
pouches in a great heap and sorting The bundles
OF letters into piles 10 be turned over TO the men
1T the cases. the pouches are then hung in the
bundles Of letters that return from the cases
are thrown Into their respective pouches. The
work Is all done almost automatically in its
Quickness and routine. and by and by the clerk
in charge hnds the change between stops 10 sit
on q pile OF mAilbags and philosopher.
Yes" he comments, "a man has 10 keep his
wits about him in this business, or no doesn't
stay in IL lonR. I've been railroAdtng In q mail
car for . good many years, and I've got used 10
the life, but I'm pretty well used up at the end
OF my week, and willing TO lie by. Thirteen
hours . day and eighteen Sundays OF this sort
Of work Is . trying pace. About o O'Clock to-
morrow morning you'll understand what !
mean. While We are on the 20 and on, the jump
TO get the pouches ready for the next station We
don't feel II so much, but some mornings I've got
into the station 90 tired that IL seemed as N in
nys minutes moro / should have 10 drop. What
salary Well a mail clerk Is very well con,