The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-08-30
FOLLOWING A LETTER.

From the Chicago Journal.
II is very simple matter nova days
! TO send a letter from here to New
York. All you have to do is to drop d
letter into lamp-post, and in little
over twenty-four hours your CORE
spondent in New York is reading it,
and perhaps, debating his answer.
That seems like a very easy matter,
it is true, but did you ever stop to
think through how many hands your
letter passes during its brief journey?
Why, suppose that at least half a
dozen persons must have something to
do with it, between the time when
mail it and the receipt of it by my
friend
1t takes more than three times that
number at the lowest estimate. said the
second speaker, an official connected
with the Chicago post Office. Within d
very short time after you have de-
posted your letter in the mail box. the
collector comes around and gathers it
up with its companions. If the box is
near the Office, he carries his sack di-
rectly to the Office, but otherwise it is
thrown into the collecting cart at one
of the designated meeting points. and
soon reaches the big building on Clark
street. Here it is dumped on a large
table at which the facers work. Their
duty consists in arranging the letters
with their faces in the same way, and
all the stamps, where possible, in the
right-hanG upper corner. As fast
nc L.
ranged they are passed 10 the
men running the stamping machines.
These machines are capable OF can
ceiling more than twenty-five thousand
stamps in an eight-hour day, and each
of the machines has taken the place of
half dozen men. With its compan-
ions. the letter in which we are inter
ested Is passed 10 the separating table.
Here the mail is assorted by states, and
each state is then taken by different
clerk, and the letters tied upin bundles,
according to the route over which they
are TO be sent.
These bundles are collected by an
other clerk. who throws them into their
respective pouches. ready TO be deliv-
cred TO the dispatching clerk 4 por-
ter then trucks them into the dispatch
ing-room, where they are stacked M
until II Is time for them 10 be sent 70
the depot. They are again handled
in their transfer 10 the wagon, and
still again when the wagon reaches the
railroad station. Here they are given
over to the charge of the transfer clerk.
who in turn passes them on 70 the men
in the railway post Office
The pouch containing our letter, as
il Is through New York pouch, prob
ably receives but little attention for
several hours, a. local mail must be
handled first. Soon, however, its con-
tents are dumped on the sorting table
ana quickly thrown into the proper
boxes corresponding 20 the proper sub
stations N New York city. Our letter
: again tied up in bundle and thrown
into pouch. where il remains until
turned over TO the driver OF the wagon
IN New York Handled again at tie
door of the New York post otslee- II Is
carried 70 the sorting - BE, where the
bundles OF letters are cut opea
and each letter stamped with the hour
Of its receipt Another clerk then dis
tributes II into the box Of the carrier
who j. 70 deliver II That oI.icial ha a
dies II twice once IN sorting il fo- H.
proper location and again while max
ing his rounds u delivering i - pour
txlena-