The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-05-11
SLOW RUSSIAN MAILS.
A Week Required For Delivery Between
Towns gao Miles Apart.


Our postal system in the interior of the
empire is. as Is generally Acknowledged,
very primitive Its defects are duo in "a
largo degree 90 the greatness Of the dis
tance. as well as 70 the comparative
scarcity of proper railway connections. We
have cities which geographically arc
hardly $50 miles apart yet for postal pur
poses arc separated as kicv and our be
loved Toulon Curious stories might bo
told of the correspondence between two
such CITIES a friend of ours in kiev eX-
changes business letters constantly with
several persons In tho neiShborhOod OF
kovno The distance from kiev 10 ROvno
Is about 2in miles, and the persons in
question live about -four miles from the lat
fer city. The correspondence between our
friend and his acquaintance near Rovno
can loo carried on only by means of regis
tered letters. as mo- unregistered mail mat
ter ever reaches its destination, whether
arut from tsc one city or the other IT not
registered letters simply disappear without
leaving a trace that might lead To their
recovery. For years this sort Of thing has
been Oh, rule hercabouts. our friend has
his letters Uady 40 b O'Clock y. IN, at
which hour the main postotiicc in kiev
las been closed for the day. He Is obliged
therefore 10 mail them az the main tcle-
graph office This Office Is wont to deliver
registered letters only twicc daily, al noon
and 4 O'Clock, 20 the main postoflicc, though
these hours do not correspond with tho
time of departure of the mail trains, but
are chosen arbitrarily perhaps because the
relief Of clearing up tho Office has "a more
bcncfcial effect on the digestion of the civ
II servants just before luncheon md din
ner Now, after our friend has got "a reg
isscrcd letter into the main postoilice by
this roundabout way the sequence of events
s. az follows
Tho letter Us sent to the main telegraph
Office at . O'Clock on Monday, say on
Tuesday at noon the lcttrr goes 20 the main
poStoillce AZ gu'cluck ON Wednesday 10
Is sent AWAY ON the mail train Of the South
west railway. aud 10 arrives ia Rovno at
midnight Al Royno She postal force is so
Inadequate Ia the amount of work falling
% its lot that the liicv mail cannot be
sorted before Thursday At o'clock ON
Friday afternoon "a notice Is sent 10 the
village some four miles on that ruis-
tered leftrr from kicy il &c the Rovuo post
office The village authorities do not mako
haste. and the person addressed consequent
IS does not gct the notice hcfprr O'Clock
On Saturday afternoon. As ON sundays
there Us mo- delivery from the hpNho posi-
onirc ho must wait until Monday Co get
the letter Of which he has received notice.
That makes one week the time required
for thc carriage and delivery of a letter bc-
tvepn cities 24O miles apart. In the same
period the writer could travel easily from
Klcv to Toulon, chccr for France several
times ga front of the town hall and then
start for homo soon enough 10 eat several
meals hefur' hc could possibly gct an an
swsr from his correspondent in Rovuo. II
De- wishVd Lr could even visit Paris and
take % drive through the city and arrive at
homo several hours Ia advance Of his cor
rc-poudrit. S letter Nowoie Wrcnja-