Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-05-13
SRA POSTOFFICES
handling TIE NAILS ON TIE BIG OCEAN
STEAMSHIPS
Our Agreement With Gsrnany-DsliVsry Of For
sign Natisr Facilitated BY the United States
Sysism-Clsrks Recruited from the Germany
Army Who Garry Swords

The United States sea post Is most
Important branch Of the postal service
OF which the public, even the CONNER
cial part Of il, knows little and, know
ing little, fails TO appreciate It's useful
ness. AT present the making up oil
mails on board steamships is confined
under postal agreement with Germany
70 the vessels OF the North German
LLOYD and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Packet
Company going back aud forth.
The Uuited States Government rehan-
dies the mail on the New York and the
Paris, OF the American line, on westward
trips only, the British Government hav
ing declined TO cooperate on esst-bounc
trips, claiming that their railway ser
vice gave q proper separation OF mai
matter, leaving nothing 20 be accom-
plished BY a rehandling on shipbolrd
Service is performed on the vessels oil
the American line by one clerk, whc
has but little TO do because OF the small
quantity OF mail received, mail oeinG
restricted TO that specially marked tC
90 by the New York or the Paris, and
an occasional lot OF mailbagS from
France or Germany which missed the
vessel intended. The clerk on an Amer
ican liner is virtually passenger, whose
passage is paid By Uncle Sam.
The sea service between the United
States and Germany was begun when
the Havel left Bremen on March 81,
1891. Under the arrangement made the
United States furnishes one clerk and
4 Hnk he
first named clerk receives 1900 year
more money than his German associ-
ate; but the representative OF the kaiser
wears a uniform and is privileged &c
carry q sword, which az least adds 70
the place 10 dignity what it lacks fnSn-
cially. The German clerks are recruited
from the army, generally subordinate
oficer, who, being used in the sea pos
tai service, are kept actively employed
aud free from thinking OF the Gbtruse
social problems which characterize the
life of a German soldier stationed IN
Quiet garrison towns, and which some
times drive hime TO suicide.
The natty uniform Of the German
clerk contrasts oddly with the store
clothes worn by the American clerk
=
the steerage passengers bv the cap he
wears bearing the words ~. ). Sea
Post" The laborer OF the German
clerk wears a uniform less military In
appearance than that Of his superior
but showing enough in red trimming tC
satisfy the wearer's vanity.
RECRUITED FROM THE RAILWAY SERVICE
The American clerks are now taken
from the railway mail service. Nc
reason is known for this, except that q
man accustomed 10 maintain an upright
position, place letters in pigeon-ho
record registered matter, etc, while q
train is whirling around sharp curves
at the rate OF forty miles an hour, Is
fully capable OF sorting mail and
writing out descriptive lists Of regis
tered articles while vessel is doing the
''outer edge" on the bring.
The clerks board az the officers mess,
\ saws the New York World They are
sub9ect 10 ships discipline. Clerk Hall,
who was on the Inflated Elder when she
ran aground, found that in time Of dan
ger the captains orders brought him
moro assurances of safety than il be
was his own master. Halls response
billy ended just "a soon as the vessel
struck the rocks; first be came under
the commanding officers orders, and
when the agent OF the LlOyds arrived
he was relieved OF his supervision OF the
mailbags.
On board steamships coming to New
York as many as $50, 600 letters have
been resorted Comparatively few let.
ters are now brought into New York in
the original bags as made up on the
continent, as each steamship from
Hamburg or Bremen brings an average
NJ 200, 600 letters, including the sea
post letters, aud then all are re-han
died.
FINE SORTING.
The sorting OF letters under orders
constantly issued is becoming Finer,
clerks now being required 10 separate
into two bags letters addressed TO vari
Gus parts Of New York City by posi-
Office districts, so that il you live at 2lC
East Fourteenth street letter posted
10 you in Germany would probably
while In transit across the Atlantic, bt
placed IN a bag labeled Branch r. o.
Station D." This permits, within 4
short time after the arrival OF the mails
at the post Office building, delivery
by carrier from the "D" station, which
under the old system, might not react
You until many hours after.
Under a curious regulation clerks
we're accustomed 20 open bags or regis
tered matter and reinvOice the contents
and generally, although not intention
ally, succeeded In relisting the register
ed articles so that il was almost impos
sible to trace" mail, which in the par
ticular strength Of the registry system,
at least as far as the United States u
concerned. This cOuntry's delegates q
the various postal union conventions
never agreed 10 the indemnity clause
whereby a certain sum OF money was L
be paid the sender, or the one address
ed. for the loss OF registered article
hence ability 10 trace" mail, is particu
larry important. The arrangement re
ferred 10 rendered TRACING" hopeless
But finally, after voluminous cores
pondence, this difficulty was overcome
by a plan suggested by the officer N
charge OF registered matter in the New
York Office, who outlined a scheme by
which any registered article can now bC
traced on ths sea post registry lists OF
invoices.
The German clerks generally spsaG
English and French and feel at home on
this side, particularly in Hoboken,
where the Hamburg and Bremen steam
ships are Wharied. The American
clerks, with few exceptions, speak NJ
German, and are as strangers 10 land
in the two cosmopolitan cities they
reach on the other side.
The Germans are thorough in pOsta