Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28

Moving back a little copper slide another
combination appeared as O-Z57. The clerk
quickly entered these in his book. together
with the label address. Then upon Il green
card, somewhat like postal card. he wrote
his own address, wv. E. Carter, Pennsylva-
la avenue railway post office Washington,
ID. c." and upon the reverse side the num-
bers and address on the lock. and threw it
in the station b pigeonhole in his case, to
be tied up in the next package of letters to
go to the station b post office. where the
postmaster would sign it and return 1t to
Mr.. Carter to whom 1t would be a receipt
for the registered sack. The registered
sack itself was put into the pouch, ad-
dressed to the general city post office.
The Direct Advantages.
The direct advantages secured by this mail
car on Pennsylvania avenue appear at once
In the first weeks service. 1t saves one
handling of the mails. Instead of dispatch
ing Accommodations of mail at Georgetown
Capitol Hill and other stations at regular
intervals to the general city post office
there to be assorted and distributed by
clerks, 1t Is by one operation collected and
distributed on the car. In other words, one
clerk necessarily at work does what eight
or ten are required to do at Intervals with
large accumulations of mail. At the same
time mail to go out of the city goes directly
from each point of collection to the train at
the Baltimore and Potomac station. For
letters within the city the highest degree of
promptneSS has been attained. For in
stance, II at one minute before the depar-
ture OF the car at the terminus in George
town letter addressed to some resident of
capitol Hill Is dropped in the big. red. rail-
way mail boX,the clerk gets it, and In thirty
one minutes hands 1t off the car in the pouch
labeled to go to station b. Five minutes
later the wagon reaches that station, the
pouch Is emptied. the entire contents dis
tributed. and at ; o'clock the carriers are
out on their routes to make their deliveries
A letter mailed at time to catch the car on
trip that will nicely dovetail into the car
rterS time schedule will go from sender to
receiver in about three-quarters of an hour
Better service than this Is inconceivable.
So great are the advantages secured by
this new system that 1t is only a question
of time when cars will be placed on the
14th and 7th street lines
Today an order went into effect by which
all mail for the navy yard up to pm. is
delivered to an orderly sent by Commo-
Hitherto the latest delivery TO the navy
yard was made at 3 pm. This new deliv-
cry by the car will include all New York
mail leaving that city at $3.50 and all Wash
ington mail up to pm.
1t is expected that when larger cars are
used the postal collectors who gather up
the contents of the boxes in the neighbor-
hood of Pennsylvania avenue will get on
the car, have the n all collections Cancelled
by the clerk and made up for their destined
carrier routes. So, too will carrier deliv-
cries be made up on the steam railway
routes coming into the city. ready for
prompt service by carriers. who will at
stated points along the line meet the car
and get their packages assorted and in
proper order for instant delivery
Gen. Nelson said today that before long
all official mail from the various depart
ments would be sent and received through
the street railway mail cars. Tine weather
bureau, State, War and Navy, White House
Department of Justice, Treasury. the Capt.
tol and Congressional Library are all on
the route of this first car. With wagon ex-
changes the Post Office and Interior De-
partments and the pension office could be
accommodated now. and when a car is
placed on the It'll street line the system
will be easily put in operation.