Evening star., 1895-08-28
IN UNEMPLOYED CHICAGO.
Postmaster Herring Lost While Trying
to Discover Some Branch Omces.

Postmaster Herring Lost Wh11e Trying
to Discover Some Branch Omces.
From the Chicago Record.
one day last week Washington Hesing.
postmaster of Chicago. was lost in one OF
the city's painless forests. For hours he
and the party with him wandered about
seeking for some human habitation where
they might inquire the way to the chicago
post office BYt' when at last they sighted
the lonely cabin of frontiersman and ask
ed him a question. he answered in Polish
and they couldn't, understand him. Later
they found a man working in cornfeld.
MY man." said the postmaster, will you
tell me the way to the city?"
"who be your was the response.
my name is Hssing. I'm postmaster Of
Chicago" II
Never heard of you"
And this was what surprised the post
master even more than being lost. He said
he thought the man was far below the
average in intelligence. Postmaster Heslns
has lived in Chicago all his life. and he re
CARDS himself as gbeing as familiar with
every part of the city as any man in it.
He has seen it made. SO to speak.
Every few weeks the postmaster, his pri-
vate secretary and few other ofi1ciais
make the rounds of the branch offices to
see how the work Is being done. In the
downtown districts. where the street ear
companies are competing for patronage, this
COmD4IdLlEciy
cago Is a big city. and it is an entirely dif-
ferent task to reach its uttermost corners.
Last week the postmaster went to Pull
man, and. having inspected the Office there.
concluded to penetrate deep into the Wilds
beyond. A carriage was hired and the
driver was directed to go to Riverdaie.
Now, Riverdale lies in the extreme south
westerly corner of the city, almost twenty
miles by road from the heart Of Chicago.
Most of the people who get their mail there
are farmers, for that part OF the city from
both street to 10th street can be used to
excellent advantage for raising cabbages
and onions The postmas asters party reach
ed Riverdale without mishap although at
each turn Of the sandy road they all felt as
If they were discovering some unknown
country.
the crow flies to Hegewisch. in the extreme
southeasterly corner of Chicago and within
a short distance of the Indiana state line.
There is no direct line Of transit between
the two places, and the country is waste
of swamps, sand hills and scrab-oak for
ests. A few meandering country roads cut
through it here and there
'Do you think you can find your wayr'
asked the postmaster anXiously.
The driver was certain that he could.
So the party set out, and although 1t was
hot afternoon they couldn't help enjoying
the rural scenes about them.
The horses plodded along in the sand for
an hour, but there was no sign Of Hege-
| wisch. Once they crossed a river and once
a railroad, and then, suddenly, the road
stopped at a fence, behihd which there was
cornfield. So they all got out. and. al
though the road was narrow, the driver
succeeded in turning around.
Then they drove and drove until they
finally approached a town.
This is Hesewisch." said the postmaster.
But 1t was Hammond. Ind.
So the driver turned to the north and
drove in and out through the country roads.
| Finally they reached place where there
| was wide marsh on one side and forest
on the other. Then they came to some
bars, which the driver got out and let
down. He said he didn't know where he
was.
I'VE are lost" groaned the postmaster.
despair in his voice. for 1t was almost din
ner time. At last they came to a lake, and
a native said that it was Wolf lake, after
confessing that he had never heard Of Post
master Hesing.
About four hours after leaving Riyerdale
the party reached Hegewisch safe and with
heightened idea as to the immensity of
| the rural districts of Chicago.