The morning times., 1896-11-03
ASSIST The COLLECTORS
Mail Cart Horses Display
Wonderful Intelligence.
KNOW THE LETTER BOXES
Owners Life Once Saved by His
ber-They Learn to Know the
Route as Well as Their Drivers
ProprietOrs Would Not Sell Them.

The mail caA horse is an animal of won
derful intelligence, and in the capacity of
assistant mail collector displays MEN,
ory not to he found in any other animal.
This abnormal development of the fac
ulty of memory is not the result OF careful
training; nor is it due to the fact that
animals OF an acknowledged high degree OF
Intelligence are selected for this work.
The horses used for the collection of the
mails in the city and suburban districts
are the property OF the collectors. and are
picked up proiniscuously. without regard
to size or color, or, in fact, any of the traits
generally accepted as marks of intelligence.
Cheapness is the greatest inducement to the
purchaser, blazed face or four white legs
cutting no figure whatsoever in t he bargain.
Most. OF the horses used in the collection
of the mails in Washington We're bought by
their owners for mere song, but now
they could not be induced TO part with them
for large sum. None OF the animals would
be rated as beauties at Madison Square
Garden horse show, or take a prize at a
county fair. still they are highly priced
by their owners, who look upon them as
Intelligent and faithful cu-workcrs and com
panions IN the performance Of the daily, or
rather nightly. duties, for the most of the
cab collecting is done after dark.
KNOW THE MAIL BOXES.
For the purpose of the mail cart col
iections the northern and eastern sec
tions of the city are divided into fourteen
subdivisions, eight in the northwest and
six in East Washington Beside these ther.
are the Georgetown and Tenlcytown routes
and the big mail wagon known as the
'pOstofficc on Wheels" to be seen daily
on street and Pennsylvania avenue
1t is in their knowledge of the location
of the mail boxes on these various routes
that the horses prove useful to the collectors
one of the collectors, day or two ago.
said that If lie We're so unfortunate as to
become completely blind, If permitted, he
would still be able TO make a complete round
of the mail boxes. His horse, he stated,
has shown a remarkable degree of intelli-
Gence since entering the service.
He was quick to learn the route, and was
soon able, without direction from the driver,
to cover every box in his section. 1t is not,
however, in the knowledge of the boxes
on any one particular route which makes
these animals valuable to the collector, but
in the perfect familiarity with route
after once having gone over it.
Instances of the Wonderful memory OF the
mail cart horses occur very often. Some
times a collector is laid off or goes on a va
cation and 1t becomes necessary for the
routes to be doubled up, running one and>a
half or two into one. The collectors say IL
is only necessary for the horses to be
driven over the routc once TO know il per
fectly.
Another popularity show. by the horses
under these circumstances, according To
one of the cullectors,is that no matter If
there are one or two mail boxes in sight OF
the last stopping place on the route, as is
often the case when route Is split or
doubled up, the horse seems to understand
the situation and evenif driven in the direc-
ton would not stop at box out Of his own
route.