The record-union., 1896-05-11
OIL LAMPS ARE DOOMED.
The Postal Authorities Want Them
Abolished.
Effort to Do Away With Railway
Horrors in the Future Com
pressed Gas Recommended.

t1on Of removing, If possible, OH idinpS
from postal cars used in the operations
OF the railway mail service. Not only
have the officials of the PoStofnce De-
partment taken this matter in charge,
but business men all over the United
States have united in protesting against
the lighting of mail cars by oil. In one
of tnese protests it is set forth as being
inexplicable on any business-hke ground
that in this age of progress ana lnVen-
tion the public should be compelled to
have mail matter transmitted In dan
gerously lighted cars Wonder In
creases when it is considered that the
postal cars run next to the engines and
are the most likely to leave the rails In
the event of an accident.
Postmaster-Ge General Wilson was seen
at his residence on Q street, and cheer
fully complied with the suggestion Of
the Posts representative that he
should give his views on this important
subject. Ever since I assumed control
of the Postoffice Department" he re-
marked, II have aimed to do every
thing in my power to make the postal
clerks engaged in the railway mail
service as comfortable as possible. No
one recognizes more than / do the haz-
ardous nature of their profession, and
we cannot take too many precautions
to insure their safety and protection
against accidents. While l am not pre-
pared to say that all the casual
ties in the railway mail service have
been caused by defective lamps in which
Oil is used, still they have been primarily
responsible for great many accidents.
There is no question in my mind, how
ever, that some system of lighting rail
way mail cars other than oil should be
used. People have no idea of the num-
Der and character of suggestions made
to the Postoffice Department on this
subject, and everybody seems to think
his ideas the most practicable for solv-
ing this problem. Only a short time
ago gentleman from New York came
to the department with a scheme for
lighting railway mail cars by means of
electricity, the motive power to be fur
nished from the wheels of the engine
1t seemed feasible upon his presentation
or the case, but when it was submitted
to experts, it could not stand the test.
and an unfavorable report was the re-
suit. l do not want to be understood,
however, as being opposed to electricity
or any other Illuminating power save oil
from lamps, but there have been great
improvements in lamps and lighting ap-
paratus used in the postal service
whenever project of any sort in re-
lation to the illuminat ton of railway
mail cars is submitted to the Postoffice
department. 1t has been my invariabl
plan TO turn the matter over to Second
Assistant Postmaster General Nelson
and Captain White General Superin-
fendent of the railway mail service A
study of the reports of the General Su-
perintendent for the two years ending
June 10th shows that during that pc
rlod seventy-three accidents occurred
where mail matter was more or less
damaged by saturation with oil from
the lamps. Figures furnished from the
same source show that for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1895, 497 accidents
occurred to railway postoffices. in
which seven clerks were killed and 11S
injured while on duty. an increase over
last year of 1871 accidents. During the
period that has elapsed since 1885 there
were thirty accidents to railway post
offices, in which sixty-four clerks were
killed and 1 800 wounded
That reminds me-" continued the
Postmaster-G General that have urged
the necessity for making provision for
the families of postal employees who
may be killed in the service. Just as
soon as fatal accident occurs, the pay
OF the victim stops. 1t is desirable,
therefore, that a remedy should be pro-
vided by which the families of such en-
ployes should be taken care of for a
time, at least, after the death of the
mainstay of the family In cases where
postal employees are disabled in the line
of duty we are enabled to carry them
along on the pay rolls and otherwise
make provision for their maintenance.
But take the case of the two poor fell
lows who went down with the Elbe at
the time of that disaster at the begin
ming of last year. Nothing whatever
could be done for their families, and the
same is true of other cases in which
death has carried off the postal employe
while engaged in discharging his duty -
While have not direct supervision
over the lighting or heating of railway
mail cars" remarked Hon. Frank
Jones, First Assistant Postmaster-G Cen
eral, still, in a general way, the subject
very frequently comes before me in con-
ference with chiefs of division. So far
as can learn, the system of lighting
cars in use by the New York Central
and other trunk lines OF the East is far
superior to the old method of oil lamps
and in the event that electricity cannot
be made available, I do not see why
compressed gas. should not be used
Everything possible should be done to
improve the postal service of the United
States, and at the same time afford pro-
lection to its employees, and there is nc
place where precautions are so neces-
sary as in the railway mail cars For
years railroad companies have been
content with imperfect methods fol-
heating and lighting these cars. but
with the progress of the times a change
has become absolutely essential, and in
due course of events not only Oil lamps
but the deadly car stoves, must be rele-
gated to obscurity Whenever there has
been a collision or wreck of train OF
cars invariably the oil lamps or stoves
have been largely responsible for casu.
alties. Not only is this true in the cast
of passengers, but of train men and
railway postal clerks as we'll, and there
should be an end to such occurrences
Every appliance designed for safety anc
comfort of those compelled to use the
means of transportation in this coun-
try should be put in the postal cars, too
This practice, / am informed, is becom.
ing more prevalent, however, every
year with naturally beneficial results
and the postal service is not dreaded
nearly so much as 1t was when Oil lamps
were the rule and not tn exception
Second Assistant Postmaster Genera
Nelson, in discussing this subject said
'.All Postoffice cars should be of such