Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-28
Many Amt RIO s


ped two mail pouches. and by the side
stands the hardy Indian driver, in the act
of whipping the dogs on. One of the splen-
did modern sixty-foot mail cars Is shown
by very complete model, constructed on
one-sixth of the original scale. 1t Is COM
pletely fitted within, even to the electric
lights and heaters. Several models of
steamboats, are shown, among them the
Oklawaha. fiat boat steamer. used on the
rivers of Florida to carry mails The first
American steamer to carry mail across the
Atlantic, the side-wheeler Southern, Is
shown by an excellent model In contrast
to 1t Is fine model Of the City of Paris, a
type of the splendid greyhounds Of the
ocean which now carry the mail between
the two continents.
In glass cases arranged about the room
are figures showing the uniform and ac-
couterments of the railway mail clerk the
special delivery boy. the letter carrier and
also of letter carriers in other countries.
Our nimble-footed graybacks, who now and
then complain bitterly of the regulations
that prevent them from wearing an over
coat in winter. would have probably still
as grfevOuS complaints to make If they
were obliged to wear the uniform and &C.
couterments of the Swedish letter carrier.
He wears a big heavy belt eight inches
wide. from which hangs his sword, car
fridge box, bugle. passport bag, re-
volver and a metallic letter box. provided
with lock and key. All the European let
ter carriers are more heavily accoutered
than they are in this country. and many of
them are obliged to carry a horn or bugle.
The uniforms of various countries are
shown in glass cases without models.
Gaudy Suits of Carriers.
Among them are the dark blue of Great
Britain. with gold and red trimmings: the
dark blue cloak and yellow leggings of
Switzerland; the gaudy white and blue Of
the Queensland and Cape Colony carriers:
the snow-white linen suit of the town post
men Of India and the blue silk garments of
the japanese One of the NEST interesting
in these representations of letter carriers is
that of the inland postman Of India, who
makes six or eight miles an hour, wears
Only a hreech clout and carries, besides his
letter pouch, a short spear with half dozen
bells juggling at the Spearhead. All manner
of helmets are shown. Perhaps the largest
is that worn in Cape Town, which Is snow
white and is nearly as large as Panama
hat. The Japanese letter carrier probably
wears the most comfortable headgear, his
lat being a basket-like affair. wide and
deep, with light wire-like frame settin,
about the head. SO that the air has full cir
culation all over his Uranium.
All manner of letter pouches, registered
Stacks and mail bag locks are shown in the
museum, none of them being any very great
improvement on those which We use in this
country. The Russian pouches are perhaps
the most peculiar of any. They are locked
by heavy chains, every link of which is held
heavy leather, four feet wide and about
eight long. The Mexican letter bags are
very similar to our own, as are also their
letter carrier uniforms. Indeed. a photo
graph Of Mexican letter carriers represents
body of men looking very much like Anglo
Saxons.
The first thing to confront the visitor at
the door Is representation of a mounted
mail carrier on the long star route service
Of the west. He sits bestride good-looking
nag and is himself clad in sensible garb of
cowboy. with a ready six-shooter at his
hip and his saddle bags firmly tied on be-
Lind. The piece would be much improved
If 1t were a little more realistic, with a
heavy Mexican bride and saddle.
Contrabnnd Articles.
ticles seized In the mails as contraband.
Among them Is a log of wood four feet
long. a bunch of sleigh bells, an alligator,
several TASKS of whisky. sets of handouts,
false teeth. hoes. coffee pots. roller skates.
immense rag dolls, and great variety of
curious, interesting and pretty things. In
this case also is shown the skull which
was sent through the mails to Dr. Gross in
Philadelphia with 1919 of postage due on
it. The doctor refused to receive the grue-
some package, and the department sent it
to the museum. There Is in this collection
also an alligator four feet long, a fine Sioux
pipe. large centipede that was mailed
awe III newspaper, rattleSnake four
feet long. two inches in diameter at the
largest part. and bearing nine rattles and
an Indian scalp.
The museum has the mailbag which the
Apaches rif1ed when they murdered Star
Routeman Peterson in Arizona in 1889
Here Is shown a postal card that went
around the world in 40 days, and a regis
tered letter that travelled for six months,
and IS entirely covered with superscriptions
Franklin's Accounts.
In little case near the door Is one of
Benjamin FraLklin's account books when
he was Postmaster General. In another
case Is a bucket which the railway mail
men sent all over the United States and to
Europe. after which it was returned and
was exhibited at Atlanta The tags on it
are legion, and the sentiments expressed
are more or less funny.
In large frame on the wall are shown
photographs of the oldest employees of the
Roswell Beardsley Of North Lansing, who
mas been postmaster of that place con-
tinuously since June %, 1928 Among these
Oldest employees are two well-knoWn in
Washington: Matthew Turner of the sixth
auditors office, who became a clerk August
Is, 1919. and ]. L. Smith, who sells stamns
at the city post Office. He entered the SER
vice in 1S49 also.
Through the west ndows of the museum
may be seen the old western stage coach in
which Garfield rode when on his famous
overland Journey in the Rockies II 10
slowly going to pieces In the rain and am
and 1t Is proposed to shelter it with q cano
py and cover the sides at night with tar
paulin.
Piracy or the Chinese Coast,
From the San Francisco Chronicle.