The evening times., 1896-08-03
MAIL STATIONS IT DEP07s
New Regulation Greatly Facil-
itates Delivery Of Letters.
QUICK SERVICE Is ASSURED
At Present the stations Are Located
In But Few of the Larger. Eastern
Cities-The Plan Is Becoming Very
Popular and VIII Soon Be Consid-
erabIy Extended.

Letters mailed at the Penns ylvania depot
may now be sent by the next train TO-
the subordinate-statioBs situated at Bal
timore, Philadelphia, and New York, where
they viii be delivered upon demand to the
persons to whom they are addressed.
By this method a delivery as quick as
could be secured by a messenger is insured
to newspapers, business houses, aud the
like, who have need OF special haste in
correspondence. For many years tacit
abuse OF the postal laws has been growing
up on the part or this class OF CORE
spondents, who would iutrust their mail
TO railroad employees to be delivered at
the other end.
The attention Of Second Assistant Post
master General Neilson was called to this
evasion Of the law, and he Immediately
set to work to stop it. In doing 30, how
ever, Mr.. Nelson wished to provide sub
stitute for the Illegal method. 30 he de-
cided to try, as an experiment, the plan
above referred to.
PLAN is POPULAR.
The transfer mnil clerks In each of the
large cities between Washington and New
York were placed in charge OF substa-
eitnso III thS uCPotos hAth AASo uNtioho "
receive and distribute all mall deposited,
and also to hand out when called for all
mail addressed for delivery to their re-
spectivc stations.
Mr.. Stuart, who is In charge OF the sta
ton at Washington, says that so far the
service has not been extensively used, ow-
ing TO the ignorance OF the general public
as to its methods. In the ten days in which
the stations have been running. however,
there has been steady increase in the
amount of matter handled. 1t will take,
he says, about a year to fully educate the
public, but at the end of that tim e this
branch of the railway mail service will no
doubt be taxed to its fullest capacity.
At present the stations are placed in the
old transfer offices, but as the system ex
tends the offices will De enlarged more and
more untilfinallyitis expected there will be
full-fiedged postoffice In every impor-
tant railroad depot in the country. The
only postoffice of this type in the country
at present is in the union station at ST.
Louis, but as there have been no correspond
ing stations, Of course the new feature
has not been tried there
LETTERS MUST BE CALLED FOR.
Mr.. Nelson said that in no case would
there be delivery by letter-carrier from
these offices. hut that all mail would have
TO be called for. Continuing, be said that
the new service will not only become an
accommodation, so far as a convenientrnail-
ing and place to receive mail are con-
cerned, but 1t also makes speedy delivery
of mali between important points. THUS.
matter mailed at the depot will be put On
the next train leaving for its destination.
1fdirected in the usual way it will of course,
30 to the general station, but If addressed
to corresponding substation In some other
city 1T VIII be delivered from the depot
without first going to the central office.
No extra charge will be made for this SER
vice, SO that IL Will doubtless soon become
very popular.
I Another plan which Mr.. Nelson has had
in contemplation for some time Is the es-
Enlistment of a pneumatic service between
the Central pcstoffice and substatioas. Ne
soiiations are already pending for the erec-
ton OF pneumatic tubes in New York and
Philadelphia.