Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-27
CARRYING the MAILS.


The uninviting faces of figures con-
Jured into regularity and meaning,
| through the toll of government clerks.
can hardly have more significance than
when they express the magnitude of Tn
Gle Sans great service that receives,
transports and delivers the mails writes
the Washington correspondent Of the
Lewiston Journal.
Corporations and individuals in the
State of Maine were paid 1881, Al. 40 last
year for the use of their various vehicles
that carried letters, packages and pa
pers from one point within the state to
some other point. This money includes
the wages paid for fast flying express
trains that rush from one border of the
state to the other, and the wages paid
| the .slow-going stage coach that follows
the star routes of the state through snow
storms and great winter drifts through
the dark and the daylight and all the fick-
lie elements of New England weather. One
will see that 1t is nearly fifty cents a head
for the entire population of the state. No
other New England state received so
much money for similar service, except
Massachusetts and Connecticut. The to-
tai length of these mail routes was 6,6l601
miles. and the total distance Travelled per
annum was s5.l4S.1s12. Only Massachu-
sets, with a total mileage of 1929, 1896
exceeds Maine in this regard among the
New England states.
This large sum of money was paid out
IN several different departments of mail
transportation. There are 17.S miles of
electric road in the state. over which mail
is carried. For transportation of this ma
ture, amounting to g, J9S. 81 miles the gov
eminent paid S769.29
FOR wagon service which is the trans
portation of mails between the postoffices
and the railway depots there is only one
route in the State amounting to 3.61 miles
for which the government paid last year
1858, the total service covering 10, 1872.
This Is the route at Lewiston and Au-
burn. There are 121e3 miles in the mail
messenger service routes of the State.
For travel of 1S9, 2904 miles over these
routes Uncle Sam put his hand in his
pocket for $17422.90 and every cent of it
went into the pockets of Maine people.
with so many waterways the steam
boats of the State play an important part
IN the transportation or the government
mails. There are steamboat routes in
Maine S4S.26 miles long and for 17S $40 so
miles of sailing Uncle Sam paid sli.6C9.37
Ihen there was special office service.
having routes l2921 miles long. The dis
lance travelled over these routes was 40
ST. miles. This special office service is
for localities where postoiiices have been
newly established and where the govern
ment has not had ten days time to adj
Vertise Tor transportation in the regular
way. 1t is necessarily of brief duration
for any one locality. The mail messcn-
ger service is for messengers where the
postofhce is located more than one-fourth
of "A mile from the railroad station and
where the malls are not heavy enough to
require the use of a wagon. If the post
office is not more than one-fourth of n
mile from the depot the railway compa-
MES are required to deliver the mails into
the postmasters Office. Mail messengers
are required to carry the mails on their
backs or upon wheelbarrows.
The Star route service of 3S63. SO miles is
the longest OF any class of postal routes
in the State. The amount paid for trans
portation over Il total distance of 2 443-
.eitS niles-quite a total for the belated
stage coaches to make-was SIP 5S5 "a
But the railways came in for the lions
share of the money. The railway routes
in Maine are 1921 II miles, long. and the
number of train miles for this railway
mail service was 2.25f, 1851. The money
paid for this transportation was Sis CgT |
but the railways received SIG 30 more.
in payment for the use of postal cars.
There arc five electric railway mail
routes in the State and these receive com
pensation under contracts for one year |
They are: Skowhegan and Norridge-
wock. 6.lS miles. $3.50: Portland and Cape
Elizabeth Railway Ito Cash Corners and |
Pleasantdale and other points, 4.63 miles |
S260.S5; the same railroad from Portland
to South Portland and intervening points |
4.32 miles, $3.50; Mousam River Railroad |
Isl miles. $3.50: Rockland. Thomaston and |
{ n rndan Street Railway ,r,;lac SSdo e..