The state herald., 1897-12-03
MAIL IN STREET CARS
GROWTH OF THE new SERVICE.
From NInety-Four Routes Three Years Ago
the Experiment Now Includes 167
Routes In Twenty Nine states Results
In ChIcnrn.

The establishment of postal service
on street cars has spread over wide
territory In the last year. II started In
half dozen OF the larger cities, from
which 1t has spread to thirty states.
In 1904 there were fOrty-seven street
car routes; last year the number
jumped to 145, and the report for the
fiscal year ended June Both last shows
16I llns. Most Of the service Is by
closed pouch, but while only two or
three years ago there We're less than II
half dozen street ears In which mail
was distributed on route there are now
thirty cars In which the mail IL worked
either In an apartment or In II ear
given up entirely to the use of the mail
service.
The appropriation for street railway
'.nes for 1898 was S250,OO0, an increase
of 36 per cent, and the estimate for
the year 1870 Is $375,OOO, which repre-
senis an lncrease of 80 per cent.
The street ear hns proved to he Il
wonderful aid In the quick distribution
OF mail matter. In Chicago and other
cities the distributing cars on one line
make up mail for the cars OF other
lines, 80 that the mail matter need not
be sent to the general pOstoflice nt all.
The wonderful dispatch which the
method furnishes IL Illustrated by n
story of Chicago contractor whose
place Of business IL OH the west side.
o";, ring to have sub-contractors bid
on some work. he wrote five postal
cards to ms many contractors and
handed the lot to n clerk on passing
postal ear. took seat on the same
train and went downtown. The Per
sons addressed lived miles apart. but
Notwithstanding this and the fact that
the contractor was downtown only two
or three hours, when he returned to
his west side office -four of the con.
tractors Were waiting with the cards
In their pockets and the fifth man
came In soon afterwnrd.
The cars not only make M mail for
other ears of the same class. but they
dispatch closed pouches all over the
city and TO the big railway postoiiiccs
leaving the city for all sections OF the
country.
On Cottage Grove avenue in Chica-
go there Is n line Of white mail boxes
attached to lamp posts. From these
special rccepiacles the clerks In the
StTts' UOstHi tUTS lHkt connexions sew
ernl times day. In this manner they
gather up the mail over ,nilcs of terri
tory and dispatch 1t according to the
address. whether II Is destined for
Europe or Englcwood. without sending
1t to the main postotiicc.
Taking the mails direct from the let
ter boxes on the lamp posts has found
favor everywhere. Collection and dis
tribntion wagons have been expert
mented with In Washington and New
York during the last year. and the
Idea has been found practicable and
advantageous. These are large wag-
ons fitted MP with eases. tables ard
pOstmarking apparatus They are
drawn all over n business district, the
mail collected from the street boxes.
postmarked. routed aud taken direct
to the railway stations, where they are
dispatched. with n great saving of time
and labor. The plan has been cx-
tended TO Buffalo. where the expert.
ment Is now oniinucd.-Chicago Rec
ord.