New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-20
THE HARBOR AND THE MAILS.

Improvement Of the harbOr mail service Is
again under consideration as 1t may we'll be-
Much progress has been made by the postal au-
thorites in this respect in recent years but there
is room for much more. Despite the best efforts
of the Postoffice, much delay often occurs In
the transfer of mails from incoming steamers
to outgoing trains. Such is especially the case
when steamers arrive at this port IN the even
ing after o'clock. Important mail trains leave
the city at about 8 O'Clock, and it not infrequent-
" happens that there is failure, by few
minutes or more. to make connection between
the docks and the stations, with the result that
the mails must wait over until the next morn
ing. Had they caught the evening trains they
would have been delivered in distant cities the
next day. Waiting until the morning trains
they reach their destinations late In the even
ing, and are not actually delivered till the day
after that.
The increase Of working force proposed by
the Postoffice will probably remedy this to some
degree. But the root Of the evil lies deeper. 1t
is TO be found in the difficult entrance to the
harbor and in the wide separation of the steam
ship docks from the railroad stations. The real
reform is to be effected, therefore, by improve
ment of general harbOr and terminal facilities.
The first thing is to make it possible for any
steamer. of greatest size and deepest draught, to
enter the harbOr and make good speed straight
up TO her dock, at any hour Of day or night, and
at any state Of the tide TO do that Is mere
problem Of engineering and Custom House adj
ministratOn. 1t Is q difficult problem, If you
will. but far from insouble. To say 1t cannot
be done Is like the former sayings, that the Erie
Canal could not be made or the Brooklyn Bridge
built, or the dangers Of Dead Mans Curve
-abated. Human progress consists In the doing
of things which the unprogressive declare i'm
possible.
The second part Of the reform Is to make
direct connection between inland and ocean
commerce, so that trains from all the great
trunk lines can be run down upon the piers
alongside which the great steamships lie Then,
with the mails assorted on shpbOard, there will
be not a minute lost in the transfer The sacks
Of mail matter may be swung directly from the
steamers deck into the waiting cars and mails
arriving in port at S:45 o'clock may be speed
ing north, east, south and west by rail at 9
o'clock. This, too, Is a Mere problem in engi-
neering, difficult perhaps, as all great problems
are. but entirely possible, in one part OF the
harbor II not in another. in measure 1t has
actually been accomplished at some ports. Per
haps the entire plan suggested here Is more
elaborate and more difficult than any under
taken elsewhere. Very we'll. Some harbor must
be the most perfect and have the best facilities
in the world. and New-YOrk is as we'll entitled
to attain that distinction any other
This is not a mere matter Of local pride or
local profit. 1t is one of National importance.
New-York is the entrance point for the Euro
pean mails Of the whole Natic2 Upon the ia
cilities Of transfer depends the prOmptness with
which those mails are to be received at Phila-
delphia, at Chicago. at New-Oreans at San
Francisco Every State and community in the
whole Republic Is interested, and will be in
creasngly interested. in the matter. Chicago
may not care much about NETWORKS CONNER
cial prosperity. She does whether she gets
her European mail in seven days or eight. One
of these days there will he daily mail and
passenger service across the big ocean ferry.
on fixed schedule that will take no account Of
tides and with no need of lighterage or truck
age between the steamships and the railroads
That will be great thing for NewYOrk. But
1t will be still greater thing for the whole
country; as much greater as the whole country
is greater than its greatest city.