Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-12

mail carrier will go upon his daily rounds.
1t will be no international arrangement
at the outset, but will be conducted solely
under the auspices of our own Postofhce
department. AS progress is made in the
conquering Of Cuba, connection will be made
with the postal system which is now main
tanned by the insurgents in the regions
under their control, SO that a letter posted
in New York or San Francisco will go safely
and speedily to it's destination in the in
terror of Cuba.
How Letters Reach the Fleet
At the present time the service of the
postofice stops at Jacksonville, Tampa,
Key West or the ports on the Florida
coast. Connection is made with the ships
of the blockading fleet and the flying squad
ron. but it is from the coast towns only.
Letters addressed to the officers and men
of the fleets mailed at points north or east
of Washington are now carried south in
the through postal cars. The department
operates a railway mail service from Spring
field, Mass, to Tampa, Fla, on a quick
schedule. The postal car starts from
Springfield and picks up the sacks at the
cities and towns along the line. At Wash
ington another car, If necessary, is at
tached to the train and a crew of mail
clerks carries it through to Charleston, S.
c., without relay, where another crew takes
hold.
The through sacks from the north are
made up, sealed and stacked in one end of
the car, not to be opened until their destina-
tion is reached. In the car which is at
tached at Washington open sacks are
placed and at every postofhce the mail is
taken aboard the flyer. The letters for the
way stations are assorted in the cases and
made up into bundles to be sacked and
thrown off as directed, while those for the
fleet, the armies or residents of Florida
towns are distributed in the proper sacks.
When Tampa is reached, II that is the
nearest port to the vessel to which the mail
is going, the postmaster segregates the
mail for the officers and sailors and makes
it up into other sacks, to await the arrival
of the official dispatch boat from the ship,
which puts in at convenient opportunities,
A great deal of the mail goes to Key
West for Admiral SIMPSONS fleet and Com
modore Schley's flying squadron, where it
is sent out by the local postmaster to the
fleets and delivered by the dispatch boats
TO the proper officers of each ship, who at
tend to the distribution of the letters.
Army Maii,
The mail for the armies at Tampa goes
south in the same way. The pouches are
delivered to the postmaster and the army
officials must apply to him for the mail
Great care is exercised in the handling OF
the mail after II leaves the postoffice al
Tampa. Special messengers are detailed by
each commanding officer to get the mail for
the troops in particular vicinities and they
transport ii to the camps, where II is kept
in a stated place, at which the soldiers call
and get their letters. The mail for Chicka-
manga passes through Washington, but goes
out on another route.
Since the outbreaks OF the war no mail has
gone TO Cuba or come out of the island to
the United States. No postal communica-
ton will be established until our troops are
landed.
1t is not intended to establish any system
OF espionage over the mails going to the
fleets or to Cuba when communication is
opened with the island. The sacredness OF
the seal Of an envelope bearing the United
States postage stamp will be scrupulously
observed. AS much care will be taken in
the delivery of a missiye as If it were adj
dressed to a peaceful resident of a city OF
the republic.
At this particular j~uneturs the Postofice