Evening star., 1898-06-11
FOR BOYS AT THE FRONT
Arrangemsnts That Have Been Made for
Delivering Their Nail
How the Post once Department Man.
ages to Keep Track Of the
Army and Navy.

Written for The Evening Star.
The war. with the consequent military
and naval movements along the South At
| iantic coast, has resulted in materially In
creasng the work of the postal officials
throughout the south. The Post ONCE De-
psrtment is keeping step. fguratively
speaking. with the War Department and
the Navy Department
Wherever the United States flag goes
the mail sack follows apace Preparations
have been completed for establishing a
United States post Office upon Cuban soil as
| socn as the first landing of regular troops
is made. or the first port is seized 70. per-
manent occupation by the fleets. Mr.
Eben Brewer has been designated by The
Postmaster General to take charge of the
rev post office, with force of clerks. hang
| out his shingle designating the Office and
proceed at once to handling mail
1t will be the first time this government
has located a post office upon foreign soil.
AS the United States armies advance the
| service will be extended, and when the oc-
| c2sion demands it, regular post routes will
| De estd hiiShed in Cuba, and Uncle Sans
mail carrier will go upon his daily rounds
| 1t will he no international arrangement al
| the outset, but will be conducted solely
under the auspices of our own Post oftic.
| Department As progress is made in the
conquering of Cuba connection will be
| made with the postal system which is now
| maintained by the insurgents in the re-
slcns under their control. SO that a letter
! iosted in New York or San Francisco will
go safely and speedily to its destination in
/ the interior of Cuba.
Letters for the Fleet.
At the present time the service of the
pest office stops at Jackso nviile, Tampa,
Key West the ports on the Florida
coast. Connection is made with the ships
| o. the blockading fleet and the flying
| squadron, 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 depart
E.ent operates a railway mail service from
| Springfield, 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
1Igton another car, if necessary, is at
tached to the tram. and a crew of mail
clerks carry II through to Charleston, 5. G.
without relay, where another crew takes
held.
The through sacks from the north are
made up sealed and stacked in one end of
the car, not to be opened until their desti-
alton is reached. In the car which is
attached at Washington open sacks
placed, and at every post office the mail
is taken aboard the flyer. The letters fer
| the way stations are assorted in the cases
diu lfldut UP lllO EuNCleS 10 De sacked ana
thrown off as directed, while those for tne
fleet, The armies or residents of Florida
towns are distributed in the proper sacks.
On Dispatch Bonts.
When Tampa is reached, if that is the
| nearest port to the vessel to which the mail
is going, the postmaster segregates The
n all for the officers and sailors and makes
il 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 10 Key
West for Admiral SIMPSONS fleet ana
Commodore Schleys flying squadron, where
1t is sent out by The local postmaster to
the fleets and delivered by the dispatch
beats to the proper officers of each shin,
who attend to the distribution of the let
terS.
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 post office ut
tampa Special messengers are detailed
by each commanding officer TO get the mail
for the troops in particular vicinities and
they transport it 10 the camps. where it is
Kept in a stated place, at which the SOL
diers % 8, call and get their letters: Tho mail
for Chickamauga passes through Washing
ton, but goes out on another road.
Mail for Cuba.
Since the outbreak of the war 10 mall
has gone to Cuba or come out of the
island to the United States. No postal
communication will be established Until
cur troops are landed.
1t is not proposed to establish any sys-
tenn of espionage over the mails going to
the fleets or to Cuba, when communication
is opened with the island. The sacreGness
cf the seal of envelope bearing the
United States postage stamp will be scrup-
ulously observed. As much care viii be
taken in the delivery of the ,nisSiye & If
it were addressed to a peaceful resident
of city of the republic.
AT this particular iuncture the Post Office
Department is maintaining considerable
reserve as to The destination of The mails
This is for the purpose of concaalinc the
possible whereabouts If vessels of he feet
which might be divulged through Jr,iue
publicity of the movements of the mails.