Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1898-10-21
MEN OF MEMORY.
BRAINS KEPT ON THE JUMP IN THE
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE.


to Tell Instantly How TO send letter
to From $4,000 TO 10000 Postohiccs
-Growth of system In War Times.
The war with Spain caused great
increase in the work of the railway
mail service with its army of nearly
5000 employees and its 1898 cars and
apartments. The soldiers mail add
ed enormously to the volume of cor
respondcnce, and, in addition, made
necessary what amounted to reor-
gam. alton OF the service TO greater
or less extent on certain routes.
1t was during war times that the
system was first started, relates the
New York Sun. The history of tray-
cling postolEices takes one back to
Revolutionary days, when Ebenezer
Hazard was postmaster-general. In
a memorial to the Continental Con-
gress in l776 he is quoted as saying
that owing to the frequent removals
made by the army he was put to much
trouble and expense through having
to follow the army on foot to deliver
the letters of the soldiers. He added
that this was because he was not able
to purchase horse. He not ouly de-
livered the mail and collected it, but
also performed the asserting process.
When General Washington became
president in 1889 the postoifice was
recognized and transportation of the
mails was effected by stages and pony
express, and later by few steamboat
lines. In 1888 Congress passed an
act constituting every railway
post route. Now there are more
than $50 whole postoffice cars
in use aud 173 in reserve,
besides 2026 apartments in cars in use
aud $40 in reserve, making a total Of
1898 cans and apartments on railroad
lines. while in addition there we're
last year IS electric and cable cars
and 81 apartments on steamboat lines
used for postofIice purposes. 1t is said
that tho present system OF asserting
the mail on the cars was conceived by
w. A. Davis, clerk in the postoiiee
at St. Joseph, Mo. 1t was there
that the overland mail was made
up in 1862. Davis suggested assort-
ing the mail on the cars, and his
plan was adopted after he had tried it
himself.
The average postal clerk has a mem
Dry that has no loopholes through
which any knowledge of his work can
slip. The records at the postoffice
department show that 1854 clerks are
emI Logged on railroad lines, 81 on
steamboat lines, 102 on electric lines,
i3ll ON transfer duty aud 27S Oh Office
duty, sing total of 1858, includ-
ing 80 acting clerks. The amount of
mail which is dumped into one Of the
ears on an important route is simply
enormous. There we're 6, 059, 769, $50
pieces OF mail matter handled last
year and 5,511, III 900 pieces of sec
ond, third and fourth class matter,
making a total of 11,572, $40, $50
pieces, exclusive Of registered matter.
OF this class there were handled A.
$40, $50 packages and cases, 9s4, 093
through registered pouches aud 621,-
S3S inner registered sacks, making in
all 1f,256.853 pieces of registered
matter. There were also handled
1862, 459, $40 pieces of city mail.
In ten years the amount of mail
handled has increased 1912 per cent,
but the working force has increased
only 4s.6 per cent in that time. The
length Of railway covered by the rail-
way postal service with clerks was
last year 1854, 225. OF of electric or
cable lines, 3036 miles of steam
boat lines, 1850. SO miles, making
total of 161, 98S. 81 miles.
Mail for city distribution receives
much attention on the postal cars, as
it must be in shape for immediate de-
livery by carrier on the arrival of the
train. For distribution in New York
city there were handled by the clerks
3,7le, 1877 packages of mail. Each
package averaged 40 pieces, making
the number of separate pieces going
to New York city alone l4S, III, 4So.
To enter this service the applicant
must pass the civil service e'xamina-
ton and study the requirements of
the line to which he is assigned.
Then, to pass thepermanent examina-
ton he must know all the railway
postoffiees along the line aud name
them in their regular order, as we'll
as the other Offices that receive their
mail from the route but are not direct
ly on it. The candidate must also
show his ability to read rapidly the
addresses on mail matter. After he
receives his appointment he is re-
quired by the department to take
further examinations at stated times.
These take place in the division su-
perintendents' offices and consist of a
trial of the clerks memory and his
knowledge of the postofiices in the
states through which his run passes
and also those for which he asserts
the mail. This is done with case
and lot of cards directed to the va
rious offices, and these the clerk has
to distribute, 80 per cent being the
minimum allowed to pass the examin-
alton. On a long run the clerks are
required to know the location of from
Is, 900 to 10000 postofiices, AND so
soon as they PICK up letter they
must determine without hesitation
the most advantageous and quickest
route to send it, With trains running
on very fast time and stations only
short distance apart the handler of
the mail must keep cool, clear head
to get the pouches ready in time.
The life Of the postal clerk is not
without danger. For the year ending
june 80, 1897, there were $50 casual
ties, in which IA clerks lost their
lives and 33 were seriously and 70
slightly injured. In one accident
alone five clerks met death by the I'M
dermining of trestle and the wreck
ing of train.
The Horrible Part.
s'Ob," she said, 81 had horrible
dream last night. And-and you were
a part of it.
'I?'' he exclaimed.
Eyes; | dreamed You and / were
alona tooather uDOn n Deserted