Evening star., 1898-11-01
tot

clerical force of the Santiago post office
Gen. Shafter," he says. immediately
approved of the stand he had taken and
would not interfere with my actions
He authorized him, he says, to organize
the service in the best way in ms power,
adding: See that the postal department I !
gives to the army and the public good
and efficient service, and l Will see that
your actions are sustained. If the services
of the Spanish postmaster and his clerks
or any number of them are not required
remove them" Mr.. Kempner says ne re-
turned to the post office and removed the
director and ten clerks. He retained three
clerks at $50 per month each, and en-
ployed an. American citizen at a salary OF
$40 a month to act as general assistant
He found the post office in a filthy condi-
ton, and Immediately set about a general
cleaning. He says he received from the
British consul the effects of the American
corsul, and Immediately removed from the
building the Spanish coat-of-armS and re-
placed it with the American flag.
Delivery Of Mail.
Every branch of the service at Santiago,
he says was soon in good working order,
and whatever complaints have been en-
tered for the failure of, receipt of mail
matter by the army and the public must be
charged to its non-arrival at this office
The system of delivery of mail upon Its re-
ceipt was so complete that although the
mail coming from the United states while
the 9th Army Corps was in CUBA rareiy
consisted of less than $50 bags frequently
more, 1T was invariably ready for delivery
in less than three hours after its receipt
at the post office. Empty pouches ana
saks, which accumulated very fast were
placed in sacks and piled up in the Office
and were often mistaken for mall mater,
f1om which many complaints OF lnapllltS
to handle may have originated. He says
these pouches might have been returned.
but fearing their infection, he kept them.
IrreguIarity of Mails.
Mr.. Kempner refers to the irregularity of
the arrival Of mail from the states. He
had always attributed this delay to the
War and Navy Departments. for naval YES
sells took the mail on at Key west ana
would not carry the mail any further than
Guantanamo bay. This occurred during the
yellow fever epidemic, and later when the
post office was established at santiago.
Naval vessels brought mail dlrect To tne
post Office only on two occasions ait-r
July 6.
5th. Army Corps to Montauk, and tne
change of base of dispatching transpot Us
from the states. This naturally resulted II,
the holding up of large quantities OF MA.
on September 16 with 132 pouches of mail
was the accumulated mail from Iampa ana
Key West received. This mail was datea
from August 10 to September 4.
Further difficulties, he says, arose from
the fact that the transports leaving New
York were coming to Santiago by way OF
Porto Rico. This caused Irregular arrivals
and much dissatisfaction among the Hlil- M
tary officials and business men. he says
merchants have complained on account OF
the irregular sailing of transports This
irregularity was repeatedly caHed TO tne
as the sailing of transports depended upon
conditions over which even the general IN
command had no control transportation OF
mail according to schedule could not be
maintained with any accuracy.
Agent Kempner says that q thorough IN
vestigation of all complaints of irregularity
in receiving mails reveals as the cause the
All of the complaints refers to delay and de-
tenticn. none to actual loss. To Offset the