The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-01
RAILWAY POSTAL CLERKS.
They Must he Men of Brains and
Energy.
From the New York Sun.

energy.
From the New York Sun.
The war with Spain caused great in
crease In the work of the railway NAH
service. with it's army of nearly 5000 en-
ployes and its 1888 cars and apartments
The soldiers mail added enormously to
the volume Of correspondence, and. in adj
dition, made necessary what amounted to
a reorganization of the service to a great
err or less extent on certain routes.
1t was during war times that the sys-
tenn was first started The history of
travelling postohices takes one back to
revolutionary days, when Ebenezer JAZZ
ard was Postmaster General. In a me-
mortal to the continental Congress In 1770
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 soldiers. He
added that this was because he was not
able to purchase a horse. He not only de-
livered mail and collected it, but also per-
formed the asserting process. When Gen.
Washington became President, In 1888, the
postoffice department was reorganzed and
transportation of the mails was effected
by stages and pony express and later by
a few steamboat lines. In 1888 Congress
passed an act constituting every railway
a post route Now there are more than
$50 whole postoffice cars in the use and
173 in reserves besides 2,026 apartments In
cars in use and $40 in reserve. making
total of 1888 cars and apartments on rail-
road lines; while in addition there were
last year 50 electric and cable cars ana 81
apartments on steamboat lines used for
postoffice purposes. 1t is said that the
present system of asserting the mall on
the cars was conceived by w. A. Davis,
eIa In a IOGpnh
1t was there that the overland mail was
made up in 1862. Davis suggested assort-
ing the mails on the cars, and his plan
was adopted after he had tried 1t himself.
The first superintendent of the railway
mail service was Col. George b. Arm
strong OF Chicago. He was succeeded by
Col G. S. Bangs, Theodore N. VAN, W.
b. Thompson and John jameson. Gradu-
aIly they improved the service and soon
postal cars we're seen.
The average postal clerk has a memory
that has no loopholes through which any
knowledge Of his work can slip. The rec
ords at the postoffice department show that
6s54 clerks are employed on railroad
lines 81 on steamboat lines, 102 on electric
lines 81 on transfer duty, and A8 on office
duty making total Of 1902, Including 20
acting clerks The amount of mail which
is dumped into one Of the cars on an i'm
portant route is simply enormous. There
were 6,O59, 7G9, $50 pieces of hrst-class mail
matter handled last year, and 5,51i, III, 900
pieces of second, third and fourth-class
natter making total Of u,57l ,54O,6S0
pieces, exclusive OF registered matter. OF
this class there were handled "A ,640,S32
packages and cases, 9S4, 093 through regis
tered pouches and 63l 7S8 inner registered
sacks, making In all 162J6,663 pieces of reg
istered matter. There were also handled
462 4s9 $40 pieces of city mail.
In ten years the amount Of mail handed
NJ % Iarekt he rsarIr
ing force has increased only 48.6 per cent
in that time The length of railway COW
cred by the railway postal service with
clerks was last year 154, 225.07; of the cleo
tric or cable lines, 30368 miles; OF steam
boat lines. 1882 miles, making total Of
161, 9s8.27 miles.
Mail for city distribution receives much
attention on the postal cars, IL must be
in shape for immediate delivery by car
rier on the arrival Of the train. For dis
tribution IN New York city there were
handled by the clerks 3,7l6.767 packages OF
MAI. Each package averaged forty pieces
making the number Of separate pieces go
ing TO New York city alone 1851, 480 The
largest separation was on The New York
and Chicago Railway postofice, the num-
Der of letters being 36.O3l,12O, and the
smallest was 500 pieces on the Brooklyn
and Long Island city route. on the New
York city collection wagons 3,220O00 pieces
we're handled. On the New York and
Plttsburg system there were handled 29,-
$50 100 pieces, and al The Third avenue
railway Office q. 536SiO pieces.
To enter the service the applicant must
pass the civil service examination and
study the requirements Of the line TO
which he is assigned. Then to pass the
permanent examination he must know an
the railway postohices along the line and
name them In their regular order as well
az the other Offices that receive their mail
a e.
The candidate must also show his ability
20 read rapidly the addresses on mail
matter. After he receives his appointment
he Il only required by the department 10