The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25
POST0FFICE ON WHEELS
NOVEL EXPERIMENT TO he TRIED
BY THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT.
Travelling POstoHice to stop at Every
Farmhouse and Give the Country
a City's Facilities.

Washington Letter in st. Louis Globe-Dem-
ocrat.
An Improvement more extensive and in
teresting than any even contemplated by
the Postoffice Department in years is ex-
pected to result from a novel experiment TO
be commenced by the government author
tiles New Years day. If it proves sue
cessful we will before long see every i'm
portant country road within our vast domain
traversed by moving postofficeS-actual post
offices on wheels, with travelling postmas-
ter in each. Those who have hit upon this
purely novel scheme see in ii the solution
of the growing rural free delivery problem,
as we'll as the application of the rapid transit
mail-car idea to the interior country road.
Days of delay lost in the present slow rural
system will be saved postal commerce be-
tween large cities and country towns. Farm
ers will go simply to the nearby highway
instead of to the postoffice perhaps miles
away to transact any business which they
now carry on by aid of the mails. A COM
plete collection, delivery. registry, money
order and stamp, envelope and postal card
selling equipment will pass through their
neighbOrhood on schedule time each week
day in the year.
First, as to the travelling rural postoffice
proper: The Postofice Department will is
sue plans and specifications for a vehicle
of this unique class in few days The ex-
terror will somewhat resemble the modern
country stage coach, with three windows on
a side, and will be labeled 80. S. Mali in
conspicuous letters. The booy will be eight
feet long, four feet across, and just high
enough for a man six feet tall to stand
erect inside. 1t will be very light running
0,.G
and adapted to all kinds of weather-rain,
hail, snow or blow blizzard or redhot sum-
mer. The personnel will consist of but two
the travelling postmaster and his driver.
Inc latter will be mounted upon an ample
seat in front, sheltered overhead and pro-
tected in wet weather by waterproof COW
ering. Entrance to the interior of the We
hicle will be by a door on either side, which
when shut will serve as the center of the
another>ir front will make the Office as light
as may be desired by day, while a blazing
lamp vii do the same by night.
INTERNAL ARRANGEMENTS.
The postmaster will be seated in the CEN
ter of his office, upon a revolving chair
made stationary with the floor Both before
and behind him will be working table and
a complete set of postofflce pigeon holes
Under ordinary circumstances he will ride
with his back toward the driver, there being
more room at his rear table than at the
front. Just above the rear table will be a
closet with double doors. Inside will be
shelves, a cash drawer and drawers for stor-
ing stamps, postal cards, envelopes cam
celerS and other necessities, including a
trusty gun for protection against the bold
hlghWayman, without whom literature on
mail coaches is ever dry and uninteresting.
Grouped about this closet will be the smaller
pigeon holes, among which mail matter for
the rural inhabitants having houses or COL
lection and delivery boxes along the route
between postoffices will be distributed al
a W xJyhn he nov tOffi
on wheels approaches the farm of Josiah
Corntossel, that gentlemans letters can be
readily found in pigeon hole &C, - and when
it comes to the box of Hezekiah Hayseed,
who may live several miles up the cross
road, his letters and papers will be taken
from compartment "H'' and deposited in
the slot of the box bearing his name. Be
meath this rear working table will be larger
pigeon holes, each bearing the name of a
regularly established postofiice on the cir
cult. Upon arriving at each office the trav-
cling postmaster Will take all matter out
of it's box and present it to his host, the
stationary postmaster.
This pioneer postof1ce-on Wheels-will be
so equipped that it may, If needs be, traverse
the country under control of only one man,
with composite duties of carrier, collector,
postmaster and driver. This arrangement
may be adopted where or when work is ex-
ceptionally light. When acting as driver the
postmaster will work at the table built in
the front of the vehicle, and the reins con-
trolling the horses will be drawn inside over
the seat vacated by the driver, the fore win
COW being open in summer and supplied
pigeon holes viii be arranged about this
window much as the rear group will be
about the central closet behind. The post
master while driving, will turn his revolv-
ing seat around and raise it until he is in
a Understanding, half-sitting posture, best
calculated to balance him while joIting up
HILL down dale and over treacherous rough
places.
Being in all respects postofflce this COM
pactly equipped vehicle will contain also a
safe for securing funds for money orders,
registered letters sale of stamps, etc, and
for storing valuables., This receptacle will
be placed conveniently beneath the front
working table. so as to be protected by the
driver as well the postmaster, should the
latter be outside attending to his duties. It
will be a steel strong box twenty inches
square and one-eighth of an inch thick, with
secure lcck and fastenings.
WILL CARRY PARCELS.
As every country postmaster knows SUBJ
urban mail especially that received in towns
not on railroad lines, is burdened with a
greater proportion of bulky and cumber-
some matter than mail ordinarily posted for
city distribution. The new postofice on
wheels WILL therefore, be provided with
ample space for all parcels and bundles. A
large compartment behind the rear tier of
pigeon holes will be provided for the purpose.
AS protection for the matter in the pigeon
holes, front and rear, double row of wire
covering will be stretched over each. This
will prevent matter from falling out during
the JOtLS which country VenlcleS are
bound to encounter In these doors of wire
slots will be made opposite each pigeon
hole and large enough to admit a letter
or newspaper. The postmaster will distrib-
ute matter while this screening is closed,
but each slot will have the characteristics
of the rat-trap door and nothing which
goes in it will come out the same way To
remove it it will be necessary TO unlock
the whole wire door. This will be done
while the wagon is at a standstill or when
it has slowed down. Thus the mail mat
ter deposited in the pigeon holes will not
be able to take automatic leave of any COM
partmert to which it may be consigned,
nor will it be an easy matter for even q
Iight-fingered robber to touch the trav-
cling poStofflce en- route.
Then, as to how the proposed system
will work in its entirety:
The scheme is that the States will be di-
vided into circuits The postoffice plying
upon each will be quartered over night at a
railroad town, preferably one situated on
some main line connecting with the city or
cities upon which the rural residents of the
circuit mostly depend and which received
mail from the different star routes from the
neighboring country. 1t will wait here for
the incoming early morning mail and
promptly receive all matter for it's circuit.
1t will then set out Immediately to traverse
in a circle, covering a distance which will
admit of a return to the starting point in
time to catch the outbound evening mails
A stop will be made along the entire cir
cult at each postoffiee, large or small, where
mail will be quickly thrown off and taken
on. The postmaster in each town will have
a schedule showing the time of arrival and