The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-26
THEY HANDLE TONS OF MAIL.
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE MEN
READ MILLIONS OF ADDRESSES.

Mails Became COngested at Port
Tampa, and Were Then Straight
ened Out-MaiIs Now Made Up by
COmpanies-POst once at Chicka-
manga Gets Rid of About $4,000
Stamps "a Day.
Superintendent L. NJ. Terrell, of the rail-
way mail service for the Fourth division,
including Georgia, Florida, South Carolina,
Alabama, Mississippi and all of Louisiana,
east of the Mississippi river was in the
city yesterday on business connected with
the service.
Col. TerrelPs territory takes In the two
largest military encampments in the coun-
try just now, Chickamauga and Tampa, or
rather three since a camp has been estab-
lshcd at Jacksonville. This state of affairs
mas affected the railway mail service no
little. the result being the necessary en-
ployment Of an extra force, and consider
able maneuvering to see that all of the
mail was properly distributed.
II is no easy matter to distribute mail to
lot Of soldiers, even though they are all
practically together In one encampment.
Where they are settled for d time, the
work is much facilitated, but when they
rather a complex one.
The distribution of mail to the soldiers
is entirely under the supervision of the
railway mail service, the postoffices at the
sites of the camps being inadequate TO han
die even small portion of the matter.
Tor instance, at Camp Thomas, Chicka-
manga the railway mail service handles
$4,000 letters day, incoming and outgoing
mail for the soldiers alone. When the camp
was first opened, and an immense amount
of msil matter was poured into the little
postotfice at Lytle, near the camp ground,
IL was practically swamped. The distripu-
ton Of the matter went on as best it could
under the circumstances but there was an
interesting accumulation of 1t, until Col.
Ferreils boys got hold of it and straight
cEed itodt.
The distribution Of this immense
amount OF mail matter at Chickamauga,"
Col Terrell said, twas first accomplished
by means of postal cars which were side
tracked near the camp. Now a large build
Ing has been secured al Lytle, and we &C.
cupy a portion of that. When / say that
S0,OG letters a day are handled there, /
mean merely letters and small packages,
exclusive of newspapers any quantity of
which come along with every days mail.
1t is no exaggeration to say that mail mat
ter is handled there by tons"
The soldiers are not required to pay for
postage stamps Under an order from the
department they are allowed to mail their
letters and the postage is paid by the
party receiving them. Many soldiers take
advantage of this privilege, but there are
many others who pay their own postage.
Some idea of the tremendous business of
the postoffice at Chickamauga, therefore
may be had when il is stated that on one
day Col Terrell knows of 1000 stamps
were secured by the postoffice there, ANA
they were all sold out before night
The situation down at Tampa or rather
Port Tampa, where the soldiers are en-
eamped, was before the departure of Gen
Shafter's corps even more interesting. The
postoffice at Port Tampa is little buitd-
ing about twelve feet square, entirely in
adequate, of course, to handle the large
amount of mail matter which went in
every day while 10000 troops were en-
oamped there.
1--WE managed the distribution of the
mails there through a postal car" Col
Terrell said. when it became congested
something had to be done to straighten it
out, and the Plant System very kindly
furnished postal car, stationed convent
emily on a side track. y
THE main trouble there came about the
time the troops were ordered to move Few
of the transports If any could carry a
full regiment and the consequence was
that a regiment would sometimes be dis
tributed around on three or four vessels
When the troopes embarked the mail that
came in daily was made up in pouches
containing all the mail going to one. regi-
ment These pouches were carried aboard
one of the vessels perhaps the men would
take out all that belonged to them, dump
the rest back in the bag, and instead of
it's being carried around the other trans
ports to be distributed where Ii belonged
it was dumped back into the postofiice.
THE transports were several days in
getting away, and this state of affairs
resulted in heavy congestion of the mat
ter. Finally some of the men on The other
boats began inquiring about their mail
and they went up to3the postofice where
the contents of the bags were dumped on
the floor. They picked out what they
wanted and the balance was piled up In the
office, until there were tons of it, AS l
said the Plant System furnished US pos
tai car, and this matter was assorted and
fixed up for the men just before the trans
ports sailed.
Everything is moving very smoothly at
Port Tampa now, however and the sol
diers are getting their letters without any
trouble. The mail for the soldiers Is much
more difficult to distribute than city mail,
and for this reason parties writing letters
20 soldiers should be more careful about
the address. Several letters, for example,
were sent from the war department to Of
fcers at Tampa, containing promotions.
These letters were simply addressed TO
lieutenant so-and-so, Tampa, Fla. There
was nothing to indicate the command with
which they were located and The result
was they had 10 be returned to the depart
ment. Parties writing to soldiers should
be careful to specify the company and
regiment Frequently the companies are
detached from their regiments, as was the
case on the transports in Tampa, and it
facilitates matters very much if the COM
pany is given. However, if these cannot
be given, a man may be found by the
name of the army corps he is with:
I'VE are now making up the mail for
distribution by companies instead of by
regiments. That wil prevent another con-
gestion Of the matter like that at Tampa.
in case some companies should be detach-
ed. At Jacksonville. it is very easy to
distribute it by regiments, because none
of the companies of those commands are
detached. II is different, however with
some of the commands at Tampa
The mail for the army now in Cuba is
made up in pouches, and marked simply