The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-07-02
MAIL FOR THE FRONT

Key West, July 1.-The past week has
| seen the perfectng of system Of mail
| distribution for the feet In West Indian
! which will be OF great service and Of
/ great joy 10 many a man whose thoughts
turn away northIard to the loved ones
1 at home.
| Through the kindly curtesy of c. S.
| Beaver the chief clerk of the service be-
tween Jacksonville and Key West. your
correspondent was enabled 10 learn some
thing of the system, the efficiency Of
which is in large measure due to Mr..
Beavers long experience in a similar ca
pacity on the route between Philadelphia
to Pittsburg. The amount OF mail matter
handled represents the mail matter of a
city of several hundred thousand inhabi-
tants. Taking only the camps at jack
sonville and Tampa, the feet from Key
West to Santiago, and the troops now in
that vicinity, there is represented an army
and navy of letter-writers comprising
probably sc, 900 men, whose mail matter
will equal in amount that of city of
OUV,VOO pcOpic. ue pOS lHdSlCI ol OdSEA-
sonville told me that the outgoing mail
from Camp Cuba Libre averaged $4,000
letters per day for each regiment in the
camp. This would probably be a fair
average for all. As Col. Egan's office did
not handle the inward mail for the camp.
quantity but it is somewhat heavier than
the outgoing mail.
The separation and classification of the
mail for the army and navy begin prac-
tically when it leaves Washington, AMI
with every stage of it's progress comes
into more and more systematic condensa-
ton until it reaches Key West, which
is now the ultimate postoffice on United
States territory. Mail for Camp Cuba
! Libre is separated from that for other
I points further southwark before it
reaches Jacksonville. 1t is also separated
from the local mail of Jacksonville, and
! is distributed into different sacks and
pouches according to the different regi-
ments in the camp, and so is not subject
| to any handling in the office at Jackson
vile. Beyond that point the real work
and the final system come into operation
The Tampa mail is sorted out and kept
separate from the military mail, just as it
Is at Jacksonville, so that the local Of
fee is not burdoned with the army matte
| That army mater is sorted out and tied
up for each company of every regiment
stationed in Tampa, the letters pouched
I and locked and the papers sacked ready
for delivery to the regimental postmaster.
This position is usually filed by the regi-
mental chaplain.
With these two camps DISPOSED of there
still remains mail matter by the ton. des-
tined for the West Indian fleet and for
the troops engaged in Cuba. This mass
has received partial separation and as
sembling in the mail cars along the route,
but only in a general form. When the
system is wholly perfected. a portion Of
the mail will go from Jacksonville via
( Miami and the east coast lire, but at
present the bulk OF II goes by the way
of Tampa As Steamer days. from these
two points alternate there will be consti-
tuted daily service to Key West, except
ing Sundays. The process of mail han
Tampa the mail for the navy and for the
army a the front is transferred from the
train to the steamer. Mascotte Of the Plant
line, the regular mall and passenger boat
TO Key West. To facilitate the work Of
have been knocked into one and all berths
and fixtures removed. leaving a large
room, which has been fitted up with racks.
p.geon-holes, and frames for supporting
sacks and pouches. In and around this
room the matter is piled as II comes from
the train in truck-ioad after truck-load.
Here it is received by two clerks. quick
men. of clear intelligence and long ex-
perience. For the greater part OF the
eighteen hours of the run, these men are
busy empting sack after sack upon their
tables and with nimble fingers sorting.
bundling and pouching that mass Of le,-
tiers and papers which viii mean 50 many
hours OF joys 10 some, so many hours OF
pain TO others.
Upon one wall OF the room IS set o.
pigAon-h0les with a compartment for each
ship plainly marked with the name OF the
vessel. counted upwards % 10 OF the
spaces, and read the name OF many yes
sci OF which had never heard The let
tiers after being sorted into these pigeon
holes. are bundled in the usual manner OF
the postofice service. and deposited in
their proper pouches. The mail OF the
army Is treated In the same way. the
unit Of the packages being the company
organization. Provision Is made for CON-
mands which have been divided. but this
provision IS made BY the railway service
on shore. Each car has what thsy cali
military directory, kept as accurately as
possible by means % advices from the
War Department For instance. Z g
troop OF theForty- has Eon . to
Cuba. while D troop remained AZ Tampa.
aud A troop has hsen sent 20 Fort NJ
Pherson. this directory would shoE the
location OF each and rs mai would he
forwarded acco-ssaziy. Thzs for troop
would 50 on board the Masco,ss for Key
West, and 6s It'd II - own s2ec.al
package and. n company EffH that Ter
the othe- troops o the same command
which we're al IRE front - to-wausess 70
THAI part o. IA regiment Wherever 5,
might BE.
AZ Key wess what zsAv BE called re
"e&-r.e<-serFscs eegz-A Al ess2g sez6y