The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1899-07-26
POST0FF|CE ON WHEELS
NEW SYSTEM OF DELIVERY ron
RURAL DISTRICTS.
Trial Wagon Covered Area of Twenty
square Miles, Delivering To Three
Hundred Families and Is
Decided Success.

Decided success.
The postal wagon has been intro
dLced for the first time in the system
of rural mail free delivery for Carroll
county, which has been inaugurated
by the postofiice department. The ex-
pertinent was eminentiy successful,
says the Baltimore Sun.
The mail taken out by wagon for de-
livery was large, there were 23S ordi-
nary letters, six postal cards, POI
newspapers and circulars and five
packages. The wagon collected thir-
ty-six letters, four postal cards and
two registry receipts, received one APP
plication for money order, two regis
tered letters and collected and deliv-
cred three letters along its rodte.
To-day's work does not indicate the
volume of business that will be done,
as many persons did not know the full
extent of the experiment. Then. too,
there is opposition 10 the new system
by some of the country postmasters,
who look with disfavor upon the
scheme. This arises from the fact
that if the experiment is success and
the government adopts il throughout
the United States, thousands of cOun-
try postoffices will be abolished. The
trends Of each postmaster will also
naturally patronize him. The new
system will also cause the star route
system TO be gradually abolished. Sew
eral sections of star routes were COW
cred by the postal wagon in Carroll
county, arriving ahead of the regular
carrier.
The plan will give TO rural residents
throughout the United States the same
coEveniences as TO collections and de-
llver.es of mail as city residents enjoy.
The iGea of such IA service originated
with Edwin w. Shriver OF Westmin-
ster. who submitted plans and esti-
mates TO the government. with Il de-
sign Of the wagon TO be used. known
as the travelling postoffice" or post
office On wheels"
The selection OF Carroll county was
made. first, because it was the home
Of the originator of the scheme, and
secGnd, for tie more practical reason
that the physical formation of Carroll
county is such that if the experiment
proved successful here taking into
consideration its billy and rolling
country. its population, etc, ii. would
prove successful in any county or state
Of the union.
The route was as follows: West
minister TO Warfieldsburg. four miles;
to Bale. two and one-half miles: to
Dennings. two and One-half miles; to
Long. one and one-half miles; to Craw-
ford's store. TWO miles; to Taylorsville,
one mile; to Winfield two miles; to
Gist, five miles; 10 Klee's mill, one
mile; to Birds hill, two miles; TO
Smallwood, two miles; to Fenby, two
miles; To Westminster. two and one
half miles, making total round trip
OF thirty miles.
This route takes in about 800 famil-
les, covering a territory of twenty
square miles, seven miles broad at its
widest point. The wagon received an
ovation at a number of places, notably
wehere large crowds were cOngrega-
at Crawford's store and at Winfield,
where large crowds were congrega-
THE people everywhere showed great
interest in the experiment. In some
places along the route private mail
boxes had already been erected, with
the owners names stamped on them
in large letters. The wagon travelled
over an earth road the entire distance.
More than half the trip was covered
by IL o'clock, when the wagon reach
ed Gist postOtiice. Here the party
rested for an hour the guests o. Fran
els j. Albaugh. where they took din
ner. Westminster was reached at $3.50
p. m, nearly two hours ahead of
schedule time.
The postal wagon is a well-built GOV.
cred conveyance. with side doors, fit
ted up inside with facilities for handl-
ing and distributing mails and doing
all the work of "A well-equipped little
postotiice. The postal clerk inside the
vehicle may do his work while riding
along quite rs comfortably as one in a
postal car on IA railroad.