Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1899-01-05
MEN OF MEMORY.
BRAINS KEPT ON THE JUMP IN THE
RAILWAY MAIL SERVICE,

~ N'oht loJVUo tO SO,UOU fOstOf1ces
Growth of System in War Times.
The war with Spain caused great
increase in the work of the railway
mail service with its army of nearly
5000 employees and its 1898 cars and
apartments. The soldiers mail add
ed enormously to the volume of COR
respondence, and, in addition, made
necessary what amounted to a reor-
ganization of the service to q greater
or less extent on certain routes.
1t was during war times that the
system was first started, relates the
New York Sun. The history of tray
cling postoffices takes one back to
Revolutionary days, when Ebenezer
Hazard was postmaster-g general. In
q memorial to the Continental Con-
gress in l776 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 army on foot to deliver
the letters of the soldiers. He added
that this was because he was not able
to purchase horse. He not only de-
llvered the mail and collected it, but
also performed the asserting process
When General Washington became
president in 1889 the postoffice was
reorganized 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 postofice cars
in use and 173 in reserve,
besides 2O26 apartment in cars in use
and $40 in reserve, making total of
1898 cals and apartments on railroad
lines. while in addition there were
last year 65 electric and cable cars
and 81 apartments on steamboat lines
used for postoffice purposes. 1t is said
that the present system of asserting
the mail on the cars was conceived by
w. A. Davis, clerk in the postofice
at st. Joseph, Mo. 1t was there
that the overland mail was made
up in 1852. Davis suggested aeoe. t.
ing the mail on tho cars, and his
plan was adopted after he had tried it
himself.
The average postal clerk has mem
ory that has no loopholes through
which any knowledge of his work can
slip. The records at the postofiice
department show that 1854 clerks are
employed on railroad lines, 81 on
steamboat lines, 102 on electric lines,
81 on transfer duty and 27S on Office
duty, making total of 1908, includ-
ing % acting clerks. The amount of
mail which il, dumped into one of the
cars on an important route is simply
enormous. There were 6,059, 769, $50
pieces of mail matter handled last
year and 5,511, III, 600 pieces of Sec
ond, third and fourth class matter,
making a total of 11,5T2, $40, ESQ
pieces, exclusive Of registered matter.
Of this class there were handled A.
GAO, 1872 packages and cases, 9S4, 093
through registered pouches and 621,-
63S inner registered sacks, making in
all 16, 256. 663 pieces of registered
matter. There were also handled
462, 459, $40 pieces of city mail
In ten years the amount of mail
handled has increased 1872 per cent,
but the working force has increased
only 4S.6 per cent in that time. The
length Of railway covered by the rail-
way postal service with clerks was
last year 154, 225.07 of electric or
cable lines, 303.6S miles of steam
boat lines, 745O.52 miles, making o
total of 161, 9SS.27 miles.
Mail for city distribution receives
much attention on the postal cars, as
it must be ip shape for immediate de-
livery by carrier on the arrival of the
train. For distribution in New York
city there were handled by the clerks
3,716, 7s7 packages of mail. Each
package averaged 40 pieces, making
the number of separate pieces going
to New York city alone 14S, I'll, 4S0.
To enter this service the applicant
must pass the civil service examina-
tion and study the requirements of
the line to which he is assigned.
Then, to pass the hepermanent examina-
tion he must know all the railway
postoffices along the line and name
them i'll their regular order, as we'll
as the other offices that receive their
mail from the route but are not direct
ly on it. The candidate must also
show his ability to read rapidly the
addresses on mail matter. After he
receives his appointment he is re-
quired by the department to take
further examinations at stated times.
These take place in the division SUI
perintendents' Offices and consist of a
trial of the clerks memory and his
knowledge of the postoffices in the
states through which his run passes
and also those for which he asserts
the mail. This is done with case
and lot of cards directed to the va
rious offices, and these the clerk has
to distribute, 80 per cent. being the
minimum allowed to pass the examin-
alton. On long run the clerks are
required to know the location of from
IS, 900 to 10000 postoffices, and so
soon as they pick up letter they
must determine without hesitation