The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-04-12
RURAL DELIVERY.
An Important Step Forward In the
Post Office Service,

An Important Step Forward i'm the
Post Office Service.
Rural free delivery of letters will probably
be given a test here. Delivering letters in the
country to the farmers is still an experimeu,
In the United states. 1t Is being successfully
applied in Great Britain, In France, and In
Austria; but in this country where the popu
lation IL comparatively sparse the authori
ties have been slow to adopt 1t.
MR.. LATIMER's GOOD WORK.
lis application In this state is largely due
TO Hon, A. c. Latimer, member of Congress!
from this district. Mr.. Latimer, II may ht
said, has made a specially of postal affalrt
and has taken an unusual interest In rura
free delivery. He has supported the PROPOSE
tIon every time that II has come before Con
gresss and he and two or three of his asso
ciates in Congress from this state were largely
this service for the next current year increas
ed from Sl5O,O00 to 100000. II was four years
ago that this service was inaugurated IN the
United States, and 1t was by the effort o
of the Seventh, that the first appropriation
only 20,00O was voted for this purpose. Ihe
following year the appropriation was put al
Sl5OOOO and the service correspondingly ex
tended. 1t Is now being tried In every stale
In the Union, except Texas, and there are
more than two hundred stations In the coun
The service ls already in operation al
Orangeburg, ST.. George, Smnaks. -, Eliodee sl rec,
trict. 1t has also been recommended fol
Bamburg, Aiken and Johnston in the Sec
ond Congressional District.
WHAT THE POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT Dill
FOR Us AT MR.. LAT1MER's REQUEST.
tMr. Latimer's solicitation the post office
department has detailed one OF us speca
agents, Mr.. Frederick F. Boch, to Investigate
the several towns In this District, with vie"
of selecting five or six for the purpose or es
tablishing rural free delivery. Mr.. Boch
looked into the community at Low ndesvllle
this county, last week, and for the past twt
days he has been going over the roads In this
viclhity. He expressed himself when seen
here last evening as much gratided Win tne
condition Of the roads, and also with the
number of residents that are found along the
roads Investigated. The roads, he said, were
the best that he had seen In the state, while
the population maintained fair average.
than one hundred farms with homesteads
and the more laborers', tenants and mechan'
ics' homes that intersperse the farms the bet
ter. The two routes Investigated by Specla
Agent Boch contain respectively about two
hundred homes, half OF Whlch In eacn case
are farming homesteads.
THE WORK OF THE FREE DELIVERY SYSTEM
This service, 1t will be understood, has been
chiefly introduced for the benefit OF the far.
every resident, irrespective of his pursuit OF
occupation, on the routes laid down.
These routes frequently reach out and take
In the patrons of the smaller post offices
where the service Is located and where II
starts. In such case the patron Of the dis
tar.G office thus reached must change his post
office address TO the ONCE where the carrier
starts from. Every patron will be required
to put up box at or near his home, close 10
the road and at an elevation and angle that
the carrier can reach without getting out oi
his carriage.
WHERE YOUR LETTERS SHOULD BE PUT.
Letters to be mailed should be put into the
patrons box before the carrier comes along
If the patron has 10 stamp, he can put two
carrier will stamp the letter. The mail car
rer carries stamps, en- velopes, postal cards and
stamped envelopes for sale to the patrons.
SPECIAL AGENT TO MAKE FAVORABLE
REPORT.
Special Agent Boch has concluded
to make a favorable recommendation
for this office, but the establishment OF the
service depends upon the approval of the
Post Office Department. The recommends
tion suggests that two routes, with one car
rler, be established here, the service being
rendered every other day oyer each route. II
the Special Agents report shall be approved,
the service will 60 into operation here on
Monday, May lst. William J. Latimer has
csTrer @ is to Selected
as substitute carrier. The carrier Ia required
10 give bond In the names of two persons
for the sum OF $500.
The routes as outlined by Mr.. Boch are as
follows:
ROBERT CRAWFORD AND A. K WATSON TO
HAVE MAIL SENT TO THEM.
Route No. l, to be served on Mondays, We'd
nesdays and Fridays, lies southwest from
this town over the Mosley Ferry road TO
Andrew CraSiords corner about miles
south from Gilliam's gin; thence south ~
miles to Robert W. Knox's store ON the Island
ford road; returning the route leads east 2
miles through the aillburn urn and CraWioTd e
K. Watson's home; thence north miles to
Gilliam's gin; thence east by southeast 212
miles to Gray's spring or Drennan's corner /;
A. M. Hil's, Wardlaws and DR.. Ancru inns
places, coming into town on the Viena road,
about miles. Total distance, % miles.
LEBANON SWINGING IN THE BALANCE.
1t Is not improbable that Lebanon post
carrier will carry the mail three times week
TO that office, thus dispensing with the present
Star Route No. ZIG at Sharon school house the
rural route will be diverted tor one,half mile
by the farmers residing west OF 1t. Letter
boxes for the collection OF letters, TO which
the carrier alone will have the key, will be
placed at Gilliam's gin, at Knoxs store and
the Lebanon church.
YOUR UNCLE SAM WILL SEND MAIL TO YOUR
FRIENDS S. F. CRoMER, CAPT. JAMES
PRATT, AND OTHERS.
Route No. 2. to be served on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays. leads northe east on
the Greenwood road, by Morton's Mill. TO s..
F. Cromer's place, Q miles; returning the
route runs north over the Rapley Shoal road
2 miles; thence northeast 10 Capt. Prstt's
place, miles on the Cokesbury road; north
east miles through the Aiken and Mcllwain
plantations to the Douglass Mill road; south
2 miles to Stevenson's corner; thence north.
east miles to Hagen's mill; thence south
50 miles over the Due West road to town.
Total distance, % miles. Letter boxes for the
collection of mail will be placed a. Morton's
mill and Hagen's mill.
LETTERS TO BE BROUGHT TO ABBEvILLE FOR
CANCELLATION.
The carrier will start out daily at or before
q. m.. and IL is calculated that IL will take
him five hours, with q good horse to cover
each route. All letters collected by the car
rier Will be brought to the Abbevile post
authorized to deli yer registered mail matter,
but he has no authority to receive matter for
registration.
Speal Agent Boch. who returned TO Green.
wood last night, expects to devote another
month 10 this work In South Carolina.
PLEASANT AND PROFITABLE