Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1899-09-01
Interesting Fact. and Figures.

Interesting Facts and Figures.
The STAR recently had occasion to
defend mail clerks upon the Elkhorn
road who were declared to be republi-
cans and consequently according to
certain anti-republican views were re.
sponsible for numerous and serious
errors and that they went ION the road
to sleep, whether their work is done or
not" Our defense of those clerks was
assailed as exhibiting great ignorance
in the fact that it stated that there was
now more mail goes over the Elkhorn
than in 1867. We have since looked
into the matter more carefully. We
did not care particularly about the
matter, for it makes no difference to
us whether there was more mail in 'S6
than in '99 or not, but we considered
that the mail clerks of the present day
deserved some consideration and be-
lieved they were working as hard or
harder than those of 'S6-and were not
sleeping" as was charged against
them. They deserved to have only the
truth told of them whether they we're
republicans, democrates or porulists,
and there are some of each, and no
doubt each occasionally makes mis-
takes. Two of the newer clerks hap
pen to be democrats and they have
probably made more mistakes than
the others. SO that the criticism of the
republican party because of recent
shortcomings in the mail service was
quite far-fetched. Some of the statis-
tics we have been able to procure will
be interesting to our readers and will
very clearly bear us out in what we
previously stated about the quantity
of mail matter now coming over the
Elkhorn road as compared to former
years.
SOME COMPARISONS:
Statement showing weight of mails
carried on F. E. & NJ. V. r. R., cost per
mile of transportation; total pay of
railroad company for transportation;
average speed of trains, etc, taken
from reports of Postmaster General.
YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1886.
Il. Il. IL NJ. V. r. r. Co., Fremont to
Buffalo Gap-46O.96 miles. Average
daily weight of mail carried over whole
length of route, 2,49o pounds. Cost
per mile for transportation, ss9.7S.
Total compensation of company, s24,-
114Ol. Average speed of trains, 1880
miles per hour.
During that year there we're four
clerks Long Pine to Chadron. Pouch
service Chadron to Buffalo Gap. -Four
clerks and two helpers, Missouri Val
ley to Long Pine. These clerks ran
one man in crew, with one helper to
Wisner. One man in crew west of
Longtime. Trains ran six times week.
YEAR ENDING JUNE 80, 1887.
f. E. g. NJ. V. R. R. Co., Fremont to
Rapid City-51O miles. Average daily
weight of mails carried. over whole
length of line, 3,43s pounds. Cost per
mile of transportation, s147.92. Total
compensation, s75,467.1S. Average
speed of trains, 21.72 miles per hour.
Trains ran seven times per week.
Five clerks, one in crew, Longtime to
Rapid City. Eight clerks, two men in
crew, Missouri Valley to Longtime.
YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1899.
F. E. & NJ. v. r. r. Co., Fremont to
Deadwood-556.55 miles. Average daily
weight of mail carried over whole
length of line, 5,51O pounds. Cost pei
mile of transportation, s176.13. Total
compensation for mail transportation
$685. s,O25.15. Car rental, Fremont to
Longtime, $500. Total compensation
mail and cars, s1O6,579.15. Average
speed of trains, 29.3O miles per hour
Trains run seven times week. Com
pensation given in this table is for con-
tract of four years beginning July
1898, based upon weight of mails taken
in months of April and May, 1898.
Five clerks, Longtime to Deadwood,
running one in each crew. Ten clerks
Missouri Valley to Longtime, running
two in each crew, with helper from
Missouri Valley to O'Neill.
Please note that mails carried-as
shown by official weighing made ir
1S9s-have increased more than three
thousand pounds over report of 1886
more than doubled) and more thar
two thousand pounds over adjustment
of 1897, while there we're really but
two more men on through run than in
1887, and same number on west divi
sion, from Longtime to Deadwood.
A Pretty Little Story.