The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-08-22

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 signed to the seapost service at it's in-
 ceptlon in 1891, told something about
 the work he and his colleagues do. He
 said; We are like the farmers wives
 Our work is never done. Still, the posi-
 tion of clerk in the ocean steamship
 mail service, or, as it is usually called
 in the sea post, is much sought after by
 employees of the postal branch of the
 service we have a few days each month
 in Europe to travel, to see sights or for
 quiet rest. The government maintains
 the sea post to assist the New York post-office and to facilitate the dispatch
 of mails transported on the fast Ameri-
 can, North German Lloyd and Ham
 burg-American ships. Here they are
 opened and distributed, and as only a
 small portion goes to the general post
 office steamer may bring in between | five and six hundred bags of mail at
 any time, and no extra help be required
 in the post-office to promptly and prop
 erly dispatch both this and the regular l domestic postal matter.
 | Directly from the shop on its arrival at quarantine a bag is sent to each sta- | ton of the New York post-office, con- lt''il4leo lHC iie'Ai ''A Ni'Ns ''SN tiO'i
 of the city, while the mall for all the
 states and larger cities is assorted and delivered in the quickest and most practical manner-both letters and pa-
 pers. A separation Is made of Califor-
 mia. Texas and New York state mail, and registered matter is dealt with.
 "The sea post constitutes an interna-
 tional exchange and distributing post office On the German ships, where the German government sends post sec retain and schaffner, mails going to
 the fatherland are treated the same as those on the way to America, Ham, burg city being separated on the Ham, burg-American liners. The German and American clerks cooperate in the work, and each man is accountable to his own government for the completion in distribution of mails going to that country to which the clerk belongs. Technically the American clerk is in charge going to Germany and the post secretair is responsible going the other way, in compliance with international law, but this does not interfere with the responsibility for the completion of the work
 oI tllt AlIellcdu lllG SillpS pIdcll-' cally the same service is maintained by two Americans on each ship, but no dis tributing is done going east. Under the terms of the subsidy which the Ameri- can line receives one man must be car ried. The work has grown that extra compensation is allowed for another mans board. Clerks sailing from New York are not restricted to particular ships or lines.
 "A sea post clerk occupies a peculiar position in the fact that he is both post master and clerk, now perhaps distrib- uting papers and now studying the of some postal law on which he must decide. He eats beside million aires in the first saloon; he assists sail ors throw bags of mail to their places; he figures until his registry account balances, while his technical work con- ssts of the rapid and accurate opening | and distribution of letters, papers or | registered matter. A sea post clerks work is similar to that performed by | different men in the following distinct | of the New York post t-of- flee: Receiving foreign mails. dispatch ing mails (foreign and domestic), dis letters for America, dlstribu- ing papers for America, asserting New E York city letters and papers, handling registered mails"
 How much actual work Is done on a .rip?"
 Charles Butler, who sails on the Kaiser Wilhelm, has made up table which shows that for the first five months of 1899 on the German ships go- ng east an average Of 56,36S letters, 220 acks of papers and SAT registered arti les were handled by four men, or an individual average of 1i,592 letters. 30 ,dd sacks of papers and PIP registered lrticles. In the same period the aver- Lge mail worked on the western voyage f the American liners in 17 trips was 2, 400 letters, IA sacks of papers and ,164 registered articles, or 46,200 letters, 2 sacks of papers and 5S2 registered rticles per man"
 Do you have any chance to mingle with the passengers or enjoy the trip turing your leisure?"
 NO. Enforced ideness on ship is a arity, and no pleasure anyhow, espec- ally after the novelty wears away. IS a rule we prefer to work, for we can- Ol Sieep DeCduSe Ol tliS CllduSe III tlHlG, I nd we suffer all the more when we lust work hard on the return voyage 1e next week."
 Tt must be very monotous as well s straining occupation, then?"
 "It is, particularly in rough weather, hen it is hard enough for passengers ) keep their feet, let alone sorting let ITS on the jump. ."-Boston Herald.