Evening star., 1900-07-07

black dotted line showed the railroads: q
black curved line the trI-weekly mail scrv-
ice: blue line the bi-weekly delivery and n
yellow line traversed the region where
humanity only gets its letters once a week.
Perils of Our Letter Carriers.
Mr.. Brown pointed over his shoulder at
the long haired man on the horse. and
then, running his thumb-naI along tho
map. marked out the course OF the SCOUT
looking postman. Fifty miles to here,
sixteen miles to this point: an eight-mle
ride up the mountain to this place called
Nenoshka, and then a thir;y-one-mlle Jour-
ney on a straight line TO the end OF tho
route. That makes iust lO5 miles that
some poor fellow has to do twice a week
When he gets there he probably finds a
village OF a thousand Inhabitants among
whom he has four letters to distribute
But, Mr. Brown, | yentured 10 remark.
leaving aside all question Of expense, isn't
there constant danger to the carriers from
wild beasts or wilder 1ndans?"
You are right to call the Indians wilder
than beasts replied the inspector FOR,
While don't recall any OF our riders fall
Ing prey to savage animals. every now and
then one OF them falls victim 10 ferocous
red men"
As he was saying this he led me to an
old leather pouch hanging nearby. and told
me to read Its story. The label described
the murder OF a mail carrier by a tribe of
contents. and then left 1t floating in a
pool OF the victims blood. The pouch is a
dismal reminder Of the perils encountered
by faithful men. who, far from CiHiliZa-
ton, contribute their daily share To make
the postal service Of the United States the
most complete and extensive in the world
FROM the blood-stained mall bag turned
TO collection Of new pouches showing the
very latest devices for preserving letters
from being moistened or crumpled and the
latest thing in the way Of locks. making
haf hy 81.
bility. And on one OF these pouches,
equipped with every modern convenience
| read the words. Porto Rican service"
Verify, the world moves. Nine years ago
in San Juan de Porto Rico / stro,led
through the dozen OF streets al noon woke
the postmaster from his sesta and Induced
MN to look for letter for me in the un-
sorted mall that a small colored boy had
brought from the boat in a baudana hand
kerchief the day before.
You see that perforated mail pouch
said Inspector Brown. well. that is used
for carrying bees. Being ventilated the
honey makers won't smother
Bees / mumbled in wonderment
Does the mail carry bees?'
Yes" he replied. ''in some sections OF the
country they are invariably shipped from
place to place through the post office"
Then the inspector took me by the arm
and said: Here's something better worth
looking at
The Stamps and the Thief.
From an educational or philatelist stand
point II was. 1t was collection of postage
stamps. showing the consecutive issues
from the Introduction OF stamps in the
United States in 1s47 right down to The
latest thing designed by the postal depart
ment. The collection. which is valued at
$4,000. is displayed in series of swinging
gass-covered frames attached to the wall
and Opening out like the leaves of a book
Many of the issues are obsolete and some
are historic. This is particularly true of a
large sheet of the 2-cent Columbian issue,
which possesses exceptional value from the
fact that 1t was the first struck off in the
issue. as is attested by the signature OF
two high government functionaries. This
sheet is worth 5000. OF the stamps gem
orally. the denominations range all the way
from / cent to $50. The $40 $50 $40 sis,
$50 and $50 stamps are curiosity to the
average person, because their is chiefly
restricted to auditing purposes in post
ofhces. and few of these stamps can be pur-
chased at any price by person not in the
employ Of the government.
The rarity of this collection naturally
constitutes an entrancing attraction to
stamp collectors. 1t likewise exercises a
sometimes Irresistible effect on the cupdity
of some eccentric mortals. Consequently
the utmost care is practiced In the police
service about the exhibit. This care, how
ever. was relaxed somewhat one dav
Shortly before the building was regularly
opened somebody happened to discover that
theft had been committed. When the
eNten' of the felony was ascertained con-
sternation reigned thereabouts. The frames
had been left lying in a heap on the floor
while waiting for the carpenter TO hinge
them to the wall. The thief must have been
hurried In his selection. He might have-
taken page or two of the obsolete stamps,
from the sale of which he could have real
lied a snug little sum. Instead of that he
carried off page of the $50 stamps and an
other of the so issue.
Then Inspector Brown was brought upon
the scene. He had been sharpening his
wits during forty years upon that sort of
unraveling, and in about a week he was
hot on the trail of the thief. He found that
all the stamps had been carried to London.
The rest was easy. In couple of weeks
more he had all the stolen stamps but half
a dozen back in safe keeping. He has his
graphing irons out now for the remainder,
and as he knows just where each individual
stamp is located the valuable collection
will not likely go back to Washington with
a single stamp missing
The United States postal department IS
represented in a different way in another
building on the exhibition grounds. In the
National Pavilion the edifice of the Amer
lean government, is a model United States
post office, which only occupies a space
fcrty feet front by fourteen deep. but In
point of equipment and thoroughness 1t
compares with any post office in the United
States. The only thing ii does not do is to
deliver letters. 1t receives them, however,
direct from across the Atlantic, and sends
them not only there. but TO every place
throughout the world 1t also sends regis
tered letters and issues and pays money
orders.
The French government affords every fa-
ciity and courtesy to the operations Of the
American post office. As a return courtesy
Postmaster Moore shows effete European
systems how things run in a postal
way in the United States. French postal
experts run in there every little while, and
open their eyes in amaZement. In Europe
mail matter is Cancelled by hand stamp,
which applies more or less indistinct inn
pressions on 900 letters in an hour. In the
American post office four separate canceling
machines, run by electricity, are shown in
operation, one of which cancels Go.GDo let
tiers in an hour. with the aid of a single
employe The post boxes, too. with their
com bination locks. are a revelation to Euro
peans VELERIAN GRIBAYEDOFF.
TAKING THE CENSUS.