The Washington times., 1902-04-07
POSTAL CLERKS Spend
MANY PERILOUS HOURS
Their Task One of Hard La
Dor and Danger.
LOCKED WITHIN Mail CARS
Newspaper Train Always Keeps This
Branch Of Our Government on the
Jump-No Time for Rest-Duties Are
Ardu0us


On Sunday morning. Iarch 23. just be
fore dawn. there was disastrous train
wreck in Virginia, not far from Char
! lottesville, by which two lives were lost
ana many persons Injured. The disaster
was especially felt in this city. because
many of the victims had their homes
| here. They were railway postal clerks
| about whose work very little is known.
In the ordinary ranks Of life this EN-
rloye is practically forgotten. Yet he
is a separate factor, as necessary to COM
mercialism as is the postoftice itself
The very vastness of the country, the
multitude of letters and mass of other
correspondence which day by day is sent
about the United States makes his task a
herculean one, once the big mail pouches
have been loaded aboard any OF the fast
express trains.
AT every station where there is a town
of considerable size additional mail is re-
ceived, while still other matter is un-
| loaded. All of the time. locked securely
within the mail cars, and far up to-
ward the front of the train. the postal
clerks are at work, day and night.
From North to South
From New York City to Charlotte, n
C, are what is known in postal parlance
as two divisions, Nos. and 3, accord
ing to the regulations of the railway mail
service. Division . comprises territory
between New York and Washington. And
on to Charlotte, \. c., distance of about
three hundred miles south. comprises di-
vision 3. For each division there is as
signed Il regular force of clerks, they be-
ing attached to various big offices
throughout the country.
1t was on the latter division that the
Virginia wreck occurred. The clerks had
boarded the Southern limited at Char
lotte, y. c., and were coming horthward,
with Washington as their destination,
when the accident occurred. All escaped
injury, although they were badly shaken
up
one CT the most interesting routes, and
most important one, is that fppm New
York to this city. designated as division
,. The work on this route is hard-more
so than on any of the other divisions, for
the mail is heavy all the year around
But one particular train on this run
carries with it exciting memories for the
postal clerk. 1t is the fastest train be-
tween New York City and Washington on
the Pennsylvania railroad. The exact
running time is four hours and fifty min
utcs, made every day in the year
The Newspaper Train.
This marvel Of speed is known as the
newspaper train. 1t brings from the me-
tropolis to the Southland thousands of
newspapers At 2:3G in the morning this
train pulls out of New York, Usually
there are two postal cars. two baggage
cars and a composite car, besides the 10
Comotiye
In the baggage cars newspapers are
piled TO the ceiling. All the New York
dailies are there, thousands in number
wrapped and marked to the various
agents in Philadelphia, Baltimore and
Washington.
As a rule eight postal clerks work in
each of the two postal cars attached to
this train. The newspapers operate the
train. that their editions NAV be early
in the big cities south of New York.
BY special agreement. however. the
postal authorities send over with the pa
pers- one of the heaviest mails of the
twenty-four hours. This mail is a bust
ness mail, being all matter which is
dropped into the New York postoffice af-
ter II o'clock at night. That business
men in this city as well as 10 the north.
may not have to wait for their mail. is
the chief reason of the Postoffice Depart
ment in utilizing the newspaper train
The boys must hustle on that train
said postal clerk, when asked about the
newspaper special. The mail is heavy,
and the train gees so fast that it is often
hard for man TO keep his feet. The
swaying motion of the special is not
pleasant at all, and this alone has cost
many good man TO reliTpuish his Job
on the road for work ia one of the big
city Offices"
No Time to Rest.
Because of the mail to be assorted, and
frequently made up into what is known
as carriers routes, the postal clerk has
no time to rest. If the train is behind
time for any reason. the big pouches, es-
pecially those for Baltimore and Wash
ington. must be unlocked. and the mail
gone over by the clerks detailed from
the Offices of the two cities named.
II must also be properly arranged, so
that the matter may be turned over i'm
mediately on its arrival at the postofica,
first to the ''postmark man. and then.
after being run through a stamping
chine, to the individual letter carriers for
delivery.
BY such method much valuable time is
saved, which would otherwise be lost in
the postoftice by asserting the mail to the
various carriers routes. In other words.
after being postmarked, the mail is ready
for immediate delivery by carriers to ali
sections of the city.
The duties of the postal clerk are ardu-
Gus as they are full of danger Life and
limb are at stake, as is the position of
the clerk should he err from the path of
duty, either through willful manipulation
of the mail or mistake In a wreck the
postal clerk is foremost in the race for
death. His very existence is perilous
undertaking.