The evening times., 1902-05-31
ARDUOUO TASKS OF
POSTOFFICB CLERKS
Much to Learn in Course Of
Their Duties.
GOOD MEMORY A REQUISITE
A Never-Ending Labor-SOrting of Let
ters-The Mailing Division-SpeciaI
Delivery Messengers-CanceIing of
Stamps.

The Washington City PostofHce is al
ways a busy place In the main oaice
on Pennsylvania. Avenue, and At its
substations and branches about the "ity-
at total Of 4s0 clerks work every day in
the year Night brings no cessation to
the work at the postoaice- Half a hun
dTed men 20 on duty at II o'clock TO re
main until day again appears in the
east.
The postof1Ce clerk must have 4 mem
Ory for names and addresses which
would astOnuHd the ordinary business
man. He must remember hundreds Of
carriers routes, both In the city and
out. know ali the strets, alleys, aud by
ways, 20 which letters may possibly be
sent. and to-be successful ne should he
acquainted with all the principal postal
mail routes the country over Such
knowledge entails great application and
continual study, for people are COLI
stantly moving. changing their ad-
dresses. and for every such change.
there must be care taken to prevent de-
lay OF possible loss Of mail matter
A Mass of Business.
When 1t is known that 11O, 600 letters
alone pass through the Washington Post
Office every day at this season, and that
during the winter this number is in
creased by about $4,000 letters, it may
be easily comprehended whence come
this demand for work and necessity Tor
experienced clerks with good memories
A clerk employed in the delivery di-
vision begins his work when collectors
bring mail into the Office from every
point in the city. The collectors gather
their mail from letter boxes, OF from
branch Offices and pour it into the main
Office by tons, and It must be then han
died fer prompt delivery or to be for
warded to outside points.
The handling OF mail at the local Of
nee, as elsewhere. is q great system in
Itself. From the tables on which il is
dumped by saCkfuls by collectors, the
clerks assert it into mail for local OF
city delivery. and matter for outside
points. TITS is quickly done, and re
quires little but q quick eye, and ready
understanding
The mail for other cities is imme-
diately tuTned over 20 the mailing di-
vision. over which Superinten dent Hor-
ace p. Springer holds sway. The local
Iaat4 LELAAGl4-S tie dtLEEElOu u the GCiiE
cry division. by which it is first re
cetved- Superintendent James Z. Bell!
and his able assistant, Mr.. l. F Berg
man. direct the preparation Of all such
matter for delivery as rapidly as tho
excellent system viii permit
Clerks in the delivery division. then
must know streets and alleys and b4
able to recognize Localities in the city
at a glance They must recall, as they
stand before the big cases filed with
piCeOnhOies. the various carriers routes
and the numbers by which the respec-
tive carriers are designated in the Office,
With hundreds OF ictters before them
they must assert every letter with pre-
lisicn yet time is an essential quantity
IN the equation. If the thousands of let
ters are to be handled as they pour into
the Office from local and outside sources.
As the assortment goes on there arrives
a big mail from cities North South,
East, OF West, and this must all be at
tended to as promptly as possible. II
is thus that memory and quick percep-
tion counts with the post01ce clerk.
Canceling Stamps.
All mail received at the Office must
be Cancelled. and while machines are
provided for the purpose, thus saving
time. no small work results from this
inexorable postal regulation. To let any
number OF letters, or ever wsgapers
or periodicals.. pass through the Office
without cancellation would likely cause
serious trouble for the clerk guilty OF
such an infTaction Of the regulations.
A most important detail Of the local
postofiCe is arranging mail matter for
Congressional distribution One corner
up to a separate postoffice. through
which all mail for both houses OF Con-
gress passes. Except 70 deliver and re-
ceive mail from this branch Office, the
main city pCstOffice has nothing 10 do
with its near neighbOr. The mail, once
surrendered TO the branch Office, goes
straight to the Capitol building. where
Is another Independent postoffice. IN
der the direction of separate officials
a system now in vogue IN big cities
provides for pediOdical examinations FOR
clerks in the mailing divisions Of the
various Offices This is brought about
by the necessities of the case. So vast
q field must be covered. so much mail
must be sent from one point to another.
and so much time may be lost by an CT
ror in transmission OF delivery, that the
clerks handling such matter must stani
high in their respective lines. In the
local pcstoffice as elsewhere, these ex-
occasionally take place.
The clerk Is examined as TO his knowl-
edge Of postofGces all over the country:
as to the hundreds Of mail routes. and
the railroads over which these lines are
laid out He aust know. at least gen
orally. over which route a letter ad-
dressed 10 any Of the 1865 postofHces sin
Virginia must be sent; and how to prop
erly forward mail 70 any Of the 5.I28
postofices within the confines Of Penn
sylvania.
Broad Range Of information.
All the other States must be covered
as well. in the broad range Of knowl-
edge Of the postoface clerk, whose du-
ties are as arduous as those of his twin
brother. the postal clerk. Only in this
way is the grind Of mail delivery sue
cessfuIly brought about
IN the Washington POstofice there are
l95 clerks in the mailing division. These
non are appointed from the lists OF
eiigIbles Of the Civil Service Commits
=lon. Tersely told. their duties are 10
receive and dispatch all matter from and