The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1902-07-04
DETROIT RIVER MAILS.
A Unique Service That Is Full of Ex-
citing Incidents and Is Inval-
liable to Ship Owners.

In this great feet is every conceiv-
able kind of craft, from the magnifi-
cent three-stacll liner down to the
rusty little old gravel scow that
beats it's way up against the four
mile current or comes to an anchor
to wait for favorable breeze. The
grew of the wheezy old sand sucker
are waited on as quickly as are the
smart-looking officers in their blue
coats and gold braid pacing the
bridge of the big white fiers.
deckhand's postal card goes in the
same mail with his captains bulky
trip sheet, and both are delivered to-
gether. The value of this service to
vessel owners is illustrated by the
number of telegraphic orders sent to
their ships while passing Detroit,
two-cent stamp affixed insuring de-
livery by the mail boat, says st. Mich
olas.
Sometimes special delivery letter
or telegram will come to the marine
office for ship already in sight APP
preaching. A signal is run up on the
tilC IHSll Ocup SoihS'' 'iei
riedly in, leaving the carrier in mid
stream to take care of himself. The
special is taken aboard and soon
placed on the passing ship, possibly
changing her destination and saving
| her owners a lot of trouble.
Sometimes some quick work is
necessary in getting out the mail for
| n
the river, but never yet has the mail
been lost or delayed. The minute de-
tail in the work of the United States
postal service is here shown by the
| record of every ship passing, kept TO
| the minute, as well as the number OF
letters taken on and off each vessel.
In service of this kind the uneX
pected often happens. Every ship
must he visited alongside, no matter
whether it is day or night, or wet or
| blowing hard. The carrier neverknows
what the next hour has in store for
| him; he may be drenched to the skin
as his little boat goes leaping like
monstrous fish attached to a long
line through the rolling swell of
|
from crest to crest of a choppy sea
dug up by a screaming sou'wester
straight up the river. Whatever hap
pens, he knows he can swim, and so
does not get nervous when his boat
crashes over that of the clumsy
newsboy who has tried to take the
starboard side also; but he cuts his
line and rows back in time to rescue
the vender of papers from his sink
ing boat, Once in awhile his boat
| fetehes up under the condenser dis
charge, and it takes only few sec
onds to get enough water in her to
make it rather unpleasant; but as
she is built to float always, the mail
delivery goes on just the same, al
though the letters may be little
damp. AS all sailors are used to the
wet, they care little for that.
The number of lives the mail boat
and carriers have saved during their
few years of service amounts to
more than score. Anxious to get
their letters, sometimes sailors have
leaned too far over the ships rail
and gone overheard with the pail
they were lowering to the carrier
only to be picked up by him little
later and placed on board the vessel
again In her trips back and forth
on the river, the mail boat has been
present at more than one accident,
and so has several times been the
| means of saving life