The National tribune., 1903-03-19


the track. The,mail car in each instance
was badly damaged and the clerks were
| seriously injured. On the Denver and
| Fort Worth line train ran into a
washout, the mail-car was thrown down
an embankment and telescOped by the
| baggase-car; the wreck caught fire and
the imprisoned clerk was burned to death.
On route near Memphis, Tenn. the
mail-car was thrown down an embank-
ment. turned spartly over, and catching
fire from the dumps, the interior of the
| car, including "a large quantity of mail,
was entirely hmmed, but the clerk escaped
with slight injuries by breaking his way
through the glass door. In several cases
mail trains have been held up by robbers
and the mai-car perforated with bullets;
in one of these the clerk was shot in the
| face and seriously injured.
Official records show that great hero
ism and devotion are shown by the route
agents in protecting their special trust.
| Over and over again, Notwithstanding Sc
we're injuries received by them in train
wrecks. the scattered mail matter has
been collected and transferred to another
train or the nearest post-oflice before they
| would pause to have their WOUNDS dressed.
In one case, where train was thrown
over an embankment near Omaha, the
| postal clerks hands We're severely burned
by Selling lamp and holding it to pre-
vent it from upsetting and firing the mail
| matter.
| DANGERS AND DEATHS.
| In wreck on the Southern Railroad
near Charlottesville, Va, year ago, nine
Railway Mail Clerks. working in two pos
tai cars. were severely injured-a typical
Illustration of the risks taken by these
heroic public servants in the discharge of
their duty. One of the survivors tells
his story thus: I'VE had just finished
our work for the night. We had made
every connection and had Il very heavy
mail on board. The two cars must have
contained mt least five or six tons of mat
ter. and great deal of it was registered
stuff. We We're about to change our
| clothes when the crash came. and for a
. short time We couldn't tel what had hap
pened. There was succession of deaf
ening crashes, and while we realized that
we were in Il wreck, we could not deter
mine whether we We're out Of danger until
we had crawied cut from under the
wreckage and saw that it was all over.
1t was dark, and the effect of the scene
was heightened by the flames which broke
out in the mail cars almost Immediately.
| There wasn't Il piece of either car LEFT
as large as this bed I'm lying on. and
how we ever got cut of the wreckage
without being killed / cannot see Our
| escape with our lives was little short CT
miraculous"
In Il head-on collision near Cleveland.
o., few weeks since. four mail clerks
were burned TO death in their car, which
took fire. and passenger was so badly
| hurt that he died shortly after being re-
moved from passenger car. Both trains
caught fire. Eight or 10 passengers were
seriously injured. The trains were run
ming mt full speed. Both engines were de-
molished and the track was heaped with
debris. Shortly after the collision the de-
hris caught fire and burned fierceiy. The
telegraph poles beside tie track caught
fire, ard communication by telegraph with
the scene Of the wreck was cut off.
| About the same time train was
wrecked near Terry. Mont, the accident
being caused By train going through a
burned culvert. The mail car was thrown
upon its side along the rails several hun
dred feet, and took fire Immediately from
| friction, and was completely destroyed
together with ali the mail. Clerk Il. g.
| Allison was seriously injured and stunned
and was only saved from death by the
heroic act of Mail Weigher Frank Teeple.
who, although having been injured HIM
self. pulled Mr.. Allison cut of the storage
end of the car. thereby saving his life
| CIR. Tcepie was officially cGmmeidcd)
June 70, 1862. trains Z and 3 collided
near Staples. Mimi. the accident being
caused by a misplaced Switch. The pos
tai car in the latter train was completely
demolished and afterwards destroyed By
fire which broke ont Immediately after
the collision, and Clerk +. r. Mcbride Sc
riously and =. ]. Hendricks slightly in
jured. y large quantity of mail and
| equipment was destroyed. The postal
| car i'll the former train was damaged but
! the clerks and mail escaped injury.
NO PENSIONS II TIE MAIL SERVICE.
And so the work Of destruction goes
on, apparently without mitigation or rem
edy. The MANNED victims and the de-
pendents of the slain are even deprived
of the poor recompense of such provision
for their future as is vouchsafed TO the
officers and men Of the army and navy
Relief has been repeatedly asked by
the employees and recommended by De
partment officials, but so deep-rooted is
the popular antipatliy to civil pension
list that no adequate legislation has re-
suited. The only consideration heretofore
possible under law and regulations con-
sisted of allowing an injured clerk leave
of absence with pay. during the period
of his disability, provided IT did not ex-
| coed one year. But in case clerk is
killed, or dies of his injuries. the salary
ceases. at once, and the family is left
destitute.
The roll of killed and MANNED increases
from year to year. and the necessity for
some action looking 10 the relief of those
disabled at their work or untitled for its
requirements by reason OF long service
and advancing years, becomes more and
more apparent. The provision incorpO-
rated in the appropriation bill last year
authorizing the PostmasterGeneralt to pay
to the legal representatives of Clerks killed
in the line of duty the sum of 81 600 was
a step in the right direction. and it Is; 10
be hoped that it will be repeated in the ap-
preparations for each succeeding year. 1t
IS but step, however Railroad com
panies and large corporations of all kinds
are finding it to their interest to care fer
their disabled employees
RESPONSIBILITIES OF EMPLOYEES.
1t is a moderate and conservative claim
to say that the United States Post-ofiice
Department is the most stupendOus piece
of business machinery which human iDce-
nuity has devised. To deserve and retain
this proud supremacy it is requisite,
among other essentials. that the person
mel of the postal service be maintained
at the highest possible standard In these
times of keen commercial rivalry. prompt
and reliable mail service is an indispen-
sable adjunct to the successful conduct of
all business enterprises: and an apparently
trivial irregularity on the part of clerk,
route agent or carrier may involve Sc
rious consequences. Nor is it sufficient
that they be iIIfallble in this respect-
they are required to correct the mistakes
and supply the deficiencies of careless and
\