The Washington times., 1904-11-13

trip made over smooth pavements and
asphalt streets, but a good bit Of the
way was rough ground
Probably no other man Is so well
known in the northern part of Mount
Pleasant today as is Mr.. Carew. Since
1857 he has delivered letters to persons
living in that district E-e is one OF the
nine carriers in TIE northern part of
Washington who use horses to gave time
IN going over their routes. Carew's 8
route is a long one and he carries out
OF the Mount Pleasant substa ton on
the average 600 pieces OF mail each day
What makes the long daily walks
taken by the letter carriers seem even
more wonderful IS the fact that they
are made with a burden OF from forty
TO sixty pounds slung over theeshoulder
OF each man. In the long ROUTES a good
deal OF the distance is covered before
there Is an appreciable tightening of the
load. The mail for some Of the routes
in the business section Of the town Is
sometimes so heavy that wagons are
used TO carry IL 70 the routes for the
pOstmen.
The records show that there were
50. .5l9 letters delivered in the first month
OF the free delivery system That was
A. A0tft NAAe AA4eA dl e. II bll4 4F' +Af
20 $4,000 letters delivered each day. At
that time there were only tweuty-four
postmen TO cover the entire city They
not only delivered the mail. but also
made collections. Now there is a total
I Of 80 men on the rolls. OF these 1876
/ are carriers, 56 are collectors and IS are
+ substitutes. In the main office there are
/ II regular carriers and collectors. the
+ rest are scattered through the substa-
| tions. Not one of the twenty-f0ur car
/ riers on duty in 1864 are stiu employed
I as letter carrier here, although several
/ OF them are even now connected with
! The postal service. One Of them, w A
/ kidgely, is a clerk in station f.
/ a glance at some OF the routes COW
cred by the first carriers show distances
! covered that seem almost sur erhuman.
One extended from all that part OF the
! city west OF Twenty-second Street and
| south OF Pennsylvania Avenue. Another
/ covered all that territory north of /
| Street between Fifteenth and Twenty
( second Streets out 20 the boundary line
Still a third extended from Ninth Street
I west TO boundary and from G. 20 * Al
/ that time. Of course the city was much
I smaller and sparsely settled in Uartz
I and sometimes the houses would be- few
/ and far between where letters were m
be delivered, but the carriers had 10 20
/ the full distance though the stops were
not as frequent. Now there are routes
I that extend over only one or two. blocks
in the busy parts OF Washington, and
where the Office buildings arc large. One
OF the routes which though short In dis.
tance has heavy mail, Is that covered
by r A Andre II extends 10 PeuusyI-
vania Avenue from Eleventh Street O.
Fifteenth 10 J. Street. Four times "a day
this route must be covered. and hundreds
of letters delivered 10 ohicc holders who
line these streets. on this route Is the
only large Office building in the city. L,
each Of whose rooms the carrier must
go with mail the Corcoran Building
Other large office buildings have boxes
into which the postman puts the mai
for collection by the owners thereof
Many or Andres steps age up stairs
Sometimes he must mount as high as
three or four fights Of stairs. II II
were possible 10 estimate exactly how
much climbing he does In "a year fl
would undoubtedly be found chat be baf
travelled upward enough 10 have scaled
all the high mountains in the United
States at least once
Longest Route in Washington.
There are stin some Ioug-d.stanct
routes TO be found in the District. how
ever. one is that now covered D.,
Thomas Saunders. which includes NOR,
than fifty city blocks His Is a windiul
and devious course. but the mail 10 b,
distributed is considerably light. ONLY
two deliveries "a day are required ol
this route now Formerly there wer,
three delivered "a day. and his predeces
sor had 20 walk many a mile in IN,
course Of a single day.
/. Among the older carriers and eoIaetoEl