The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-15
BAD MAIL FACILITIES.

The Section Between Jesup and
Montgomery Greatly Neglected.
Blackshear, Ga, Jan. 13.-The recent
change in the running of the trains
of the Atlantic Coast Line has result
ed ia d condition of affairs highly un-
satisfactory to the people generally
and decidedly prejudicial to the bust
ness interests of the section directly
affected as well. For instance, pre-
vious to the change we were regular
ly served with double daily mails
Now we have only one regular mail
each way, and an attempt at another,
a sort of a 'bOb-tailed" affair. That
is to say, we have only two through
mail trains during the twenty-four
hours. Train 80, arriving at SAG a. m,
brings the mail from the north, and
takes mail south; while train 40, ar
irving at 1929 p. m. brings mail from
the south and takes mail north. The
midday mails, which have hitherto
been our principal and most important
mails, we now have only in part; and
we are provided these without the aid
of postal clerks or mail cars. Train
go, arriving from the south at 1000 a.
M, does not bring mail as heretofore,
Oul uOeS tame On pOdIu a IIldil pOuCHg
containing all mail put in the post
office previous to $50 a. M, which is
carried to Jesup in care of the bag
gage master, to be re-handled at that
point. There is, therefore, no inter-
change of mails by this train with To-
cal stations to the north and east of
us. Train 35, scheduled to arrive at
1901 p. M, brings pouch of mail
from the North and East, but does
not take mail as heretofore. There IS,
therefore, no interchange of mail by
this train with local stations to the
west and south of us. The result be-
ing that If we wish to communicate
with Waycross, for instance, a letter
written and mailed this morning will
not be delivered in Waycross until to-
morrow morning, and a reply written
and mailed Immediately after receipt
will not be delivered in Blackshear be-
fore the next day following. Think
of it! Three days consumed In all in
terchange of mails with Waycross,
only nine miles away Better time
would be made if the mails were car
ried in OK carts. And the conditions
that obtain to the south and west of
us are repeated to the north and east
If we have important mail for Pat
terson or Screven more than twenty
four hours would be saved by sending
IL by man on nOrSeDdck.
The passenger service, while not so
bad, is still bad enough. In order to
reach Savannah by train 80 a change,
with the pleasing prospect of wait,
at Jesup is necessary. The same rule
applies coming out of Savannah by
train 35.
There is no kick coming on ac-
count of the fact that the fast through
trains no longer run this way. There
is rather q feeling of relief, for these
trains were always a source of more
or less apprehension because of the
high speed at which they ran through
the town. But there is a most vigor-
Gus kick coming unless our present in
adequate mail facilities are improved.
Every consideration of self-preserva-
ton from a business standpoint de-
mands an immediate change for the
better We want restoration Of our
former mail facilities. and 1t will be
an extremely short-sighted policy on
the part of the Atlantic Coast Line to
refuse to give them to us. AS matters
now stand it would be a reasonable
conclusion that the Coast Line deems
the interest of its through travel,
largely pleasure seekers, to be para
mount to that of the great business
interest reached and served by its
line-certainly that part of it lying be-
tween JeSup and MontRomerY-for
what other explanation of present con-
ditions can there be? In its great haste
to rush the mails and through travel
into Florida it is apparently willing to
sacrifice the paramount business in
terests of that great section stretching
out from Jesup westward to Mont
gomery. This section is in Savannah's
natural territory and it relies upon
Savannah's assistance in overcoming
at least the intolerable mail service
now given us.