Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-02-26
". AcDONALD LEE. EDITOR.
Friday, February 60, 1904.
THE MEAsLEY RICHMOND MAIL

10 pne erect that the little steamer
Owen billiard was not doing her
duty az a mail carrier and was
largely at fault for continuous fail
'ure of the Richmond mails to get
to the Northern Neck on time. The
complaint was lodged by Lsncss-
TRANS, some of whom were probably
misled as to the facts, concluding
that the annoying irregnlarity lay
at the door of Capt. Dayton.
Since it is in the line of our bust
ness, none in this section are better
posted as to mail schedules, none more
interested or more vitality affected
than we. At times the business of
running q newspaper in the lower
Northern Neck satisfactorily-what
between miserable mail miscar-
risges aud telephone incongruities-
amounts to an almost impossible
feat. We consider the mail of the
billiard, from Richmond via West
Point and Urbsnns, as the most
important 10 our business, and when
large steamers are belated or es-
topped the people here have the sole
reliance of the billiard route for all
Outside mails. Heretofore this has
served NJ well in extremities of
blockades, but for the past month
or 20 it has been worse than the
seven.year-itch. In consequence We
have Investigated largely the causes
OF recent shortcomings, and had
much correspondence with postmss-
ters along the route from West
Point, and with the Washington
authorities. The result of these in
quiries shows that not once has
the steamer billiard failed Of her
trip, and not once has she left
Crbanna prior to her sched-
uled hour for leaving. Often she
has waited from one to one-and-s-
half hours overtime to receive the
mail from the tardy riders. The
fault has invariably occurred be-
tween West Point and Urbanna.
Sometimes the morning train would
be belated getting into West Point,
waiting often for the Baltimore boat
to arrive and her train to pass.
Frequently the carrier between West
Poin! and Shackelford's would be
detained at the ferry, and oftener
still the fault was from Shackel.
ford's to Urbanna. At some of the
Offices along this route there was in.
sufficient force to distribute the
heavy mails. Instead of the North
ern Neck mail being made up in
Richmond or West Point it has to
be: overhaulcd at these fourth. class
offices. A new carrier takes it up
at Sackelford's and carries it to
'Saluda- His outfit is far inadequate
to the task. We pity the poor car
rlers who suffer from neighborly
competition to such an extent as to
necessitate taking sub-contracts ut
starvation wages. Uncle Sam is able
to pay more. Hence the fault reverts
to the door of the sub-contractor.
who knows what he is required to
do and yet does not make provision
to do it properly and in all seasons.
Until Wednesday night of last
week We suffered greatly from pau
city of mails, not a mail from Rich
mond having reached here since the
Saturday afternoon before = four
daysi No papers Wednesday after
noon of later date than Saturday |
morning! And this week, no
Saturdays or Sundays papers
reached rs till Wednesday night |
Tell it out, and we are derided. |
Yet it il so. And all because
mall from the north, south, east
and west ia blocked at West Point,
en- route, and at Urbanna, be-
cause the carriers aud pcstnasters
can't make the rifle. For more than
two.thirds of the time during the
past month the daily papers have
been SO hours old when we would
get them, and sometimes double as
hoary. Twelve hours is the legiti-
mate time except on Mondays.
Now, what are you going to do
about it? That is practically what
and the mail riders
throw at US. Talk about county
roads, railroads and new steamboat
lines they would wonderfully help
things, but just now "postoffice in
sestigation," with Lancaster and
Northumberland counties as the OBJ
Iectiye point would be the most In
teresting and remunerative thing to
these people. If ever the Richmond
route 10 to be q "God-send" it ia in q