davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
TALES OF DISASTER.

There were tales of dozen wrecks, and every
man on the crew showed scars to support MS
testimony They were honorable scars; scars
received in the line of duty just as truly as
the wounds a regular receives in the jungles OF
the Philippines.
They told of the luckiest unlucky clerk in the
Southern service, S. N. Dykeman, who since
1879 has run between Greensboro and Atlanta
He has been in three serious wrecks, and each
time crawled back from the edge of the VaHey
of shadows. - 900
his train went into rock slide. The tender OF
the locomotive came crashing through the rooL
of the car, and planted itself firmly on the very
spot on which he stood sorting mail Iney
hauIed him out from under the firebox an
hour or two later terribly burned and broken.
Then No 81, running over praheh ilLleS -
avoid a serious washout, experienced head-oh
collision with freight at Rock H1lE he was
riding an old mail car, which simply went 70
pieces He shot out through the roof ana lahueo
sixtv feet down the grade If he had gone In
his fight a few inches farther he would nave
been scalded to death in stream OF bolnns
water from the broken boiler 1t was TWO Gays
before he knew that anything had happened ara
he was in the hospital for months
In the third week the postal car Went 10
they found him on top of it some distance from
the track His partner was crippled for life ana
| a number OF. the train crew killed. The railroad
raid him S26 600 in damages for the three acct
dents, for the postal clerks have the same right
to sue for damages as passenger traYelllIls on
| q purchased ticket.
4 short time ago train No. II was badly
| wrecked They picked the mail clerk and post
| office inspector out of sadly battered car
| Noises were still heard inside, though the clerk
| said that every was out. On entering the
| wrecked car again they found an excited but alb
| solutely uninjured rooster Tapping about. He
! had been in a crate in the baggage car oehlnd
when the smash came, and must nave Deen
shot by the conclusion through the small trap
door leading to the mail car.
AS a result of the dangers OF their Workaday
life accident insurance companies put the FISK
! on postal clerks at such figure as practicaliy
to prohibit their carrying policies Accordingly
they organized a company of their own Wnlch
for $40 year pays SIS a week and $4,000 IN
case Of nermanent disablement
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
READING SEALED LETTERS.

At three o'clock in the afternoon 81 reached
Greensboro and a new crew took possession OF
the mail cars. Their work was sorting letters
for Georgia, Mississippi. Alabama and LOUIS
iona which up to this time had rested IN pouch
es in the storage compartments of the cars. As
thew opened up the bundles every clerk was
careful to toss the Irvine and facing slip scraps
into a waste bag, and one witnessed one Of the
voonv little economies Of the service. This waste
is sold to paper manufacturers and nets me
government a considerable sum each year
II is surprising what tales or romance ana
.,oe,adI- q bundle of letters picked at RANDOM
from the piles which crowd the car VIII 1e 1a In
ron nerhaps, is a bulky envelope whlch sp eahS
he love of a girl for a man. The next may oe
coId business communication. Then comes
$3.50 80 gdraesed in the cranped hand of age when
i probably from mother to her SON "A oLach
bo,sedered envelope carries its message OF s9rEow
oIone with the square envelope Wnich pei4o
3 hid to a wedding. The postal CLERK oespt nt
+La ranidity with which he works gets nIucn
an 5oJT4ent out of the letters which pass througn
Ia bards In time he becomes a handwriting
PEE bundle of letters opened up en- route
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03

In most hospitals at the present time such
expenses would not be recorded item for item,
but in lump sums, which would conceal the
exact amount used. Mr.. Miller also saids
"sTbe contention of committee Is that If
the suggested method Of hospital accounting
Is adopted by hospitals throughout the State a
SbeT +l1e experience derived from the actual use
of such method will discover defects. If any. and
cure them" -
aides unless accurate and uniform records are
kept in every department was strongly empha-
sized by Frederick A. Cleveland, professor OF
Tnsnce of the School OF Commerce. Accounts
and Finance Of New-York University. Pro-
lessor Cleveland was a fellow committeeman
with Mr.. Miller. He said:
aAithn,Igh he supArantendsnAs and shs ss9sEaA
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
ACCURATE s0RTERS.

. The paper clerks worked like machines, stand
ing at the table with foot in front of the
sothsr as a brace against the swaying Of the fly
sng train. They would pick up a paper. glance
SIT the address and toss it into the proper bag or
box with unerring aim. Perhaps the bag was
thirty feet down the and az the moment the
scierk threw the package the train was turnbling
geround a curve; yet, the entire night run Of
i've hours, hardly single piece fell short or
stumbled into the wrong bag. 1t was the pro-
siciency OF practice.
The mail clerk is proud Of his skill IN this re-
gard and occasionally has an opportunity TO
show II when not on duty Many a Coney Island
faker who gives knives or canes to those who
toss rings over them has bean pUt out Of bust
ness by the accuracy or visiting mail clerk.
AT Philadelphia & new consignment or unsort-
ed mail was dumped into the cars and the train
hurried OF to Baltimore with no let-up in the
snttvity Of the clerks. At Baltimore the two
sacai clerks and the two short stops, who have
been handling the mail bags and doing other
heavy work left the train Between Baltimore
which the sorted letters were put INTO neat
bundles and tossed into their proper sacks. Inc
tension then let UP q little and the grim silence
Of the rush hours was broken with running
fire Of conversation.
huge bundle of letters for the Dead Letter
Once IN Washington brought forth this from one
OF the older clerks:
Whats dead letter. anyway"
"G4Fe II Up" said his END man." promptly
"A dead letter Mr.. Bones. IS one a wife gives
her husband 90 mail for her
At 7:30 g. m, time TO the minute, the train
pulled into the Washington terminal. and as all
tbs nights mail had been properly distributed
The clerks were on duty soon as the SACKS
&ad been transferred. II there had been an over
Rush OF mail they must have remained IN the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
RAILWAY CLERKS SLEEP.
Thea Haze a Club Dormitory Il"
YeSey-St.

r,ora economical dorrnitory IN lh0
world when one takes into consldeFdtiol - Nv the
forts Afforded than that which IS cOI41Io - q
limited States Railway Nail Clerks 1t - ,he
II.avst From the very nature Of their "0iA
railway mail clerks are forced to be away
nearly half the time, According to the -bers
Of the service they are permitted 70 i've - them
along the line of their route Not nn@Hs there
elect 70 establish homes in New-Tork C1Is' 80,
rent and living expenses are high 4nSs 10 ems
homes at the other end OF the run-SIt.i0 Sgbta
about Boston Harrisburg. Pittsourg. AH Inc ~
they spend in New-York they are inc - duss
their own dormitory association at q go
less than 70 cents month =, ,s-,rs
For a number of years the railway HaH -S-,
had rooms fitted up in the loft Of the Genea- Iork
office Building, but the growth OF inc -',,5.nt
mails crowded them out as 1t DID es.s,s
Victor J. Bradley and other railway ma Joyts ~
A year or more ago they rented couple o. -
a building in Vesey-st. There We're TWO nus -
rooms filed with iron COTS which are HS0|S
by a couple Of caretakers. 49,. ard
In a large combination reading WIl1lnS -
smoking the clerks can speho 80 =. "a OF
hours as pleases their fancy. There Is no So ,S
reading matter both ordinary periodlce47 - -,
publications which have connection VIII w Various
Ice On the walls hang maps n5teJ States and the
latest orders pertaining TO inc SaiTS and lounges
and small tables for games. oos+s a fee OF
The right to use this dornhtory eosrSitory ives
St5 year shortly after the new dorIltVlAS S,,rsr-
established Mr. Bradley who has IT'S g enSl would
vision found that the SSst o6 for eaoh member Ao
proposed outing down the dues Inste9os ssnended
PAYMENT as the surplus each year W W. ssverags
k1rts 10 exDlainad by the fact that lhe ~ his
asTa cIerE pays over the bulk OF his saIaF 800 10
wife and that she hands him back HS q Month
tir1e what he needs for expenses Inc - 14zsd ex-
% che NeV-York dormitory Is a recosL - raid
pense and on months when no zee mas - .6SSnding
the postal clerk has just that much extra
money, -, s,.ov, g. = r,trhty good
.,ts. cor the service" said Superintendent 80 a.
70 "a Tribune reporter yesterday Every SIU' has
moved a factor to that end. II the men 10
Psosn hotels the first place they arc nAeYY,
spp toT IL the bar and as result they might loso
thar run No uQuor Is allowed at the NSseS 80
niace. and IL IS Lndesa seldom 1llA2 q @sSs4 49,
ssSA atx#9s ssez al fxAsn $50
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03

heads of STATS are in personal contact with some
phase or phases of the work, every department
and officer of the institution and it may be said
every employe may be made more efficient and
the hospital work may be conducted with greater
Intelligence by having before them accurate and
well digested statistics showing not only the
services rendered by each department in detail,
hut also net results obtained intelligent super
intendence requires such a correlation Of these
results as will enable those responsible for
management TO exercise the highest discretion
which experience and training may qualify them
to use in promoting the purposes for which the
IDs+ItY+iOY, IL orga Oized -
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
LIST OF CHANGES NEEDED.

The first suggestion made by the committee,
of which DR.. Brannan is chairman. to prevent
the waste of medical and surgical supplies Is
''the adoption of less expensive materials and
methods than those commonly in use which
we are assured be done without lessening
efficiency"
The committee accordingly advised the fol-
lowing reforms:
Ether-Surgeons Of large experience whose re-
suits are nowhere surpassed ether costing con-
siderably less than the article which now pract-
open method OF Inhalation. as compared to the
closed me method 0he results being the same) con-
sunes 100 per cent more OF ether
In addition. the use OF ether as washing fluid
unnecessary BY these economies the cost of ether
alone can be reduced fully one-half without any
Dressings-ToweIs which can be easily washed
and resterIlized can be used time and time again
in place Of which is more expensive and only
The same material used on clean wounds for
dressings should be rewashed and resterilized and
GAUGE swabs used In clean surgical wounds should
also be saved. washed and resterlized for repeated
Plain cotton waddng. which costs one-fourth as
ae lumber Of tngances T 1 De the epoyed IN
material Is now wasted Cotton itself even be
Bandages-Whaf is true Of gauze is true of ban
dages since bandages are less apt to be solled
instead of being thrown away. as is now the com
necessary waste OF material in hospital manage
clear that the quality OF alcohol now used in the
hospitals might be reduced by two-thirds and not
lessen efficiency.
When alcohol is needed as local application the
q to 90 per cent alcohol should be substituted for
CoaECo-operation the part of the insti-
reduce the cost TO e great extent, and the proper
Would Be Saon q e S9at fGy heat thg
necessary article.
Reduction in cost OF electricity ana gas-Co-
operation among the hospitals would without
doubt. secure legislation which would compel the
gas company TO furnish public
at the same rate at which i Is furnished to munici
pal buildings. As to electricity, the hospitals
should apply 20 the municipal government for light
from Its plant at a cost no greater than that
which It will cost other public buildings.
SHOULD UNITE IN BUYING.
After making these recommendations the COM
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
MORNING. MUCH, AFTER AR.

30 Lord" one heard him say, Il am truly
sorry for having offended Thee with my SINS.
Then the train came to a stop, with a final
bound and one heard the healthy hiss of steam
escaping through the proper vents from the loco
motive, and knew that a wreck had been
avoided .4:a.. s~..s 49,.
The postal clerks dropped down from their
perches on the safety rod. picked up the letters
which had been scattered over the floor with the
first Jolt and went on sorting mail.
What happened?" the correspondent asked,
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
a CHAOS OF BOOKKEEPING.

The diversity in the methods of accounting in
various hospitals is shown by a compilation
made recently by the Association for Improving
the Condition Of the Poor Of the reports
Of f1fty-one hospitals In only eleven Of these
was an estimate given of the cost of patient
each day These eleven reported a daily ex-
pense for each one of its sick as follows: Belle
vue. 81 SO; Mount Sinai 81 So; Roosevelt. 81 go;
Lebanon, 81 Is: Beth Israel. 81 AZ: Gouverneur.
81 65; Flower, 81 65: j. Hood Wright, 81 %;
Harlem. So Oh; Fordham, 81 97 New-York In
Urinary, 81 90 In only nine the daily cost
of food obtainable Mount Sinai spent "A cents
presbyterian, SO cents; Lebanon. 20 cents; Beth
Israel, % cents; Flower. Is cents: st. Marks.
SO cents; New'-York Infirmary, 30 cents. Only
two made any comparison in the cost OF care
for a private and a ward patient. St Iukes
expends So day for the former and 81 9S Tor
the latter; the Presbyterian, So 40 and 81 4S.
Yet a study OF all these figures gives no clue
as to whether one institution is run more
economically than another, as the quantity ana
quality OF supplies bought are not shown.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
YzEAAb WITH The BUSY POSTAL CL>eno

in case of accident was explained. When a a
mail car is wrecked the first thing 70 e., 80 -
the floor which splinters up in most I'd
ceivabIe fashion Then the sorting tables anu
the mail boxes come gathering down, ana eNeIS
thing movable in the bar breaks loose ana 80 80
swshing around with a force that Woui ~ "a 80,
limbs and crack skulls IL any are IN the Mtly;
Swinging from the safety rods, the clerks ,t
these dangers, and have some protection asL oad
The ANAL shock sThey know the feel of the rpdu
90 we'll that the moment the emergency brake
IS SLAPPED on they jump for the rods
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
PICKED UP ON lie FLY.


An interesting operation is picking up mall at
small stations through which the yestibule
passes at full speed. The local clerk. on getting
a signal from the engineer, steps to door IN
the side of the car and with a lever throws out
an iron "" shaped arrangement into which the
speed of the train filings the hanging bag. As
much as fifty pounds OF mail can be taken on
board in this way, and the faster the speed Of
the train the more sure the catch. II bag IS
dropped the train is not stopped, but a noti1ca-
ton card is sent to the postmaster to look for
the bag
trafnmen is friendly as a rule, but sometimes
there is little friction. The engineer OF one o.
the trains saw a woman tumbled over by q man
bag tossed from the car at a statlon on tls
Southern He reported that the clerk haa
knocked a woman head over heels. me Ger
the woman head over heels II seems 10 nav
been a very proper thing for that IS her normal
position and she must have beeh sId4lu -t3, o
her head when the bag struck h9E- ->oll-liA0
more was ever heard Of it.
The New Yorker has little idea how far AVA AVA
from the metropolis the working OF New ICIh
CITY mali begins. On the return run hVe clerh5
baeir ia sort New-YOrk mail at Greensboro dl
III o'clock at night thirteen hours before II San
possibly reach Jersey City. They nave d sSiLs. I
of the CITY showing every Sub-statloIl ana oIllS
q small portion of the mail-that when peas
no street address chiehy-goes TO the SIeL sen ~
poetofice Several deliveries can be gained ~
T,Ittire on the exact street address, YET II II s
nrfsing the number Of firms which print laeL
return envelopes with no further ADDRESS lILa-i
ssNevv-York CITY Fifth-ave. mail IS cur
+inuaI puzzle to the clerks, as the even num-
hers 60 TO one station and the odd NUMBERS ~
another Many persons address thelr mail mai 70
street corners and there is no way or leLli. s
Separate packages of letters are mace up lul
hanks for hotels for hospitals ana lot LeMs
naner offices. and much valuable time T. sd'1
nv this distribution en- route.
As the night wore away on the return , ~ -
+ba head clerk offered to make postal car DeI ~
for the weary correspondent New man sacA1 ;
tIrned inside out, furnished clean sheeIs a.
covering for the improviSed bed on Top q = ~ t~
~ filled sacks A smaller sack, contalIllls ~.
mail largely the big square envelopes ldllII tSt
Nv women. served as pillow and soon 9Iou ~
Srearos of love letters sent and received 1its
dreams went back to the beginning OF lLil 49,.
that sort when an empty tomato can II z L -
corner served as a pOstOfhce- 1heh .LlTy
through the long and varied range OF IosEsI
IF the youth of the freshman Of the 1lI ls
Graduated man facing an lndIfIereIll W. Ilstsd
et-en TO the letter of the last love WLlcn 49,
theT in the heart pocket Of his coat Il "a ~
eItopether a troubled sleep though some u L'J
dream letters did clash, and the drealls ht 10
had barely run the gantlet Of loves "Ign { b .a
at the shoulder announced that AleNahuLl1 LII
been left behind and it was time 70 chdIlSe iii'-
cars at washington
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03

received a message for the engineer Of No. "
lust as the train was approaching, and hasheo
the danger signal almost under his nose. After
getting his orders the engineer climbed bacA
into his cab, and the train went on
Later in the day, when approaching Greens
boro which is the end of the run for the WASH
ington-South clerks the value Of the safety rods
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
THE NEGRO PROBLEM.

Toward the end OF the run of this fast mail
the clerks enter race against time to prevent
being stuck" which is their term for arriving
at a terminal with mail undstributed Several
New-York periodicals having large CALCULATIONS
in the South are known as stuck sheets" One
day each week and two days each month these
papers by their number and bulk stick mali
crews all over the country.
On this particular Sunday there was & hugo
grist OF Augusta stuck stuff" and the crew haa
to make the stiffest sort Of struggle to sort If
They won out just the train entered tbs
Atlanta yards, a minute or two after midnight
having made up an hour of lost time, but hitting
a seventy-mie gait part OF the distance from
Greensboro.
On these runs most Of the mail clerks are M
tive born SoutherRers. and the race problem is
schools in the South which specially prepare
young negroes to pass the Civil Service examina-
tons for the mail service. The white clerks OBJ
ject to having a negro in their crew, but are
powerless They do insist, however, that ne
provide his own drinking cup, and that he eat
his meals alone If he will not buy his own
cup the white clerks get one for him.
The eating problem on through mail train
Is Outlines a serious one, and many mail clerk
has to work for hours empty stomach
The nOrthbound crew on the VeSrbule, to which
two mail cars are attached. however, never leave
Atlanta without laying in an elaborate meal
which is spread one Of the sorting tables
after the mail for Georgia offices is made up.
Newspapers serve as q tablecloth and plates are
considered Superfluous. The same cup serves all
Of the crew with coffee, which is boiled over an
open gas Jet. Chicken pie, sweet potatoes, corn
bread and yam pie made up the truly Southern
meal, far more tasty than that to be had in the
dining car behind, even though served in less
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
TAKING ON THE MAIL.

The floors of the cars were already piled high
with mail bags when the reporter entered and
the clerks began to tussle with the accumulation
of letters and papers several hours before the
time of departure. From time to time other
mail wagons We're ferried across the river from
New York and delivered their heavy loads to
the waiting train.
At two O'Clock there was rumbing Of wheels
and clatter of hoofs.
Here come the Indians" explained one of
the clerks. ~.
Half a dozen wagons drivers shouting like
wild men of the plains come tearing down the
roadway between tracks. The wagons were
filled with Sunday newspapers which I'LL four
storage cars on this special mail train.
There goes your outfit OF tigers" said the
station master as a big wagon drawn by a bay
team dashed by. He meant that the wagon was
.1oaded with Sunday Tribunes for Baltimore,
Washington and Southern points
At 2:26 10 the second. the huge racing engine
at the front of the mail train gave q series OF
Jerks and the race against time to the South
land was under way. In two minutes she was
out OF the yards and making for Philadelphia on
a no-stop run at a rate Of more than mile a
minute.
Every man of the eighteen IN the mail crew
.went on with his work, seeming TO gain in speed
with the speed Of the train. In one car two
clerks from the Baltimore postofice were dis
sfributing letters directed to that city. Before
them We're half hundred pigeon holes each
one marked for a carrier route. By the time the
train reached Baltimore the letters We're tied IN
bundles which could be delivered without fur
sSher handling to the carriers who distributed
them about the city
In the letter end Of another car a mail clerk
who knows Washington as good Mahometan
Knows his Koran distributed letter mail
Tor the Capital City for every carrier in the
main Office and TO Station c. He also made
separate bundles of mail for the different de-
paTtments of the federal government, including
one bulky package for President Roosevelt. The
letters were stamped with the train number, and
t1he distribution route saved one residence and
two business deliveries.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03
Exceedingly Drastic Measures Prevent Its Spread to Army
in Manch uria-Will They Succeed?~

amount of money could be saved if all the hos
pitfalls united in buying their supplies. .4.
The Importance of a uniform system Of book
keeping and inspection in all the hospitals was
emphasized by the subcommittee on account
ing and reporting appointed as a result Of the
A 1. c. P. conference. Hoffman Miller, its
chairman, who is also trustee Of st. Luke's,
said .--.z#a#. .s.-.. .>.. -.--
ut has been said that it is impossible to pro-
vide a uniform method of accounting which will
furnish the means Of accurate comparison
between a general hospital and hospital de-
voted to special work To certain extent this
is the fact. Where the work performed by one
hospital is totally different in purpose and scope
from the work performed by another q COM
pRrison of many items of expenditure is of no
advantage. There many items, however,
such as administration expenses, cost of main
tenance wages food supplies and the like
which must necessarily depend upon the num-
Der Of patients cared for, and by comparison
of these items much, think. be learned.
and in many instances, economies effected"
The committee of which Mr. Miller is chair
man drew up a comprehensive scheme Of
counting which would as far as possible speci-
fy in detail the and cost of everything per-
tanning to hospital
NO ITEMIZED DETAILS.
The following was offered as suggestion as
to the way an account should be kept Of the
stewards department:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-12-03

after untangling himself from the mail bags and
rubbing half a dozen bruises.
THE engineer put the emergency brake for
something other" was the explanation. 1T
might have been a wreck, so we took to the
safety rods" ...=..
signal tower at the entrance to a deep cut had