Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-28
OCEAN POST OFFICES
HOW MAIL IS DISTRIBUTED ON
TRANSATLANTIC STEAMERS.
'etters Must Go by the Most Direct
Route-A Great Saving
of Time.

The net cost of the foreign mail service
% the people of the United States last year
Eas s. 51G,053. There were seven regular
routes in operation and no extensions dur
ing the year. One of the most interesting
features of this service. of which the gem
eral public knows very little is the sea
post office.
This service was established on five
steamers of the White Star line. pIying
between New York and Liverpool last year.
The first sailing having occurred February
10. 1894, from which date to the end of the
fiscal year fourteen trips were made from
New York and twelve from Liverpool Sim
llar service was continued throughout the
year by four steamers of the North German
Lloyd ana four of the Hamburg-American
lines, performing in all forty-scven trips
from New York and the same number from
Germany; also by the four steamers of the
International Mercantile Marine COMPANY
performing forty-scven trips from New
York and forty-tive from Southampton
There Were sixteen clerks added to the
rolls of the sea post service, making u total
Of thirty -five.
Duties of the Clerks.
These figures merely give an idea of the
scope of the work and leave to the magma
ton the actual duties of the clerks in
charge of this valuable and important mail.
Dteb POSt tIlltt tleIkS take charge of the
mails at New York when they are brought
to the dock from the post office Much of
the contents of the hundreds of pouches of
letters Is assorted at the New York office
and the clerks merely have to see that they
get to the trains which to carry them
to their ultimate destinations when once
the vessel lands a her European dock
Salch cities as London, Liverpool Man
chester. Leeds, Birmingham. Southa nlpton
Sheffield. WolverhamptOn and the like have
81 cd ha
York, but there are hundreds of other
points TO which letters are addressed in
small quantities that do not pay for the
work Of distribution in the crowded office of
the port of departure.
These are for the clerks aboard the
steamers to assert, or make up, so that they
Will reach their destination without delay
On all the steamers carrying the sea post
offices there are regulation letter cases
Just as there are on the familiar post office
cars of the railroads of this country. In
asserting his mail for England, for in
stance, the clerk must be familiar with the
geographical and political features of the
country, as well as with its industrial
divisions. He must have at his instant
command the sections through which the
different lines of railway wend their way
and know where every city of importance
is located and by which route it may be
most readily reached from the point where
lie lands his mail.
By the Most Direct Route.
letter for Glasgow must be sent by the
most direct route and not punched with
others for cities on lines of railway which
do not extend TO Glasgow. This applies in
all cases and it is the business of the clerk
TO so distribute his mail that the post office
employees of the other side will have a mini
mum of difficulty in getting the many let
ters TO their correct destinations with all
the celebrity possible. The same courtesy is
extended by the clerks of the other side to
the American clerks, so that il is matter
of the purest reciprocity.
Germany also sees that mail for the
United States is fairly distributed. and
while this subject is under consideration It
may not be amiss to say that the post Office
clerks of both America and Europe are the
only persons in either country who are
very familiar with the geographical fea-
lures OF the other country. TO the average
American a letter addressed to Preston,
England, would be n letter to some city of
which he had perhaps heard. but the loca-
ton of which was a mystery. To the pos
tai clerk travelling on one of the transat-
lantic steamers 1t is simple as his own
name, and he sends Ii to Preston by way
OF the railroad directly connecting with
that city from Liverpool or Southampton,
according to which port he touches.
Aboard the steamers of the lines carrying
post offices the clerks have the finest of
quarters and the best of food. all arranged
for between the United States and the CO.
operating company, and during his stay on
the other side each clerk has $3.50 day for
his expenses in addition to his salary. The
Inter is the same as other clerks of his
class in the regular mail service.
Notwithstanding the Presidents determi-
nation to make his own appointments, the