Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-04
WHY THE ACCIDENT TO THE ENGLISH MAIL
Racing Newly
Ships London
Fronth The Iondon EXT is.
FROM The London Express, Jun

From beneath the western spur OF
Plymouth Hoe there steal forth on &c
the blue waters Of the sound two red
furneled little steamers.
use the expression steal forth"
because, as you watch them threading
Their, foamless way past brakes island,
you Wonder whittier they can be bound
In such an ambling, leisurely fashion.
When you are told that they are the
tenders going out to await the arrival
or the American mail you will find quite
a new interest I'm that brace of tubby.
broad-beamed craft.
The Marcon station on Rame Head
has picked up the rushing levlathan
two hours distant from Plymouth The
wireless message has announced that
seventy-five saloon passengers and go
bags of mails are to be landed.
This is medium average, and the
railway people are prepared to deal
with II In normal, comfortable way.
When the two tenders have crept
quietly out into the beautiful verdure-
fianked expanse of Cawsand bay they
Cpen out to a considerable interval and
stop their engines.
on board the one you will see the
NiiihiluA ulllluIiub VI ~ UtNy VI DOSl~
office officials. This is the mail tender,
the craft in which, for the time, our in
terest is centered. The mission of the
other boat is to land the passengers,
and her little promenade deck Is black
with friends who have come to well
come the transatlantic arrivals.
Liner in Sight
Suddenly past the dark green point OF
Pan1cn fhp tDunYircy Of
heaves into view. She springs bodily
into view like an express train rounding
curve In breath you have her four
tunnels two masts and ZOO feet of
length full in sight.
The two tenders seem to start into
life, as it were. like a couple of prey
ing spiders startled by the approach of
danger 1t is fine weather, so the gil
gantic steamer will not go inside the
breakwater. Her machinery ceases
pulslng for the first time in five and a
half days, and burst of spray at her
stern proclaims the dropping of the
anchor.
Scarce has she swung to rest when
the tenders are swooping down upon
her, one on either side. The craft
which casts her hawsers on the star
board beam, like a pair of clinging
antennae, is the mail tender.
AlIHOSl before Sne is secured Il NUM-
Der of postoffice officials have swarmed
over the broadside of the huge liner.
In a vast heap against the bulwark,
guarded by several of the ships COM
pany and an officer. are the mail bags
which have been got up in readiness
to facilitate discharge.
Pitching the Sacks
A shoot-like gangway is lowered to
1,o a,Iy Of 1a,- -, I,3s
the postal officials begin to pitch the
brown bulging sacks with headlong
haste. An overseer with brass buttons
checks each one as it speeds over the
side
Within twenty minutes the whole
burden of the American mail has been
transferred to the tender, the tallies
signed as correct, and already are the
sorters at work getting the bags into
some sort of order so as to simplify
the delivery of them ashore
Scarcely has the last bag alighted
with a hollow thud upon the tenders
deck when the ropes are let go, and she
starts away at full speed on her three
mile journey to the Military dock.
A band posted somewhere on top
sides of the liner bursts forth into
cheerful melody by way of a farewell
greeting to the passengers who are
Landing. The sorters on the tender
silently curse, for the catchy refrain
distracts them in their work.
1t Is all a race against time now.
Twenty minutes have been spent in get
ting the mail bags out of the ocean
steamer. A quarter of an hour more is
occupied in their transit to the dock
quay.
Upon siding Great Western train
is standing in waiting. Each one of the
five long cream and chocolate coaches
is labelled ocean Mails" in great gilt
letters, and all the doors are yawning
wide open.
Each Sack Checked
A regular little army of postoffice en-
ployes fall upon the piles of bags, and
in frenzied haste, yet maintaining such
perfect order that each sack is checked