Charlevoix county herald., 1906-02-17

To be one of an army of 10000; to
travel by railroa ! $4,000 miles every
year; to stand in car forming part
Of a swaying, rushing train, surround
ed by open-mouthed sacks and pigeon
holes, shuffling letters and papers at
the rate OF $500 per hour; knowing
that every error goes against your
record; to work sometimes sixteen to
twenty-four hours at a stretch, often
sleepy and hungry-these are some OF
the daily experiences OF the railway
mail clerks. Then add to these the
constant possibility OF being knocked
into eternity or crippled for life In
wreck.
Yet they are a contented lot, these
railway mail clerks, happy only
when ION the road" But it is not
the environment for a omestic man,
nor for him who has passed the top
Of the hill Of life and is jogging down
into the dark valley beyond. Thus
majority Of the clerks are young men;
these are preferred by the Post Office
Department, for they have fewer
cares, are more active, and can work
faster and with greater accuracy.
Uncle Sam is proud Of the person
mel OF this expert force and takes
every precaution for their safety and
comfort. Their hours are fixed, and
overtime is required only in cases of
absolute necessity.
a Travelling Postoffice.
A railway ma car Is technically an
'R. p. o." or Railway Post Office. 1t
runs between stated points, receiving
and distributing mail through post
offices along the line. 1t is d govern
ment post Office on wheels, and Is
United States territory, though owned
by the railroad. 1t is as well built
and as completely equipped for its
purpose as a Pullman. Iron racks for
mail sacks extend along each side.
Above are tiers Of open boxes and pig.
con holes. "Work tables" 81 on
the racks. There is neither plush nor
mahogany. 1t is built for work and
IS the abode of workers.
Let US imagine that this car is the
ar. p. o." leaving Pittsburg, Pa, for
Cleveland, Ohio, over the Pennsylva-
mia road. The Pittsburg city post Office
delivers to the car mail for points east
OF Cleveland called "local mail'o and
through mair' for Cleveland and
points west. The train rushes out Of
Pittsburg. The whistle blows for a
station. No stop here. A "helper,"
opens a side door, swings out the mail
catcher" and picks up a mail sack
from a crane by the track. Now the
work begins. This sack contains mail
from the station just passed. Some of
It Is for the next Office, some for
Cleveland, some for the for west.
The mail Is dumped on table and
clerk pounces on it like a wolf on a
lamb. He losses letters in ali direc-
lions. He throws papers and pack
ages hither LID yon, this way and
that, AZ last as an expert card player
can distribute a deck. But every piece
OF mail finds its mark In particular
sack or box. The sacks and boxes are
labeled; but the labels are unneces-
eary; his quick eye catches only the
name of the office, ignoring that Of
the addressee. Though the work p
pears mechanical it calls for a high
degree Of training. Note the marvel
lous accuracy-less than two per cent.
OF errors In the work Of the Whole
force for a given year.
The whistle blows for another way
station. The door is. opened, a sack 10
thrown off, and the catcher yanks an
other sack about for distribution. And
30 ii goes without cessation. The
whole scheme is. so arranged tlat
there is just time, working will the
utmost speed and accuracy, to make
connections.
Skill Needed to Throw Sacks.
Throwing of sacks calls for anoth-
er kind Of skill. The expert knows
from the weight Of sack, speed Of
train and pressure Of VIVID Just when
and how to let the sack go. He can
drop 1t on a mark. If platform be
crowded or Uttered with baggage he
must pick clear spot lest his cannon
ball of leather and mail reucn up.
against some unsuspecIlng rTaveIer. ]
have seen q mail clerk drop a sixty
pound sack from a train going mile
a minute, landing it tightly on truck
twenty feet from the track.
or course there are accidents, and
danger is always present. Yet in ten
years past but SO clerks have been
killed on the road-an average OF ten
q year, with a force numbering up to
1900. The legal representative If
each clerk so killed receives $1,000
from the government. Arrangements
are contemplated for payment Of an
annuity to every clerk permanently
disab led in line Of duty.
The mail car Is usually next the
tender and runs a greater risk In &C
cidents than a passenger car. But
the position is sometimes advanta-
geous. An instance is cited Of pecu-
liar wreck near Poughkeepsie, N. Y.
The train was crossing a bridge when