The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-05-23
MAIL TRANSFER BUSINESS.
Rapid Juggling of Pouches Often
Necessary by Frequency of Trains.

The bussiest-izziest person in town,
SO he thinks, is the man that transfers
Uncle Sans mail from the depots to
the postoffice and back. and from
the many trains that carry mail. To
the man on the street there frequently
comes the mental question: why
does that mail wagon run SO furi-
ously?" and he answers the question
| for himself by concluding that the
man is plunger and that the break
neck speed is simply to his liking.
But there the stranger is mistaken.
The man is not whizzing along mere
| ly to enjoy the ride-he has barely
time, and not a second to spare, to
make a train with lot OF transfer
pouches.
The railroads centering in this city
make the mail transfer business
| large and responsible work. There
are some twenty-eight trains each
day that receive and discharge mail.
| 4 number of these trains arrive and
depart at a difference in scedule time
of only few minutes, and the mail
man must be at each to receive and
deliver his consignments. For in
stance: No. 25 on the Pennsy is due
at 5:O7 a. m and No. Is is due at
5:1O a. m. No. 25 carries transfer
pouch for the Lake Erie and Western
for the Vandalia and for Plymouth
and South Bend She gives 100 to
1875 pounds of mail, some mornings
500 pounds.
No. Is, from Chicago, paper train,
gives all the way from 1900 to $500
pounds, which is transferred to the
Lake Erie and Vandalia going south
This has to be done in Is minutes
time. Besides this, there is trip to
the postoffice with six pouches, which
has to be made first, and after getting
back there is from to 0 minutes to
make the Lake Erie and Vandalia.
The next train is the Vandalia north
at $40, which throws two pouches
and a tie sack The next is 9:07
east on the Penna. one pouch. AT
1850 east on the Penna pouch and two
| tie sacks. Off from that the mail car
rier gets pouch and two tie sacks
for the L. Z. south at 1O:47 and two
| tie sacks for the Vandalia south al
l11:30.
AT 1926, from the Penna, "a Plym-
onht pouch and tie sack, and pouch
and four tie sacks for the l.. T., and
tie sacks for the Vandalia south (pa-
lpers).
AT 10:47 south on the Lake Erie
are put the transfers from $50 and
1926, and a Plymouth pouch and
about seven tie sacks The L. E
north at 1870 gives four pouches
and four tie sacks.
The Vandalia south at 1870 gives
one pouch and flying trip is made to
the L. E. for the mail thrown of
at 1890 The Vandalia north at 11:5t
gives two pouches, one for Plymouth
and one for No. % west on the Penns
This finishes the forenoon.
| On No. %, going east at liz is
tsent out a pouch AMI three tie sacks
and get pouch and tie sack No. q
west at 1888, get pouch and tie sack
and put on three pouches and fv,
tie sacks. No. 80, at 1:5s west re-
turns pouches and sacks from Nos
22 and % and pouch and sack fol
Plymouth.
| At 4:45 north on the Lake Erie
one pouch for the postoffice and Z
transfer pouch for No. 8 on the
| Penna. Take mail to the Office ant
get the mail for Nos s, 10 and Van
|dalia south, all due within four min
utes of each other. No. 10 west, due
at $50 get pouch and tie sack; No
Is, east at 5:54, get two pouches ano
1.-TWO tie sacks. From the south-bounC
lat $50, we get pouch for Plymouth
from No. 10, two pouches, one fol
Plymouth and one for Vandalia north
at 6:3S, and four extra sacks. Bring
this mail to the Office and get one
lpouch for the Van at G:3s and trans
| fer stuff taken from Nos. and 10.
| All the night trains receive and give
mail, but Nos. 6, "a and IL arc
| handled by Daniel Brown the nigh
man at the station.
| The above resume of days worl
has necessarily employed many fig
lures and a good deal that reads like
repetition, and to the average reader
lit may not be any more exciting thar
to read page of dictionary, but i
represents a system employed in I'm
Icle Sans management of its great
mail business. The work requires ex
lactness. A single pouch sent on Z
wrong train will be followed within
"a week by letter calling for an ex-
lplanation, and fine is imposed.
| Will Ormund has the contract fol
the transfer of mail and Ed Giller
manages and does the work. 1t is at
TENDED with constant responsibility
but Ed has proven his capability fol-
Handling it.