Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-23
HANDLE MORE MAIL !
THAN EVER BEFORE
ALL RECORDS FOR PosToFFlcE
BUSINESS BROKEN IN PRES
EMIT RUSH.
DELAYED TRAINS ADD
TO THE CONFUSION
Northwestern Mail Trains, Over Which
Big Mails Come. Running Several
Hours Late-Rural Carriers Go Out
on Christmas, One Holiday of Year
Carrier Windows Open at 9 O'clock.

All records for handling heavy mails |
at the postiffce arc being broken by
the holiday rush that is HOW on. To
add to the confusion the overworked
clerks are compelled to put up With
delayed mails, and are handling the
heaviest business received anywhere
from one to twelve hours late. The
big mails are those from the east over
the Northwestern. and for weeks these
trains, as we'll as those from the west,
have been running away late.
y half car load of mail was received
this afternoon on train No. 9, the
Northwestern fast mail due here at
AS this morning This throws all
calculations windward. and leaves the
force of receiving clerks in bad shape
for the rush of the evening business.
The last mail on the Northwestern.
received up TO the middle OF the day,
was No 10. from the west, at IL: So
Wednesday night
All Glasses Heavier.
Never before in the remembrance of
the oldest clerks of the postof1ice has
the mail handled been in such large
volumes as this season. This is
not true of any one class in par
ticualar, but of all classes First class
mail was never 50 heavy. and the reg
istry business has increased away be-
vond the proportions usually looked
! for. The post card business has been
something enormous, both in and out.
The heaviest outgoing business Of the
Christmas rush came today and the
heaviest incoming Will come today and
tomorrow
Impossible to Attempt Deliveries.
Ii there is any one who sometimes
wonders why the postnan does not de-
liver some littfeChristmas package at
the door instead of serving the pat
ron with a card telling that the pack
age is at the office. and may be re-
cetved upon presenta ton of the card,
a glance at the innerw orkings of the
office would cause the patron no fur
tller speculation.
Arranged on big desks. occupying all
the available room not needed for the
working force. were piled Wednesday
might hundreds upon hundreds of
pac hages Of all SORTS. and sizes They
were all consigned to some one in
Marsfalltown. One desk alone con
tanned almost enough to fill i small
dray. and these went on one delivery
route. II is almost next TO Impossible,
at this season Of the year for 4 car
rier 10 make his route with his ordin-
AIRY first class mail and papers. to say
nothing of extra packages. Nothing
short of a delivery wagon for each
carrier would enable him 10 deliver
, the Christmas packages.
The carrier Wflo makes the business
collection in the evening "Wednesday
, night had 10 make four different trip:
i'm order 10 get the mail from the boxe;
TO The posfoffice. Under normal con-
ditions one trip j. all that is neces-
: sary
l. Rural Carriers Work Christmas.
The rural carriers out Of this cit.
VIII serve their patrons on Christina
day This being the one holiday of til
year that the department insists Oh tn
carriers making their routes. This ]
done in order that patrons viii no
have TO wait longer than is necessar
Tor any Christmas packages that ma
be in the mail.
e Windows Open at Christmas Day.
= There will be no deliveries of cit
carriers on Christmas day, but the VIII
dow service VIII be more extensiv
" and the windows viii open at o'cloc
! They Viii remain open until the bus
!, ness is cleaned w.
1t will be necessary. however. for II
:. public 10 assist in every way in ord,
d TO insure Il rapid and satisfactory d.
IS livery service at the windows.
Il will be impossible for the ca
riers to serve between 1000 and 80
~ people in a lobby that will not accon
ID nlodate more than 200 or 800. and p
III irons should be patient and avo
1T crowding and blocking the lobby. P
,a irons should enter the building thru t
Center street door, and leave thru t
= Church street entrance. AS the wi
p dows will remain open until II or
~ O'Clock, if it proves necessary i'll ord
TO serve the patrons. there will be
NC occasion for everybody in town tryi
to get his mail the minute after t