Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-28
THE MAIL CLERK.
Dangers He Faces as He Sorts Letters
In a Mail Car.


Not such a bad idea, after all, this
plan to move the mail car further
| back from the locomotive.
Some $50 railway mail clerks, at
least, favor the suggestion. They dis
cussed at their annual convention at
the Coates house yesterday and then
decided to ask the government to re-
quire steel mail cars or to require
that the mail car be put in less dan
gerous position in the train.
This is the proposition the railway
mail clerk is up against" T.. E. Car
penter Of Cedar Rapids, Ia, explain
ed. He is in a dangerous position
as far as wrecks are concerned, no
matter what kind of a car he Is in.
And he is almost the only man who
has no chance to jump. He simply
has to stay and take his medicine
and trust to luck and-well, he al
ways feels safer if he is travelling in
steel car"
Ever been in a wreck?" an inquisi-
tive visitor inquired.
Sure"
Then several other railway mail
clerks joined the crowd.
1T was out in Wyoming when l
had my first experience in wreck,
Carpenter explained.
"A thriller, was it?" the visitor
asked.
NO, it wasn't a thriller" the mail
clerk was very prompt to answer.
None of these men who risk their
lives daily every confesses that he ever
did anything worthy of record.
Il was sorting mail, while the en-
CINE did some switching-went to the
water tower l believe. All of a sud-
den something seemed to turn the car
was in up on end. The letters flew
from my hand. l was thrown across
the car and landed on my head. 1t
wasn't very serious. When l got out
of the car they told me the engine
had let some cars loose and they had
crashed down the steep grade into
the mail car. 1t was only little ac-
cident, but | was in the hospital two
weeks"
c. r. Broderick of st. Joseph was
another mail clerk who had had one
of these little experiences. Mr.. Brod-
erick was sorting letters in the mail
car when the locomotive hit bad
Joint and was derailed.
You can't understand the sensa-
ton of the mail clerk until you've been
one and had your first wreck he re-
lated. Il didn't even have time TO
hear the grinding and groaning of
the wheels the wreck victims always
tell about. l flew across the car and
landed up against an iron rail on
which the mail sacks were hung. l
was in the hospital only week."
"A postal clerk must be familiar
with schemes of distribution of five
or seven states, the schedules of mail
trains within those states and the
situation of from two thousand to
twelve thousand offices and the mail
supply for EACH" George II. Fair
vice president of the association, said.
He must know how to divert mail in
case of a delay, for often the longest
way round is the quickest way to the
destination 1t requires three or four
years of study with experience in a
postal car to make a good, practical
clerk. An examination must be pass
ed by the applicant. and every three
years he must pass another eXamina-
ton to show that his memory OF
places and schedules is still fresh.
You are a Methodist, are you not?'
mail clerk inquired of fellow
worker who was registering at the
Coates house last night The man
answered in the affirmative but was
anxious to know what indication he
had given of his religious connections.
Il can tell any mans denomination
by his handwriting. Don't believe me,
do you? Well, l have been clerk
five years. and in that time | have
made it a special study. I'll venture
that ! will judge correctly nine out
of every ten times. An agnOStic? ?
Sure. can tell one as easily as | can
one of the orthodox faith. There
seems to be something indecisive in
their penmanship. And there are lit
tie signs for every denomination, If
you just know them"
Tell about the death run, Ed" one
said. \ visitor waited. expecting a
| tale of horror. But it was a tale of
peace. I'VE were running together
| then in Oklahoma, Ed and I. About
sixty miles out of Oklahoma City we
ran into a pouch of mourning sta
| tionery. Then there was q whole
| sack of it at the next station. Every
town along the line contributed a
dozen or more letters written on the
| grewsOme stuff. 1t was depressing.
really it was. Ed and I began to feel
sorry for the country along the line.
1T kept pouring in. Some places
| furnished the popular brand for bus
mess use. Several of the envelopes
| had printed return addresses i'm the
corner. We wondered about it but
could see no reason for the peculiar
taste for black bOrdered paper. FL
nally we decided there was plague
i'm the state and thought no more of
il until we reached the end of our
run. oklahoma City. At the hotel Ed
picked up a paper and ! heard him
howl. Here's our plague he said.
And. sure enough. there was an ad-
vertisement for a bargain sale of sta
tioncry mail orders solicited. -
Kansas City Times.