The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-08-28
OUR P0sTOFF|CE
PARTMENT
The Following Is Short Account Of
How Mail ls Carried From Local
office on Out Bound
Trains.
LONG HAULs SAVE TIME
il BY a Round About Route Any
Time Can be Saved the Mail
is Sent That
Way.

Did you ever stop to inquire how
Uncle Sans clerks got your letters
: to their destination? Probably the
fact that you don't receive a letter
Just when you think you should from
the postman regardless of the fact that
letter has probably not been written
to you IS the only time that the work.
ings of the post office department
ever entered your head.
The following account may give a
little insight into the workings of the
Post Office department in Keokuk.
The trains carrying mail are of two
classes, the Railway Post Office and
the Express mail trains The Rail-
way Post Offices carry clerks and dis
tribute all mail put under their care
The mail Is sorted and put into
pouches which are transferred onto the
next line that will get them to their
destination On the express trains the
mail has to be sorted before loaded
/. and put in pouches which are then
handled by the express messengers
and thrown Of at their destination
All mail received from the depot is
distributed to the carriers and into
the boxes within one hour after the
arrival OF the train, and all mail to De
sent out is gathered from the boxes
in the post office one hour before the
time of the trains leaving the depot.
Maybe you would like to know how
your letters are sent from the local Of
flee All mail received at the local Of
flee after midnight for Chicago and
points east goes to FIT. Madison at 2:35
a. m. and there catches the Santa Fe.
All mail for points in between FIT. Mad
ison and Chicago is also sent this way.
On this train leaving at 2:35 is also
put three other pouches, one for the
transfer clerk at the Burlington depot
containing all mail for local points out
OF Burlington, one pouch containing
western mail and put on the main line
fast mail, and one pouch for the Rock
Island running north from Burling.
ton and containing all mail for local
points north as Des Moines, Minneapo-
lis and the Northwest
The next best train for Chicago mail
is the early Wabash and T. P. & w.
The Wabash leaves here at $40 and
the 7. p. & w. at Z a. m. Both carry
mail for local points east in Illinois,
Indiana and Ohio, and the Chicago
mail.
On the passenger leaving here at
7:35 p. m. is sent all mail for points
north, east and west that has come
into the office after 2 a. M
The Rock Island leaving at 7:45 a.
m. is good for Des Moines mail and
all local points ia Iowa and northwest.
No. 10. leaving Keokuk at $40 a. m.
carries mail for points south, south
west and east.
No. A. going south at l.: 20 p. M, car
ries only pouch mail as there is no
clerk on board until the train reaches
Hannibal. Pouches containing mail for
these points south is put into a sack
for him with the exception of the Has
60 mail, which is small town just
outside of Hannibal, at which the ce-
ment plant Is located and for which
the mail is kept in a separate package.
No. 8, going north at las Is another
express train and carries only pouch
mail for Fl. Madison and Burlington.
The 7. P. e w. leaving at o'clock,
carries mail for the same points as
he morning train, viz Chicago and
local points in Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio.
The Rock Island going north at 2:55
is an express train and carries only
pouch mall till Eldon is reached when
clerk Is taken on.
The North road carries clerk who
distributes mail to the points between
Mt. Pleasant and Keokuk.
The Wabash leaving at Ais p M
carries the next accumulation of mail
for Chicago and points east and south
east. On this train also is sent NAL
for st. Louis. The ST. Louis mail is
carried to Springfield and transferred