Omaha daily bee., 1910-09-04

-. ery-and justly so. Volume af-
bB ter volume has been written
- Into newspapers, magazines and
books, concerning deeds Of valor on battle
ships floating the stars and stripes-and
Justly so. But there is another army OF
heroes in the service OF Uncle sam-the
railway postal clerks, 1900 strong-and
that army Is unheralded and unsung
Why7 Because the great mass of patrio-
tic Americans lacks full understanding OF
the hazard to life that attends railway
postal service
"But," queries the skeptic, by what to-
ken Is the postal clerk catnlogued as a
hero--why Is his daily routine dangerous
when he has nothing to do but ride?"
If you would know intimately Just how
hazardous is the railway postal clerks oc-
eupeuon, you have but to consider the fact
that, as a general rule, the danger end of
railroad wreck is the end next to the
engine-and that Is where the postal clerk.
booped In fImsy wooden cars, is located
In the makeup of a train.
''But, why is his place more Of risk
than the places occupied by the engineer
and fireman. and are they not heroes,
too7"
True enough, the typical locomotive en-
gineer or fireman is a hero. The loc9mo-
tive cab is no place for molycoddles'
Mollycoddles seldom get there-and never
stay there. So, the courage and the hero
ism of the locomotive crew is granted with
out further discussion, but 1t should DO
remembered that in case of missing
bridge a washout, a landslide or impend-
ing collision, the engineer and fireman by
reason of the vantage point they occupy,
have at least the chance of jumping as
q protection to life. Many noble engineer
and many q noble fireman has stald by
his engine, refusing TO jump, yet It must
be admitted that the opportunity Is there
subject to discretion, The postal clerk has
no chance to jump. He can not see the
track ahead. He is on the inside OF MS
car. engrossed In the intrlcacies OF sorting
and dispatching thousands or letters 70
thousands of postoffices all over the world
. the crash comes. He is caught unawsres.
ne In like a rat In a trap, The same danger
that menaces the life of the engine men
must perforce doubly menace him, for II
the engine strikes an obstruction sufficient
10 derail Il. nine times out of ten the mail
car will follow. 1t may not be fatal
wreck. or II may be fatal. 1t is all
chance-but the danger Is there, neverthe-
less The engine and the mail car, the ex-
press and the baggage may all go Into the
ditch and yet the chair cars and the Pull
man may and most OF the time do, hold
their places on the track.
OLD line insurance companies were early
10 spy the hazardous nature of the postal
clerks occupation, and the more reliable
fraternal associations were prompt to fol-
low Raise after raise was made In the
price Of postal clerk insurance both by
companies and fraternltles. At last the
premium rate reached prohioitive proper
lions. Then came application OF the old
adage. necessity Is the mother OF IN
vention," and the postal clerks dropping
other insurance. organized beneficiary
association OF their own. officially known
as "The Railway Mail association" None
but railway postal clerks in actual serv!cs
are permitted to join. and the membership
now totals in round numbers 1900 out OF
a possible Ii 900. for the latter figure rep
resents the total number of men so en-
gagged in the United States. This assocla-
ton furnishes 5000 insuIan policy a.
a cost of about SIS annually TO each oa'
insured. There is siso scale of beaefit'
for sickness or injury In accidents Thui
the postal clerk has worked out his owl
salvation along Insurance lines,
BY way OF illustrating the magnitude OF
the railway mail clerks Insurance asso'
citation the following figures are taAer
from official rooJrds: Since the organiSa
ton first began tie suiA or S3s4v na'
been paid TO wioo~s and mothers o. mai
clerks, representing death benefits. Gov
ering the same period, 5000 has been pai'
for injury 20 eyes OF clerks SS'Cve FOL
broken legs and 1851, 41S.53 has been ce
voted to the payment Of benefits due n1-ln
bers by reason OF miscellaneous injuries
received while ON duty. All OF this dis
bursement aggregates 1881 4i3 6S-almost
round million which the railway posta
clerks have handled for the benefit o
stricken brothers and their families.
There has OF late years been much agta
ton for steel mall cars TO take the plac
OF the finder boxes In common use. Grad
ualy the steel car is coming on some o
the Omaha roads steel has largely take
the place OF wood already In mail car con
struction yet 1t will probably be severa
years before the old wooden car is en-
tirely eliminated. The benefit of the stee
car is obvious. Suppose there is a col
lsion-the steel car will stand the cras
much better than the wooden car. Anotne
argument in favor OF steel is that the IN
creased durability In part at least com
pensates for the additional cost.
AT the last session of congress provisit,
was made in the general deficiency bill 10
an appropriation out OF which to pay
salary OF 1850 annually to a masseui
whose duty 1t shall hereafter be TO "ru
down" United States senators. but in dea
ing with railway postal clerks, Uncle SaI
is hardly so generous. II the railway cler
takes a massage. he pays for IL out OF HI
salary. which ranges all the way from 81
10 81 600 per year. owing to the length
time he has been In the service The ave.