Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-15
ORIGIN OF THE RAILWAY MAIL.
| System Was Devised in Missouri and
First Car Was Operated There.

railroad west "r the Mississippi River
| from Hannibal to St. Joseph, Mo. was
constructed, and il WAS on this road
| the railway mail G"rViC" OF the country
| had its origin ana inception. Then
oni. the mails for the whole Western
| country came in bulk on freight and
passenger trains. To be distributed in
ton lots and carried to many destina
! tions by courier, hy blackboard, horse :
| back and stage lines, the only methods
! in those days.
l. remained for William y. Davis,
| Postmaster ut 81. Joseph from 1865 to
| 1<Gl 20 haven't ana inaugurate the
| great syst, m now in vogue Before
| this time the mails all mixed and in
| bulk. We're carried to some central dis
| trihuting point. Independence, Mo,
was one of these and st. Joseph later
was another. When the railroad was
| built the task all came tn the st. JOS
! oph 0ilic" in distributing the cntira
/ overland mail.
| Thr iGr3, occurred to Mr.. Davis that
| these mails COULD be distributed while
| in transit. 1t seemed I" him in every
| way possible and desirable. So he
wrote to the people in Washington fol
| authority t" lit mp some ears ON tho
| Hannibal and St Joseph Railroad to
Try uut the experiment. The authority
ca.ne and Mr.. Davis went To the rail-
I w." headquarters AT Hannibal ard su-
| p'rint.nd"d tn" arrangement of sever
| n way cars with pigeon holes doors,
| windows and other CunVcnienceS. and
| IL" initial run with 4 carload of mail
| Was made from Hannibal to st. Joseph
| iii record time, IN" mails properly dis
| tritut"d and ready for the overland
| Staecs. cnuricrS Sc
1h" first trail was 50 satisfactory
| ti.at other ears Were brought into
| ro,usition, and soon Il most remark
| able change for the better WAS made
in the receipt ana distribution of mails.
| The great railway mail service had
hoep iuauguratrd, So many people
nowadays sec'n To think il was ii
Ways the same ds now.
,,.ails for the mountain districts were
| Frequently carried from st. Joseph by
express companies In Denver in 1869
the oXprcssag" on letters cost p cents
| each ON newspapers 10 cent each.
! Tie pr0nlem of forwarding overland
mails without delay was solved, and
| Mr. Davis WAS soon made special
| agent Of the department and given full
| charge OF The branch OF the service
| " hch he had originated. In his ef-
| Forts along these lines he was encour-
| i god and assisted by John l.. 3ittinger,
| WHO WAS appointed To succeed him as
| Postmaster in 1851.
Thc Work of distributing mails on the
| cars has proven Il benefit tn the whole
| people.
George r. Armstrong. Assistant
| Postmaster ut Chicago. some time af
| tor the inauguration of Mr.. DaViS'S
| system of distribution on the ears
| wrote a number OF letters to the Post
master at st. Joseph. inquiring about
| the success of the scheme inaugurated
| by Mr.. Davis. Being assured that it
| WAS in successful operation, by au
thOritN he inaugurated similar service
ON a railroad between Chicago and
Clinton. Iowa. His cars. perhaps lit
| Tie more elaborate, Were arranged eX-
acuy as those designed by Mr.. Davis.
He had all the mail distributed in
transit. While Mr.. Davis distributed
only the overland mails. While Mr.
Davis was the inventor of the idea
anu Ilui IL lli(b dNtudl ltiiltN anu
practice. Mr.. Armstrong later, with
better facilities. improved and devel-
opeu the system. He never claimed
more but injudiCious friends have at
tempted to give him the whole credit.
William a. Davis. inventor of the
railway mail service was born in Bar
ren County, kentucky. in September.
1904. III carly youth hr went To Nir-
GINA where he entered the postal ser
vice 1T Richmond and other places,
| AMI with his career in st. Joseph he
| ha;i been in the postal service about
| 70 Years
Mir, W. II. Gordon, law of the
late Mr.. Davis when he found the
great service of the inventor of the
| mail serNir, had been unrewarded. and
| anolhor WAS about To get the credit.
went t" work with the authorities at
Washington, who, after full inVestiGa
ton awarded all hOnnrS la Mr.. Davis.
Tho Pennsylvania railroad and IT,"
NtW York Central were the first two
rod:lS 90 uSo thcS.. cars. after expert
mcnts on the odd Tiannihpl and st.
Joseph Railroad ana by Mr.. Arm
strong. MANY letters from railway Of
| hors. whn knew personally OF Mr.. Dav-
is and his great achievement. now one
| of the greatest necessities. arc of rec
mI.
''hc first car for the distribution of
| the mails was an old time way" car.
| fitted up With pigeon holes. Extra
| windows We're arranged and the dis
| trioutoIs' used candles to assist in
| Lighting the cars. Mr.. Davis made a
| trip IN the first car as lar as Palmyra,
| No. ana then left the work with an
assistant while he returned to Hanni-
| bad for the second car. There are
many old railroadcrs yet alive who re-
member tie first mail cars.--Kansas
| CitA Star.
OUT OF THE POORHOUSE.
a Pathetic Incident of | ife In an 3 M.