The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-03-29
THE POSTOFFICE.


to tell our readers something OF the
Denison postoftice, the work it does
the routine of the office and what it
has for it's daily task.
Denison is a second-class postomce
Its receipts this year will run some
thing over $4,000, or an average OF
$1,000 per month. These receipts IN
elude postage sold, postage on news
papers and box rents. No money or
der fees are included and the office is
given no credit in it's rating, and re-
ceives no additional compensation tor
money orders sold or paid.
The force consists Of postmaster
assistant, two clerks, three city car
riers, seven rural carriers, messenger
and janitor With these may be also
counted the substitute carriers who
are employed only in case OF emer
gency or during vacation periods. The
office handles the mail for about 5000
people; $500 in Denison, $500 in the
country anu NV ASoo eAAs~Ai
1000 transients during year. Mail
from ten trains is received during the
course of each day and dispatched to
the same number The heaviest mail
is received in the morning, This mail
is lightest on Monday, increases daily
until Friday, when the largest mail is
received, the Saturday and Sunday
mails being slightly less. Tuesday
morning shows the heaviest letter
mail, but Thursday, Friday and Sat
urday and Sunday are heavy days for
newspapers and periodicals.
When the morning mail arrives
there are fourteen men back OF the
screen waiting to receive it. This mail
was formerly received from the fast
mail at seven o'clock, but it now comes
on local and is not received until
about eight o'clock. All the carriers,
ten in number, are eager to begin their
days work, there is crowd in the
lobby waiting the mail and discussing
the news of the day before. Back of
the screen there is every eagerness to
get the mail out just as quickly as it
can be done.
Two men dump and sort the second
class mail, consisting of newspapers,
packages, advertising matter, etc. The
clerk stands before case with large
pigeon holes and divides the mail as
follows: For the seven rural carriers,
the three city carriers, two sections
of lock boxes, the general delivery and
for misdirected or missent mail. The
carriers can get their mail from the
rear of this case and as soon as the
sorting process is under way they
start making up the mail for their
individual routes.
The first-class or letter mail, which
contains an average of 5000 pieces
each morning, must go through diff
ferent process. All letters must be
"back stamped" 1t takes the time of
one man from thirty to forty minutes
to do this. One great cause of delay
is that post cards and postals are
placed indiscriminately through the
letter packages. These cards must
not be back stamped as it would spoil
the reading or the pictures. The first
class mail must therefore be sorted
and all cards taken out before the
letters are put through the cancelling
machine; an ingenious device which
prints the dat of receipt upon the
Especial delivery" letters, the latter
back of each letter. There is also
hunt for registered pieces and
being Immediately delivered by the
messenger.
Inasmuch as we can recall but one
instance where the back stamp on
a letter has played any part in trac-
ing a delay in transmission at this
office, we are inclined, to the belief
that it is too expensive precaution
as the mails could be distributed from
ten 10 fifteen minutes 6dIlJcl cdCL
morning If it was not required. 1t is
omitted during the holiday season
without any complaint from patrons
and we understand that it has been
omitted, eXperimentally, in other of
fees without bad results. We are hop
ing for it's discontinuance or at least
for an order that all postcards, etc.
shall be packaged separately. The
Denison office now makes up all out
going mails with the postcards at the
bottom of the package.
While the back Stamping process
is going on fourth man is busy sort
ing the first class mail as fast as il
comes from the cancelling machine
He throws the mail into case similar
TO that used for second class and other
matter The carriers are now busy
distributing their own mail and after
wards arranging it so that it can be
delivered speedily and with accuracy