South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-26
POST OFFICE GOES
THROUGH HOLIDAY
RUSH WITH RECORD
Local Office Handles 1000
Sacks of Mail and Had
Everything Out of the Way
on Christmas Eve.

Nearly 1000 sacks OF mail have been
handled through the South Bend post
office during the first four days of the
week including Christmas, according
70 igurees compiled by Supterintend-
ent of Mails Schuyler c. Upton Fri
day.
The postoffice is still crammed with
thousands Of packages. practically all
OF which came to the office on Christ
mas day Considering all circum-
stances Postmaster Crabill believes the
office is in excellent condition with re-
spect TO the holiday rush.
Excellent service was maintained
during the days preceding Christmas
had not the avalanche OF pack
ages continued to come in on Christ
mas day the office would probably
have been well cleared up Friday. A
significant fact Friday was that all Of
the holiday postcards, which must
give way TO the first class letter matter
in order of service, had been distrib-
uted and few Of these cards remained
in the carriers cases.
The exact number of mail pouches
worked in the local office this week
up until Christmas night was 1885.
OF these 95S were outgoing, 926 in
coming and 101 were made up sacks
which have TO be re-wOrked in the
office On Christmas day 1872 sacks
of incoming mail were received. The
largest number received was on Tues
way, when 292 sacks came into the
office.
on Monday SO6 pouches were dis
patched, 316 on Tuesday. $50 on
Wednesday and &c on Thursday.
Few Were Damaged.
All Of the large parcel post pack
ages now in the office were expected
10 be delivered before night. A fea-
ture Of the Christmas service this year
was the remarkably small number of
packages received in damaged condi-
ton. Scarcely more than a half
dozen packages, none of them appar-
emily damaged further than to have
their wrappers crushed or torn, were
found among the tens Of thousands or
packages handled. Many parcels re-
ceived from as far as California, ar
rived in perfect condition. The failure
to properly wrap a bottle of wood
stain resulted in several packages get
ting a color bath, however. when the
bottle broke. There was no report Of
any extensive damage.
Postmaster Crabill gives great credit
to the spirit of the postal employees
for the manner in which the extra
ordinarily large volume of mail was
handled in the local Office.
"All Of the men worked with an ad-
mirable spirit and evident desire TO
give the pest service pOSSlDle, SdlU the
postmaster. They worked overtime
willingly and as a result of this spirit
our office is in much better condition
than was 10 be expected this year"
WORKED XMAS DAY.
While most everybody else in South
Bend enjoyed the Christmas with
merrymaking in their homes a small
band Of men toiled nightly Thurs
day at the local postoffice. How many
thousands of letters, postcards and
packages passed through the mails
Thursday could not be estimated, but
an idea may be CLEANED when Ii is
stated that when a News-Times re-
porter attempted TO investigate he
was stopped by an avalanche of mail.
The entire floor Of the postoffice
was covered with mail seemingly a
foot deep. Like galley slaves dis
tributng clerks pushed, flOundered and
sloughed through this pack and by
night made an impression.
Most of the late mail was bulky ma
terial coming via parcel post, the new
United States medium. That thousands
of pounds of parcel post passed
through the office Thursday was the
statement made. The regular night
and day shifts were kept going full
tilt all the day and night.
Much of the bulky matter seemed
consigned for the rural districts and
the rural route men were forced to
make trips during the day.