University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1913-03-18

der where in the world he can be
and pretty girls run to meet hin
when he is more than a block away
He is truly the most popular man ir
town, for 10000 CoIumbians welcome
his coming, though no one cares wheI
he leaves.
To you he is just the postman. II
you think of him at all, it is as 9
part of the great system that carrie:
parcels and letters. He brought your
mail twice today, he brought it yes
terday, and he will bring it again to.
morrow, unless, of course, 1t is Sunday
His fingers get cold sometimes and his
his feet are often wet, but he goes OH
Juggling that big leather pouch to
your house and to that OF your neigh
Dor.
There was a time, nearly thirteen
years ago, when there were no let
ter carriers i'm Columbia. The first
service was established July 1, 1900.
According to f. A. Remley, postmas-
ter, the town had been entitled to car
rier service twenty years. But Co
lumbia was not large then and no
body objected to going downtown for
his mail. Columbia grew, merchants
became too busy to call for their mail,
and people in the outskirts of town
found it inconvenient to go to the
Office every day.
A petition was circulated. Men
took the civil service examination,
and A. c. Brady, Earl Dunn and Lewis
Berkebile made the highest grades.
They, with ]. S. Longacre as substi-
tute, became the carriers. That was
in the days when s. II. Elkins was
postmaster.
Nine Regular Carriers.
New carriers have been added from
time to time, until now there are nine
regular men and two auxiliaries. The
carriers at this Office are numbered
according to length of service. A. c.
Brady, who is No. 1, has served since
free delivery was established. o. F.
McConathy is No. 2; James w. Welch,
No. 3; w. Z. Powell, No. 4; T. NJ.
Kitchens, No. 5; Noel E. Edwards, No.
6; n. A. Lindsay, No. Z; l. NJ. Barnes,
No. s; l.. T. Hagan, No. 3. S. ID. Haw-
kins and Wallace Whitaker are aux
iliaries. Hawkins also drives the par
Gel post wagon.
The town is divided among the car
riers as equally as possible with re-
gard to the distance Travelled and the
weight of the mail Four men, Brady.
McConathy, Edwards and Barnes,
have four trips through the business
section and two in the residence. The
two residence trips include two of
the business trips. The other men
have three trips day.
The districts south of Broadway,
which includes the University and the
rooming houses, receives the largest
part of the mail. McConathy, Powell
and Edwards work exclusively in this
district. Welch, Lindsey and Hagan
carry some mail north of Broadway,
but most of their territory is south.
Brady, Kitchens and Barnes work
north of Broadway. Welch, Kitchens
and Lindsey have wagons and deliver
mail in the outskirts of town, West
mount, Westwood, West Broadway,
Garth's Addition and the State Farm.
Powell, who carries the University
mail and that for a small district
south of Conley avenue, has the heav-
test route. According to Mr.. Remley,
he has left the Office with as high as
125 pounds of mail on one trip. His
heavy loads are due to the newspapers
that come to Switzler Hall and the
circulars, pamphlets and catalogues
that come to the other buildings.
The student mail slumps after June,
but forwarding the letters that come
is about as much work as carrying,
say the carriers.
Across Lots to Save Time.
There is nothing very exciting
about our work." said Mr.. Edwards.
Sometimes people do not like to have
us get on the grass. We always stay
of IL they object, but If they do not,
We always cut across because it saves
time II mail does not come on time,
the carrier is always blamed, of
course. Two other carriers and /
have instructions to carry only first
class mail Monday morning. News
papers and other mail are left for the
second trip. I am occasionally asked
about these papers, and some people
think it is my fault If they do not
come.
Sometimes there is a bad dog that
makes things interesting for while.
1 remember, the day when I first en-
tered the service, a bulldog got hold
of my trousers. But there was a