The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-04-03
Has Given the Best Service
Possible During the
Past Week
SITUATION HAS
BEEN VERY TRYING
Mails Have Been Worked Quickly, En-
ployes Discarding Pouches
Despatched and Received by Various
Means

With the near prospect of a resump-
tiOn of something like regular train ser
vice the postoffice force is looking for
ward to the time when matters of a
postal nature viii resemble order and
regularity again. For a week the clerks
have put in their own time in trying to
handle promptly what mail arrived, re-
gardless of the time of day or night that
il came.
The local office has succeeded IN get
ting, by roundabout methods, mail from
all quarters. delayed, of course, by the
necessity of transferring it many times,
/ but the mail has been gotten to town
and then distributed at the earliest pos
sible minute notwithstanding criticisms
to the contrary.
When Postmaster Kittredge Haskins
J learned that trains into and out of Brat
I tleboro were annulled and that mail had
accumulated at Vernon he consulted
with Division Superintendent John Ne
/ Craw of the Central Vermont, who was
/ in town, and that official said the road
would pay the expense of an automobile
/ to get the mails through. Robert Man
lev left here at 4.30 clock that after
noon in an automobile with what mail
was made up, but had to 90 around
through Bernardston to get to Vernon
and it was II o clock at night when he
returned with the mail, after one of the
hardest trips he ever made.
That Is but a sample of the expert
ences of the local force in giving post
Office patrons anything ike service. The
Newfane and Williamsville postmasters
drove to Brattleboro Friday and Satur-
day with Brattleboro mail and took mail
back for their postoffices. Dummerston
and Putney mails also went by team and
the East Putney mail after the wreck
was taken up on gravel trains and thus
reached its destination.
Last Saturday a very heavy mail was
brought in at p. m. from the south, in
Guiding sacks that had been detoured
| from the north. -Four clerks worked on
the sorting of that consignment until
1O.45 clock that night and on Sunday
some of them worked all the morning
sorting - sacks of paper mail.
! Meanwhile mails outgoing were being
sent out TO the south for all points and
TO indicate that the postoffiee was keep
. ing in touch with the situation several
: special trains were made up and sent
! south and on every one of them some
mail was carried. Whenever il was
found that a train was to be made VI
to 90 out, pouch of what mail there
. was In the Office was hurriedly made VI
). and sent with it.
. The real handicap on the service ha'
4 been In serving points between here and
Bellows Falls, and some of these point!
it has been absolutely impossible {,
reach by any means.
The postal clerk on the West Rive
line worked all day Sunday in the post
Office sorting the mail for his run tha
4 had accumulated, so that when th,
train was sent out Monday morning 70
the first time in days he was able {,
= give the best service to the places alonl
the line.
In order to make certain that tn
business section of the town was cover
ed as soon as there was mail TO be de
st livered the auxiliary carrier. who is no
al confined TO the time limit of eight hour
al in 10 has been held in the Office an
n sent outthrOugh the business sectio
Is with late mails and others that reache
re here at irregular intervals. With th
Of clerks working on their own time an
tn the auxiliary carrier working at a
e. hours, when necessary, a service as sa
C isfactorv as possible has been given Ii
as town.