Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-04-13
RETIRES FROM SERVICE
e. L. johnson, for Nearly a Half
Century Railway Mail Clerk,
the Oldest in New England,
RetireS.

The following account of the long, act
i've service as railway mail clerk of E. F.
johnson, one of the leading business men
of Island Pond, is taken from the Port
land Express:
After service that has been almost
continuous from April 8, 1868, as railway
mail clerk on the Grand Trunk on what
is technically known as the Portland and
Island Pond railway post Office, Elhanan
Johnson of Island Pond, the oldest railway
mail clerk in New England, retired from
active duty March 10, Of this year. His
commission which is dated as above stat
ed April 8, 1868, is signed by John B. S.
Skinner, first assistant post master gener-
al, and is formidable looking document,
! containing several chapters of the postal
regulations in fine type attached as a sort
of working guide to the new appointee.
Mr.. johnson, who was born in Burke, VT,
April l3, 1914, lived on a farm in his boy
hood and attended the town schools when
opportunity offered. He then took up
teaching and was engaged in that occupa-
ton up to 1862 when in his 18th year he
enlisted in the Union army in the fall and
,, served to the end of the war, being mus
tered out in 1865. He went to Island
Pond in June of that year and was for a
time clerk in the hotel there until his ap-
pointment to the position then known as
route agent from Portland to Island Pond.
The railway mail service was a pretty
crude affair at that time, having been in
real existence only short time and hav-
ing only 600 men in all of its ramifcations.
There were only 10 on the lines east and
north of Portland. OF these there were
three on the Portland and Kennebec line,
three on the Maine Central and one on
the Pennington line, while the business
of the Grand Trunk was handled by
three men. The railway post Office car of
the present day was unknown in those
days, the mails being worked in what
would now be considered a very crude
manner. Letter mail was mostly done
up in packages covered with wrappers ad-
dressed to the Portland office or if going
farther, to the Boston office. There were
no letter cases furnished for the cars and
all mail, both letters and papers were
thrown loose into the pouches. The local
offices along the line were supplied from
the cars as the offices and stations were
reached by the trains. All other mails
were pouched to the post offices where the
mails were to be worked" that is sorted
and further distributed, Beginning in
1869, however, things began to improve
and the first genuine railway post office
was established between Boston and Port
land and then they were gradually ex-
tended all over this part of the country
until when Mr.. Johnson left the service
the Grand Trunk had one of of the most
complete systems of any in the country
with cars that we're strictly up to date in
every particular and furnished with all OF
the necessary conveniences.
Mr.. johnson has served continuously
since he was first appointed and always
on the same run. He had one brief period
of rest when near the close of the first
Cleveland administration he was dischar-
ged, the service not then being under civi
service as it is now and clerks were sub
iect to political changes. Within 81,
months, however, Mr. Johnson was rein
stated and has continued until his recen
retirement which was wholly voluntar,
on his part, he feeling that he had don