Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-20
Mail Swamps Offices

Washington city post Office by the Post
Office Department The great volume OF
war mail. and the tremendous growth Of
the parcel post, has literally swamped
more than one city post office in the
country.
The Washington city post Office is hit
worst of all, owing to the fact that this
city is the origin Of tons and tons Of
war literature issued by the government
The local post Office also, is Short
handed on account Of many men having
gone with the colors. For these reasons
Post Office Department officials believe
that the people of Washington should be
lenient over any delay that may arise,
transportation and delivery of letters
going to and fro between here and New
York
Three truck loads of Easter hats.
mailed from st. Louis firm to various
small towns in Virginia and Maryland,
are instanced by officials as a sample
of what the Washington city post office
the railway mail service and the entire
Post Office Department are up against
at this time.
Rail Clerks Increased.
The railway mail service. It was stated.
has increased the number of men who
work the Washington mail on the
trains from New York. No men have
been taken OF. it is asserted. The Balu-
more and Ohio railroad recently removed
a train which left here at 2:30 O'Clock
each morning. This added to the diff
culties confronting the service.
Another thing which is causing de-
lay of letters sent to New York is
the fact that local carriers, in collect
ing mail late at night, miss getting
letters on the Pennsylvania train
leaving Washington daily at 1910 am.
Letters that miss this train must wait
until 7:25 am.
New York is having her troubles with
the mails. too. Records of the railway
mail service will show that letters
have been sent from New York to
Washington on the Pennsylvania train
No. 100, leaving New York at am,
which were postmarked O'Clock, 6
o'clock and 8 o'clock pm. the even
ing before. This train is due to ar
rive in Washington at las o'clock
pm. If it arrives late there is lit
tie wonder that letters do not get de-
livered here the same day, it is de-
clared.
Wall Street Mail Suffers:
Many of the letters involved were
letters mailed from the Wall street dis
trict
Further. in the instance in question.
the train was late, and the letters could
not be delivered in Washington that
day, and the next day was Washing
y,
day before the letters were delivered
The use OF special delivery stamps can
in no way accelerate the transportation
of letters in so far as the railway mail
service is concerned, Mr.. Praeger point
ed out. Washington banks department
stores and other business establish
ments have recently resorted to the use
of the special delivery stamps to make
sure of immediate delivery in New York
of important letters.
81 Io1t 3D.
effect on the railway mail service" Mr.
Praeger said.
1.-THE only function and purpose of the
special delivery stamp is to expedite
the delivery of letter by the city post
office"
Test for Business Men.
Railway mail service officials sug-
gested that business men test the
truth of this statement by a novel test,
as follows:
Take the original letter and mail it
at the city post office.
Then take a carbon copy of the let
ter, carry it to the mail box on the
fence guarding the train gates and
drop the letter in that box
Collections are made from this box
up until ten or fifteen minutes before
the mail trains leave the station.
Officials expressed the hope. however.
that business men would not take to
mailing their New YORK letters by
means of the Union station letter box
on the fence, as this would practically
transfer the city post office to the con-
course of the Union station.
Trains containing railway post offices
leave Washington for New York as fol-
lows: 1910 am. 7:25 am, 9 am, IL
am, 3 pm, pm. and 10:40 pm.
In addition to these regular mail
trains there are express trains which
may be caught by the mails. If letter
to- n M fra
it may get to New York in surprisingly