The Republican., 1925-12-03
MAIL SHIP sails
IN ANY Weather
Valiant Deeds Performed
and Time Saved Han
ding Postal Cargoes.

the port of New York, blanketfnc the
skyscrapers. Not even the piles along
thS river front are distinguishable to
me craft that timldly hug the shore
Little that floats ventures forth on
sgch day. But at Pier 10, at the end
OF ThirtysecOnd street, a small white
steamer slips out into the North river
and turns toward the bay. A message
has come: ship due at Quarantine"
The United States mail ship President
never fails to respond
When the mail boat service was out
Of operation during and Immediately
after the war, more than q day was
commonly required to land the mails.
They came up the bay on ships, and
when passengers and baggage had
been landed and the cargo was broken
the crew set about to unload the mails.
The steamship companies engaged to
deliver the mails at the gen .ll post
office, but they took their own time
about 1t. Once, in 1920, when the
Mauretania brought S019 bags an un-
usually heavy load, 40 hours elapsed
between the time the ship arrived at
Quarantine and the time the mails
reached the general post office.
Such intervals are unknown in the
experience of the President. A lot of
1853 mail bags brought TO dock in
1920 by an ocean liner reached the
general post office almost "a hours
after the ship dropped anchor at Quar-
antine. The other day the same ship
came in with more than twice that
much mail. 1t was handed over to the
President and the last bag was in a
local post office station or on its way
out of New York by train within six
hours Of the time the liner reached
Quarantine.
Can Garry 1000 Bags.
The President is a capacious little
vessel of 167 feet length and 3S1k feet
beam, and all of its hold is reserved
for mail. 1t could carry 1000 bags
easily. But If an approaching liner re-
ports more than 1000 bags the Presi-
dent carries a helper along. The COM
pany that operates it contracts to pro-
vide as many lighters as may be nee
essary to assist in transporting the
mails, and one is deemed necessary
for every 1900 bags on account of the
pressure of time The liner must be
unlOaded on both sides at once if the
job is to be done by the time the
ship is through with the formalties of
Quarantine. 1t sometimes takes as
many as three lighters, in addition to
the President, to unload a ships mail,
as when the Olympic came in last
Christmas Eve, breaking all records
with 1900 bags.
AS the President floats at her moor
ings, her radio is in constant COM
munication with ships at sea. The
George Washington, with 1000 bags of
mail, and the Berengaria, with G000,
are expected within three-quarters of
an hour of each other. The President
orders four lighters, two to attend
to the George Washington and two to
assist her at the Berengaria. The
Berengaria is reported off Fire Island.
The President makes ready to so. AL
ready two lighters have set out to
meet the George Washington. Then
comes another message. All the George
Washingtons mail is stacked on one
side Only one boat can do the I'M
loading. The President lets one of her
lighters go, planning to use instead
the extra one already at Quarantine.
"Suong nor-easter on the coast to-
day." Captain Hilary comments, on
the way down the bay, "the barges
won't 20 out. They have it bad enough
even in the best of weather"
Unloading From Liners.
Soon Quarantine is sighted and the
George Washington, with the mail
lighter huddled at her side. The Be-
rengaria is seen approaching. The
President circles around and edges up
to one side of the huge craft, the two
lighters on the other side. AS the liner
lets her anchor fall ropes are thrown,
men leap into an opening in the high
steel side and make fast their little
craft They spread the safety net and
adjust the gangplank to serve as a
chute from the Berengaria's side into
the Presidents hold. High over the
top of the mail steamers stack pas
sengers look down on the operation.
Tie Presidents men grow restless
They must wait until the Quarantine
officials are through with the liners
crew. Finally a great leather-bound
bag bumps down the chute. The air
MALL The diplomatic mail follows,
then an assortment of bags of all sizes
and shapes, some limp and some full.
In the hold Of the President the
bags flop. Dust flies as men rush
about stacking them here and there,
sorting as they load. Above the swish
ing sound from the chute ring strange
sounding names. The origin and dcs-
tination of every bag must be called
out and recorded. Here are bags of
mail from all parts Of the world bound
for many points on the globe, New
York City, California, South America
and the Far East. Not uncommOnly
there is a wagonload for New Zealand
alone.
Suddenly the stream of bags ceases