The Mail Train

A Mail Train
UNCLE SAM'S GIGANTIC RAILWAY MAIL SYSTEM
A trip on the Heaviest Mail Train in the World Distributing Letters and Papers on the Car.

Train No. 11 of the New York and Chicago Railway Post Office is considered the heaviest mail train in the world. The line is divided into three divisions, viz: The eastern division, from New York to Syracuse; the middle division, from Syracuse to Cleveland, and the western division, from Cleveland to Chicago. A representative of the New York Press recently made a trip over the eastern division of the train named with the clerk in charge, H. LeF. Brown, and his crew. The mail began to arrive at the Grand Central Depot at 2:30 P. M. , and from that hour until 9:00 P. M. there was almost a constant line of heavily-laden mail wagons waiting to unload. Each pouch and sack was labeled, stating its contents and destination, and many were so heavy that it required two strong men to handle them; none were feather weights, yet the postal clerks labored vigorously with them, and knew intuitively in which particular car and compartment each of the many hundreds of sacks and pouches belonged. There was not an idle moment even during the process of making up the train. Promptly at 9 o'clock the doors were closed, the wheels set in motion, and immediately "the fast mail" was speeding on its way with every one at his post of duty, letters and papers flying in every direction as if by magic.

The train consisted of seven cars in all. First there was an express car, next the letter car, then followed the storage and two paper cars, an extra storage car and a Cleveland sleeper.

The letter car is fifty feet in length, and with the exception of a small storage compartment at one end, every inch of space on either side and at the opposite end is utilized; even the center of the car, which was designed for standing room, has been brought under contribution, so pressing is the demand for more space, as a consequence of the increase in the amount of matter to be handled. Overhead and dangling in the air was stretched and suspended a considerable amount of twine which resembled a string puzzle, but the arrangement had been devised by some ingenious clerk to hang letter pouches on.

The letter cases are arranged with reversible labels that they may be used for four separate States at different times.

The greater part of the letters when received at the railway postal office are bunched and pouched according to States, then they are distributed and bunched according to routes by the postal clerks, and each clerk works a certain State or States; it is their duty to know every post office in the territory assigned to them, as also by what route any given point may be soonest reached, watch for changes of time in the run of the trains, the discontinuance of old post offices and the appointment of new ones; in brief, they must be a walking geography, up to the times and a little beyond.

It was past midnight when the train pulled out of Albany. "How many tons of mail do you estimate are on board?" was asked of Mr. Brown. "At least thirty-five tons," he replied, "And this is a light night, too," he added. "Wednesday night is our heavy paper night. Sometimes the storage car is pilled full from floor to ceiling and the aisle is filled also. Now you see the stalls are only a little more than half full. Sometimes we have more than we can carry: the surplus is left at Albany."

A short stop was made at Palatine Bridge, another at Utica and again at Rome. Syracuse was reached just as the gray dawn was breaking. One hundred and thirty-seven thousand one hundred and forty pieces of mail had been distributed. Here the crew for the middle division took charge of the train and in a short space of time the many volume of written thoughts were hastening on to their destination. The other crew, all tired out and sleepy, disbanded after signing their name in a book provided for that purpose. They had worked for thirty-six hours with the exception of a little rest received in New York. This crew makes three consecutive trips from Syracuse to New York, which covers a period of six days. Then they "lie off" and rest for the same length of time. It is beyond the power of human endurance to work and greater length of time in the railway mail service.

Chief Clerk W. W. Canfield and Assistant Clerk W. J. Guernsey at Syracuse were interviewed in regard to the railway service. Mr. Canfield stated that an examination of all clerks in the service occurs annually. There are 109 clerks in the New York and Syracuse division and their average is 93 percent: the increase in mail matter has been 47 percent and the increase in men but 3 percent in the past five years. New men are being educated in the business and the force will be increased. A new line of cars is also building which will contain new improvements. Five of these cars will be run on train No. 11. They will be sixty feet in length, yet with the additional force and equipments proposed the facilities will still be inadequate, so rapidly is the mail matter in the division increasing. Applications for a position in the railway mail service are made to the General Superintendent at Washington, and when accepted a probationary appointment is given for six months, and examinations are made every thirty days, and if at the end of the time stated a satisfactory examination is passed a permanent appointment is given.

A miniature case is used for examination and cards on which are written the names of all post offices in any given state in lieu of letters. These are to be distributed in their proper places and percentage made is governed by the errors that occur. The best record of examinations was made by H. LeF. Brown on New York State which contains 3273 offices. Time, one hour and twenty four minutes; percentage, 99.49; and for 8201 offices in four hours and thirty-seven minutes; average per cent., 99.21.

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Note: This article appears to have been reprinted from another paper, but no reference was given.