RE FA E P C . Among the varied and complex activities of our busy life , there is doubtless no other work or occupation about which the n e n o average person has so little i formation , and p rhaps oth er s ervic e so vital to social and business interests as the R S r o f the P O f D ailway Mail e vice , a division ost fice epart The ment . twenty thousand railway postal clerks engaged in this s ervic e are variously misplaced in the m inds of most peo e o r f ple as railroad mployees , as post o fice clerks detailed to e n o t this servic , and are known in their real capacity , that of - o - v semi pr fessional , semi technical public ser itors in the clas ified e s . civil servic of the government . o e t o e e Any ne can und rstand , some xt nt at least , the work the of professional man , such as the lawyer or doctor, and can o f neces partly appreciate the skill his calling, which , while sitatin g more initial study , requires less constant study and application than that o f railway postal clerks . The latt er use e o f the mat rials for study that are no value to anyone else , as e o f the who read r will observe when reading the account thief, ’ e the o f thr w away contents a postal clerk s traveling bag, he f W . which un ortunately stole hile robbing a house ‘ The Railway Mail Service was founded within the memory the of oldest clerks now in that service , and its origin , instant growth , and later development , together with many interest in the g incidents of the work , form an unwritten history in no minds of th ese men . Many interesting incidents will t be e e r lat d in this volume , because of the reluctance of these vet THE TRA VEL I N G PO S T O FFI CE I erans to relate their experiences . have used only the most o w n s e representative yarns , and have employed my di cr tion as to retelling or inserting verbatim the material coll ected . This volume is not intended for a complete and technical bu t t o treatise on the railway mail service , it aims right in the minds o f its readers the nature of the servic e p erformed in ’ S i P O f i ro fes Uncle am s Travel ng ost fice , to establ sh the p sio nal m the autono y of its clerks , and to preserve some of early r t o histo y of the rise of a peculiar service , and , if possible , depict an unwritten phase of American life . e To those clerks , who have furnished me accounts of th ir I t o w ho e experiences , am much indebted , and all hav aided I me in other ways , am very grateful . L L DE N N S . WI IAM J . I Des Moines , Iowa , 5 1 91 6. April , C O N T E N T S Part I — Hist o ry o f t he R ailw ay Mail S erv ice Pages Introd uction 5-6 P CHA TER I . m i P A er can osts. The n ew Rep ublic Post co aches The advent of steam Pony exp ress CHAPTER II . M i Dis i i Early a l tr but on . Distributing p ost offices R ou te agents Distributing post offices unsatis factory P CHA TER III . Th e i s i w P os ffic s F r t Ra l ay t O e . Distribution on wheels ad vocated h os h im T e Hannibal S t . J ep exp er ent o B ms o . Ge rge . Ar tr ng i m i fii h s w os o ce c o to i o . F r t p er anent ra l ay p t , C i ag Cl nt n Organization Special training f or m ail clerks HA C PTER IV . i Rapid Development o f Railway Ma l S erv ice. h fi s M i T e r t Fast a l . Trunk lines become arteries of mai l Civi l S ervi ce Congr essi onal recognition Politics and civi l service CHA PTER V . The Work of a Rai lway P os tal Clerk . H ow app ointments are mad e Learning to be a mai l clerk 34-35 The scheme book Substitu te clerks Stu dy an d clerical work d uring week-off Examinations Desirabi lity of runs H C APTER VI . Sp ecial Work . Special ability The Go ld Train The mail fo llows the fl ag C uba and the Phi lip pines Medals f or best examinati on record s . CH A PT ER VII . o ki W r ng Cond itions . Early p ostal cars Mod ern cars Danger from wrecks . Mail cars were weaker than other cars S ociology Associations HA P C TER VIII . Readj ustm ent . “ ” The gag order U n satisfactory working cond itions Maladmin i strati on The Harp oon Imp airing the service ’ Op p os ition to Hitchcock s p o licies Th e Tracy Pierre i ncid ent Congressi onal acti on CHA PTER I ! . Conclusion o f Part One . Ex tent of Railway Mail S ervi ce Ref orm measu res suggested Favored government service Part I I — I n cide n t s o f t he R ailw ay Mail S erv ice M i d M i s R n M. y F r t u (E . art n ale) m h h To t e S ub . ob P , (R ert rat er) ’ Turner s Yarns (J ohn Turner) Another First Trip (Ru ssell Danneil ) S he (E x ) W u i s 91 A ager (V . C rt ) o B M i 91 -94 A H ld U p (A . erv lle ) h 4- A Ri d e for N ot ing (Anon . ) 9 97 mi h A N ear Wreck (Alp ha E . S t ) 97 h w dd c . S 98 An O Cat (H . C te art ) - D . B . A Catching Problem (A . ) 98 1 00 h ms - The Warblers (C as . H . O l ted ) 1 001 01 - n f i w Pos ks W D . D o a . 1 02 1 05 ea R l ay tal Cler ( . J ) h o - A Good Catc (An n . II . ) 1 05 1 06 h i n - Parap ernal a (A on . ) 1 07 1 09 h M A Yarn (T eo . H . eyer ) 1 09 h P - Lu nching on t e S an ta Fe (Frank E . age) 1 1 01 1 1 h mb i - A Train Robbery (S . C a erla n ) 1 1 1 1 1 7 ’ ks D D - o W . Ow The P s o . 1 1 8 1 20 ney, tal Cler g ( J ) d o f th e o wn ck in The S u v i 3 1 1 2 B 9 5 . 1 1 A alla T (Henry A ley, r ey, Ap r l , ) - E M. M A Remarkable Wreck ( . ) 1 22 1 23 h h D - The Little Village C urc (W . ) 1 24 1 25 I llu st r at io n s Railway Postal Car at Panama Exp osition Facing Preface s M i i 1 1 P ns v i i s cin P 1 1 Fa t a l Tra n , en yl an a L ne Fa g age B ms o ound and i s G o . G S u e rge Ar tr ng, F er F r t eneral per inten d ent Rai lway Mai l S ervice ms o S ch oo hic o G o B . e rge Ar tr ng l , C ag N ew York and Chicago Railway Post Office S cim P N o h D ko S ch m e B o ok p e en age, rt a ta e Getting Read y f or a Case Ex amin ati on dv c d Dis ibu io in i o d d s i 3 M. A an e tr t n Ra lr a Yar , Tra n , h i i I nteri o r Arrangement of One of t e F rst Ma l Cars . Albuq u erq ue L os Angeles Railway Post Office N o h i imi d ossi ch B id Great rt ern Or ental L te Cr ng Ar r ge, P u S t . a l L os Angeles S an B ernard ino Kite Railway Post Office P D of P os ks Pi . C . ohn . J H tney, R , ean tal Cler Owney Omaha Ogd en Rai lway P ost Office Going Throu gh o U h cing P g Weber Cany n, ta Fa a e M m i hu ch a B id N . Y . c d by A e or al C r , E gle r ge, , Ere te Postal Clerks an d Railroad Men THE TRA V EL I N G PO ST O FFI C E PA RT I . H I STO RY O F TH E RA IL WAY MAIL SE RVI CE . n o I troducti n .