The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, July 28, 1939, Page PAGE THREE, Image 3
pEVELOPMENT OF THE P08TAL
SERVICE IN UNITED 8TATE8
/jiy Arthur Cornwall In Cheater Nuwa)
The carrying of messages Is as old
tiltnosi as the history of civilisation.
Every civilization of which there la
any record haw ha<l u poat office system
of some kind, or at least the
brinficrs of news from distant places,
jt occurred to Ine that It would he
Interesting to look Into the record of
the origin and growth of the modern
irt>.s(<il syetero.
The primitive carriers wore either
fast runners or rtdera. The riders
rt)(je horses, mules, camels or young
dromedaries, but always In the old
days 'he fleet of foot who carried the
news of victory or defeat, were honored
as heroes. The world today has
not forgotten Phe'd'ppldee. the man
who brought thv news of the great
battle of Marathon.
The name "poatoffice" originated
with ihe Romans, who used posts
along the side of the road to mark
t|j,. convergence of post roads. These
posts were called "post offices" and
the highways along which the courier
ran became known as "poat roads."
1 timl in tills statistical record that
there was a postal system In Persia
> (now Iran) under Cyrus the Great as
early as the sixth century before
Christ. The Imperial government appointed
the postmaster general, who
supervised the runs of tho couriers
and appointed their packages of lettors
to his central post, which were
forwarded by fresh carriers and fresh
horses to the next post toward their
destination. This was the pony express
of tho ancients. So you see that
there really is nothing new under the
sun, not even our own pony express.
When the colonists came to America
there appeared to be no great desire
at first for communication among
themselves, but many of them did
wish to keep In touch with the motherland.
This brought about the penny
post, letters were brought from
England to America for one penny
?>ach. Hags to receive the mall were
placed In tho coffee houses in London,
from which sources they were collooted
before sailing. 1 find a curious
entry in the records of the General
Court of Massachusetts as early as
1 with reference to these ship letters.
I am sure one would enjoy Its
quuintuess and every human flavor.
It read:
"Richard Fairbanks, his house in
Boston, is the place appointed for all
letters which are brought from beyond
the seas or are to be sent thither;
they are to be brought unto-hhnand
he is to take care that they be
delivered or sent according to their
directions and lie is allowed for every
such letter one penny and must
answer all miscarriages through liiS|
own neglect in this kind; provided j
that no man shall be compelled to |
bring liis letters thither except he
please."
The first post route officially establish*^
in America was in 1672,
when Governor Lovelace, of New
York, decreed that there should be
a monthly post between New Y'ork
and Boston. This route, however, was
not very successful and was soon
abandoned.
Many other post routes were established
from time to time, some of
which were failures from the very
start and others surviving for short
periods.
On February 17, 1691, William and
Mary granted to Thomas Neale, by
Inter, patent, power and authority to
establish a postal System for the
American Colonies. Neale's term was
fixed at twenty-one years. He remained
in England, but nominated
Andrew Hamilton as Postmaster General
for America. Thus Mr. Hamlb
;.,n. who served April 4, 1691, until
his death in 1703, was the first Colonial
Postmaster General. He was sue<
-eded by his son, John Hamilton,
who served from 1703 until 1721. Both?
Andrew Hamilton and his son are
i (-cognized as having operated the
postal system for the convenience of
the public, and their services were
tfiven a high place In the estimation
of the colonies.
.Some of the other early Postmaster
Generals in this country were.
John Lloyd, who served from 1721
to 1730.
Alexander Spotswood, from 1730 to
1739.
Head Lynch, from 1739 to 1743.
Elliott Benger, from 1743 to 1753.
Now, when we go delving Into history
we are always likely to run
across something either that we never
knew or that we have long ago forgotten.
It was news to me that practically
the first division between the
North and the South In this country
was exemplified in the Post Service
) rng before the Mason and Dixon line
became a division line between the
dave states and the free states. As
a matter of fact, that Mason and Dixon
line began as far back as 1753 and
the flret line merefly marked the division
between Pennsylvania and
Maryland; and here Is a strange fact
found irfVTeaearches, which will perhaps
be news to moet of us. There
was a time when there were two Postmaster
Generals for this country, one
for the North and one for the South,
I away back in colonial days. About the
yeai 1753, the British possessions iu
j America were divided into northern
j and Hon thorn postal districts, and
1 oat master Generals were appointed
for each district. Perhaps here was
j whore all the subsequent trouble bej
gnu that ended in President Lincoln's
j da>. It was a detinite recognition of
|U nation divided in interests.
I ho lirst postmaster general for the
I southern district was Benjamin Bar*
j ons, who served from 1765 until 1706.
| Hh vsas succeeded by Peter doLacy,
j who served from 1766 until 1771; then
George Koupell served from 1771 until
after the Revolution.
1 he northern district, established
lu 1753, hud two postmaster generals
William Hunter and Beujainlu
Franklin?who served Jointly from
1753 to 1761. Hunter wus then succeeded
by John Foxcrofi, who served
with Franklin until the la tier's retnoval
by the British government in
1774.
But let . us come to our ow n United
States that found birth with our
Declaration of Independence and our
severance forever from the tyranny of
England. We were no sooner organized
us a nation than we began to establish
our postoffices and postal system.
In July, 1775, a United States
Post Office department was established
by the Congress and our "first Postmaster
General was none other than
Benjamin Franklin. The British postal
system in Amorica was officially
discontinued In the following December,
but, of course, during' the period
| of the Revolution the mail service was
necessarily limited and the transmission
of letters infrequent and unsatisfactory.
When the Constitution was adopted
in 1789, President George Washington
appointed Samuel Osgood, of Massachusetts,
as the first constitutional
Postmaster General. He was not. however.
made a member of the Cabinet.
His office was subsidiary to that of
Alexander Hamilton, the then Secretary
of the Treasury. The establish-1
J meat of a general postofflce system
throughout the country was authorized
by the Congress in 1792, and from
that time on the service steadily improved.
And here let me refer to a man
who stands out head and shoulders
ubove all of the men of his period in
broad vision, in the extension of the
influence of the United States, in the
westward expansion of the country, as
he did in inculcating the basic principles
of human rights and the lil>er-ties
of the people. 1 refer to Thomas
Jefferson. As ho did iu everything
else that he undertook, he foresaw
that the Postal System was to become
the great arterial system of communication
between the States of the
Union. He was the first who saw that
speed was the essence of the system.
He found fault with the service of
his day principally on two grounds.
First, that it was not fast enough;
and, secondly, that It was not always
dependable.
In 1792, he wrote to T. M. Randolph:
"I am now on a plan with the Postmaster
General to make the post go
from Philadelphia to Richmond in
two and a half days Instead of six,
which I hope to persuade him is practicable."
So earnest and efficient were Jefferson's
efforts to Increase the speed of
the Postal Sendee that he became
known in his day as the "Father of
Fast Mails." As President of the
United States, Jefferson's interests In
Improving the postal service continued
and the Post Office Department,
under his administration, was widely
commended for the excellency of the
service and the efficiency of its administration.
And. in this connection,
let me add, it was another great
President who first recognized the
fact that the Post Office Department
was important enough for its head to
become a member of the Cabinet.
That first Postmaster General to be
made a member of the Cabinet was
William T. Berry, of Kentucky, and
he was invited into the Cabinet by
President Andrew Jackson in 1829.
One of the most romantic periods
in the postal service was between
April 3, 1860, and October 26, 1861,
during the operatioir of the pony express.
To establish the pony express required
five hundred of the beet blooded
American horses; 190 stock stations
for changing the riding stock;
two hundred station tenders to care
for the horses and have them ready,
saddled and bridled, for the incoming
rider to mount and be off like the
wind; eighty of the keenest, toughest,
bravest of western youths for the riders,
with stations all supplied with
hay, grain, and other needed materials.
It required >100,000 in gold coin
to establish and equip the line.
The pony express had a remarkable
and spectacular existence, although
not a very long one, In the face of
Innumerable hazards. It was in operation
79 weeks. During the flret month
the trips between St. Joseph, Missouri
Sacramento, California, were
weekly, then. they were semi-weekly
each way; SO8 one-way tripe were
made. The pony expresa route was
something like 2,000 miles long, anil
the riders covered 616,000 miles. Approximately
30.000 letters were car*
tied all told.
The transcontinental telegraph,
completed In 1X61, rang the death
knell of tho pony express. It hail
never been a financial success, but
It was a groat moral lesson in the
transportation of the mall. It demonstrated
the ability of man and beast
to overcome all obstacles. It Increased
the speed of mall deliveries. Its
greatest achievement was the carrying
of the news of President Abraham
Lincoln's death from Washington to
Sacrament a In seven days. After all,
there is a blood kinship between the
pony express and the Post Office Department
of today with Its Air Mall
Service, Its 44,877 post offices, and
its grand army of carriers.
The days of the pony express riders
have been cut down to the few
hours of the air mall pilots, who,
while thoy have no hostile ludlans
to contend with, as the pony express
riders did, yet go forth la all seasons,
through storms and blizzards and
across high mountains to keep up the
tradition, established by Thomas Jeffarson,
of speed and dependability In J
tiio service of thy mail.
Interesting, Indeed, Is the lnserlp i
lion engraved upou the post ofTlcOj
building at Washington, whieh reads
"Messenger of sympathy and love
Kerxunt of parted friends
Consoler of the lonely I
Koiid of the seattered family
Pnlarger of the common life.
"Carrier of news and knowledge
Instrumental of trade and industry
Promoter of mutual acquaintance
Of peace and good will
Among men and nations."
Thlty-nine Soviet planes were reported
shot down Friday In a battle
over Lake Ror, In the Outer MongolIan
Manchoukuoun zone of hostilities.
The result of the battle was announced
in a communique of Japan's Kwantung
army, the Manchouquo force, ut
llsiuklng and the report wgs relayed
by Domei, Japanese news agency.
Driver Stays With
Truck Minus Drakes
I'uloutowu, Pu , July 22.?Piloting a
heavily loathe! irm k without brakes
down a three-mile mountain grade at
a speed ranging up to S.'> miles an hour
left 28-year-old Heujamltt llormolson
hreathlesa but he cuiue through It all
without mishap.
A continuous stream of trultio
moved along the west side of nearby
Mount Summit last night as the Clinton,
N. C., driver headed down with
his seven-ton truck carrying u load
of peppers.
After going about half a mile, Hermelson
said a sudden explosion occurred
in the engine "and the crank
case and transmission let go." Ills
vacuum brakes were useless.
The truck plunged wildly down the
steep mountain highway: Robert J.
Tanner, 29, also of Clinton, "leaped
when ih? vehicle reach a speed of
sixty miles hut Hermelson clung to
the wheel, buartiiK down on the horn
as he steered from ouo aide to the
other through traffic.
Luckily there no bad curves and
he finally reached the bottom of the
grade, pulling the truck onto the highway
shoulder where loose atones
broke the speed, iionnolson climbed
out and mopped his brow. He hadn't
lost a pepper.
"I Just stayed with her and she flually
stopped." declared the pluoky
driver. "I knew If I jumped a really
serious accident might roault."
Dr Joseph Shelly, I'ntontown hospital
Interne on his way to Maryland
for a vacation, saw Tanner leap and
brought him back to town for treatment
of contusions about the chest
and left kuee. Tanner welcomed a
hospital bed. asserting ho and Hormelsou
had not been asleep xor four
nights,
Jease H. Jones, upon taking the
oath as federal lending administrator
Monday, urged congress to pass the
administration's $2,800,000,000 landing
bill at this session.
* . ~ ~ ^ -
YOU SAVE
8IZi PRICE ON I ON I ON I ON
fK"'' 1 TIRE ? TIRES 3 TIRES 4TIRES
4'to5l}$10 0? *7-S0 *2-50 '5-0? '7-S0 H0-00
! la3? 7-73 2-37 3-14 7*71 10-28
SSO-l?} 1320 9"90 3,30 6-60 9-90 13"20
5*5o'l8f 12 00 9,00 3-00 8-00 9-00 *2-00
6.00-16 14.35 10.76 3.S9 7.18 10.77 14.36
650-16} 17>4? 13-03 4*35 8-70 13-05 17-40
7.00-16 19.75 14.81 4.94 9.88 14.82 19.76
These Prices Include Your Old Tire?
v riSS^
WM Only In Fixestono Tim \
||1 Do Yon Got Then I
fl J&rcinofVo Advnntnff+M 1
I Oum-Dlpplng ? a Firestone K
I patented process that provides extra H
w protection against the dangers of m
u blowouts. IB
1 Two Ixfro Layers of Oum|
Dipped Cords under the Tread? ftfi
' a patented Firestone construction
feature that provides added m
protection against punctures.
Scientific Nort-Skid Trend? ffl
provides greater protection againet |
the dangers of skidding.
Special Compounds?provide 1
longer non-skid mileage. ,
Sm Pirsstono Tiros made in the Pirn tons Factory and Exhibition
Bat/ding at Now York WarUti Pair. Alto visit the Pirostont Exhibit %
at tho Goldon Goto International Exposition at Sam Prancitco
-K
IJsttn to the Volet of PirttHntftatmring Richard Oi|it Margaret Shtait
and tbt Firestone Symphony Orchestra under the dtrtcfi'** of Alfred *"
WalUnstein, Monday e rowings, tmtr Natiomwidt N. & ?> Bad Nttiatrh
CITY FILLING STATION
RED STAR SERVICE STATION
MARION'S SERVICE STATION
DAMS' SERMCE STATION /
to - .