We now come to another part of the story which may be difficult for those not familiar with mail transportation to understand without a little explanation; properly, it may be headed:—MAIL GATEWAYS,—a necessary expression added to our vocabulary following the advent of parcel post. 

       Mail Gateways are important Mail Junctions with the added activity of assembling, loading and reloading parcel post in carload lots. At many of these important gateways, there are located Terminal RPO's where, as already explained, the distribution of mail too bulky for distribution in RPO cars is performed. 

       Primary distribution of parcel post, like other classes of mail, requires that "Directs" or pieces of mail all for the same office be assmbled and enclosed in a "Direct" sack. 

       The residue, not sufficient in quantity for "Directs" is made up into "State" sacks, that is, all for the same state, or if for nearby offices, into "runs" or RPO sacks. 

       Let us have a specific illustration: Contoocook, New Hampshire post office receives a sack of parcel post. Upon opening the sack it is found to have contained a parcel from Los Angeles, California; one from Helena, Montana; one from New Orleans; one from Raleigh, N. C., one from Baltimore, two from New York City and one from Hartford, Conn. Just how did these parcels find their way into the same sack—by no means accidentally but by a prearranged plan which is simplicity itself. All of the sacks labeled "New Hampshire Parcel Post coming into the Springfield, Mass., gateway from all points south and west are intercepted for distribution in the Springfield terminal RPO. Here New Hampshire parcel post is congregated in sufficient quantity to require the making up of "Direct" sacks for nearly every post office, large or small, in the whole state. This is how the various parcels for Contoocook, arriving at Springfield the same day, met each other by design rather than accident.

       Parcel Post distributing units, or terminal RPO's are located at points which subject the mail to the least delay and minimum back-haul. For example, New York City is a distributing point for Vermont parcel post originating in New York City and points south. This location is necessary as the routing for the state is partly via Albany, N. Y. and partly via Springfield, Mass. Albany is the distributing point for Vermont parcel post from points west. During the flood the local Railway Mail officials, both at New York and Albany, were obliged to change constantly the dispatches for offices in Vermont, according to the changing conditions from day to day. On the Rouses Point & Albany RPO, ordinarily carrying a relatively small part of the Vermont mail, was thrown the burden of carrying all the mail for the west side of the state, delivering along the line at points accessible to temporary truck or boat service. This was a great burden added to the line, but it was handled under the supervision of the chief clerk at Albany with wonderful efficiency. 

       An assistant chief clerk was immediately assigned to take personal charge of the bad situation at the Springfield, Mass. gateway. Here he found an accumulation of six carloads of Vermont parcel post with no place to go. This mail of course had reached Springfield, fairly enough, as a necessary stage on its journey into Vermont;—but its usual or natural outlet was broken, twisted and distorted, as was being gradually revealed by the receding waters of the flood. 

       Here then was a problem. The contents of these six cars had to be rehandled and reloaded sack by sack, 6000 in number, for dispatch over improvised routes changing from day to day. Yet this was all in a day's work for the assistant chief clerk, supported by an efficient force of transfer clerks and railroad mail porters. As an example of resourcefulness, some of this Vermont mail was re-routed via Portland, Me. and some: of it back-hauled to New York City for dispatch via Albany, Whitehall and Port Kent N.Y. 

       Here at Springfield too it was for the assistant chief clerk to reestablish RPO service on the lower end of Newport, Vt. and Springfield, Mass. line and assign such clerks as were available and who had lost connection with their own chief's office at White River Junction. To add to his troubles, the RPO line between Springfield and New York, the one unbroken link of the chain south and west, was threatened. For a time there was only one track on which to carry the already doubled burden. The railroads in this area did wonderful work. The different railroad companies concerned seemed to have pooled both their troubles and their resources. 

       We have but touched the surface of events at Springfield. A worse condition, if possible, was at the North Station, Boston. Here was disrupted service in a large measure; but here too are located a force of resourceful transfer clerks and mail porters who know the location of every town in New England as easily as they know their own names. Moreover, they knew the best possible route, changing as they were from day to day, by which to forward the mail to everyone of those towns. This competent force is under the supervision of District No.6, whose chief and staff were perhaps not out where they got their feet wet, but had work enough to dampen their worried brows. 

       On the forces of Districts Nos. 1, 3 and 5 were also thrown additional burdens. No one escaped, and the whole undertaking skillfully directed and coordinated by Superintendent Yarrington and his staff. 

       It is presumed that the reader may now easily agree with the statement in the Foreword that credit for this unusual story belongs to no one person. The story is simply an intimate sidelight on your mail service, which is, considering its immensity, one of the most perfect examples of coordinated effort in the world. 

       In all of the many contributions to the story and in all of our close personal contact with the flood stricken people, we found no tone of complaint nor discouragement. On the contrary, we found a determination to make as light of a great calamity as possible. 

       We did hear of one postmaster so marooned and dejected that he posted a notice on the letter box on the post office door,—"Don't drop no mail here; it won't go." But it did go in due time, as did the whole mail-carrying enterprise, and it was the indomitable spirit of the postal workers that made it go. 

A TRIBUTE

       Congressman Gibson of Vermont, in a Speech in the House of Representatives, pays glowing tribute to that wonderful spirit as follows: 

Source:  Mail Story Of The Flood, November 1927, Samuel J. Pease, Editor, Chief Clerk, Railway Mail Service, Boston Mass, October 1, 1928, Printed by The Concord Press, Concord NH; prepared by Tom Dunn, January 2002

[Provided by Tom Dunn]