Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/68

 COLUMBIA A N D MONTOUR COUNTIES the penny post having been established in 1753. H e found many abuses in force, but failed to correct them. in 1 8 1 1 the United States govemm cnc ordered a topographical survey of the post road from Passam aquoddy to S t. M ary's, in Massachusetts, and in 18 1 5 published a list of the post towns of the country, their dis­ tances apart and the charges fo r letters deIhercd. T o m ake this inform ation more avail­ able to the people the report w as printed on linen handkerchiefs and sold at a low rate. Some of these unique records are still in a good state o f preservation. According to this table a single letter w as conveyed fo r a distance o f 10 m iles o r less for 6 c e n ts; up to 60 miles, 8 c e n ts; too miles, 10 cents; up to 250 miles, 17 cen ts; and fo r 450 miles a fee o f 25 cents w as charged. The first post office route w as established in Pennsylvania in 16 8 3 W illiam Penn, be­ tween Philadelphia and N ew Castle. Del. T he first postm aster o f Philadelphia w as Benjam in Franklin, in 1737. In 17 5 3 he w as made post­ master fo r the Colonies, and in 1 775 w as ap­ pointed postm aster general by the dontinental Congress. The rates on letters in this State remained (he same a s in the above table until 1842. A ll letters had to be prepaid, postage averaging 12 cents each, and the postmaster w as obliged to give the sender a receipt and then forw ard a description of the letter, the amount o f post­ age paid, th e date o f sending and other neces­ sary inform ation to the department at W ash­ ington. Fortu n ately fo r the old postmasters there w ere few letters transmitted in those days. The high rates, the poor service and other causes brought into existence many private expresses, w hich carried letters in defiance of the law fo r much less than that charged by the government. Berwick first appears as a |>ost village in >797- T h re e years later Jonathan Hancock carried the m ail o ver the route from WilkesBarre. A pony m ail w as established in 1806 from Danville to Sunbur)', the round trip being made in a w eek. It took two weeks fo r an answer to be received from Philadelphia. T he route from Sunbury to Painted Post was awarded in 1 8 1 1 to Conrad T eter. who sublet the route from W ilkes-BarTe to M iller H o r­ ton. T he route from Shickshinny to Jcrsc y lown. through the Fishing C rcck post office, was established in 18 15.

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A mail route from Fairm ount Springs. Luzerne county, to T ancyville, Lycom ing county, by w ay o f Cole’s Creek, Campbell and D ivision, w as operated on contract by Jam es N. P ark, his son O rrin being the carrier. A ll mail w as carried on foot o ver the rough and almost pathless country, and it w as not till 1848 that the amount o f m ail m atter w ar­ ranted the use o f a horse. In 1856 Capt. John D err ran the tri-weekly mail coach from the Exchan ge Hotel at Bloom sburg to the W hite H all Hotel at W hiteliall. In 1857 the route w as extended to Turbotvillc. The post office department reduced the rates in 1845 to 5 cent^ fo r a h alf ounce, o ver a radius o f 3887, the delivery system w as made applicable to small towns and vil­ lages. In 1896 the rural free delivery, which has caused the abolition o f so many small post offices, w as tested in different sections with such success that it w as greatly extended in 1904 and later years. A t present the rural routes arc being extended a s fast a s condi­ tions w arrant into every part of the Union. T w o of the latest additions to the conven­ iences of the post office, which have in a short time l>ecome absolute necessities, are the postal savings hanks and the parcel post. T lie latter w.as declared hut a fe w years ago by inter­ ested parties to l>c impossible o f establishment, yet in the two years o f its existence it has demonstrated its great value and almost put the great express companies out o f business. R .M I.W A Y M A IL SURVICE

T he first railw ay mail car w as given an offi­ cial test in 1864. T w o mice were responsible for (he introduction o f (he traveling post office. B efore that <late (he mail w as dis­ tributed according to the addresses at certain designate*! post offices, which usually were the distributing points o f whole States. It w as slow an orious work. .At one of these distributing points, (irecn B ay, W is., a pair