Railway Mail Service

Washington, Not. 18.- The annual ref ort of General Superintendent Nash, of the Bailway Malí, Service, for the fiscal jrear ended June 30, 1887, presenta lome interestiiiff fauts respecting the operatíons of that important bureau of the Post-offlce Department Mail service was in operation during the year upon 130,959 miles oí railroad, and on 0,864 miles of water routes. To handle the mails while in transit on thess routes 4,460 men were einplored. They handled and dlatributed during the year 5,834,690,875 pieces of ordinary mail matter, besides 15,752,569 registered packages, and 950,613 through rtgistered pouches. During the year 7,213 miles of new railroad service was added, while steamboat route mileage decreased eighty-seven miles. Of the immense number of pieces of mail matter handled, the errors in distribution ainounted to but one error to every 3,373 piecea There were 244 derailments or wrecks of postal car trains. Three postal clerks were killed, forty-tive seriously and seventy-two Blightly injured. Washington, Nov. 21. - The annnal report of Colonel J. b. Bates, superintendent of the free delivtry systeia of the Post-office Department, showa that since July 1, 1863, the number of free delivery offices has increaHcd trom 66 to 189, and that the number of carriers employ ed increased from 685 to 5,310. The coat of the service for the last fiscal year was $4,618,692, an increase of $306,386 over the previous year. The report shows thut during the year the carriers delivered and collected 2,234,564,656 piecea of mail matter, an increase during the year of over 285,000,000 piecea.