The handling and delivery of mail has always been a serious business, underpinned by the trust of the public in requiring timeliness, safety, and confidentiality. After early beginnings using horseback and stagecoach, and although cars and trucks later replaced stagecoaches and wagons, the Railway Mail Service still stands as one of America’s most resourceful and exciting postal innovations. This service began in 1832, but grew slowly until the Civil War. Then from 1862, by sorting the mail on board moving trains, the Post Office Department was able to decentralize its operations as railroads began to crisscross the nation on a regular basis, and speed up mail delivery. This service lasted until 1974. During peak decades of service, railway mail clerks handled 93% of all non-local mail and by 1905 the service had over 12,000 employees.

Railway Post Office trains used a system of mail cranes to exchange mail at stations without stopping. As a train approached the crane, a clerk prepared the catcher arm which would then snatch the incoming mailbag in the blink of an eye. The clerk then booted out the outgoing mailbag. Experienced clerks were considered the elite of the Postal Service’s employees, and spoke with pride of making the switch at night with nothing but the curves and feel of the track to warn them of an upcoming catch. They also worked under the greatest pressure and their jobs were considered to be exhausting and dangerous. In addition to regular demands of their jobs they could find themselves the victims of train wrecks and robberies.

As successful as it was, “mail-on-the-fly” still had its share of glitches. If they hoisted the train’s catcher arm too soon, they risked hitting switch targets, telegraph poles or semaphores, which would rip the catcher arm off the train. Too late, and they would miss an exchange.

The public expects the following three services in handling and delivery of mail except ............

Câu hỏi liên quan

• It can be inferred from the passage that the author believes that business operated by women are small because ................

• What might be the most suitable title for this reading passage?

• The passage is mainly about ............

ZUNIA12

• The word “urgent” in the last paragraph probably means .............

•  In what way is Juliette’s current job better her first job?

• Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to ..................

• What is the main topic of the passage?

• Which of the following is TRUE according to passage?

• The passage supports which of the following conclusions?

• All of these following sentences are true for the first day of the professor in Brazil EXCEPT .......

• What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

• What does the word "run" in the last paragraph mean?

• The word “elements” is most similar to ..............

• The word “parched” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ............

• According to the passage, what are children NOT usually taught outside the classroom?

• The word “harness" in paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to .........

• Which of the following phrases best explains the meaning of the word “verbal”?

• As used in paragraph 2, the word "seeking" could best be replaced by which of the following?

• Which “reply” CLOSET in meaning to?

• All of the following were mentioned in the passage as detriments to women in the business world EXCEPT ___________.