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DETROIT RIVER POSTAL SERVICE. (Illustrated. ) The marine mail delivery at Detroit is a subject of in- “terest, not only to marine men but to others; to the former because of the valuable service that it renders them, and There is no to the latter because of its unique character. _ service like it in the world. On the barren, rocky, and un- _ inhabitated coast of Terra del Fuego, also in Torres Straits, __ north of Australia, passing vessels deposit in a box and ob- - tain therefrom mail that other vessels have left there, and postoffice; but at no other place than Detroit does a Gov- "ernment maintain a marine postoffice that makes deliveries “upon the water to passing boats under full speed, As many of our readers know, this service is performed by a ‘small steamboat and row-boats. Mail is delivered to*‘the of that office located on the dock. When an approaching vessel or vessels are sighted the mail boat steams into mid- - stream with a carrier on board and towing a rowboat. At the right distance from the approaching vessel the row- - boat containing the carrier and mail are dropped astern; the carrier by skillful management of his boat gets under the massive hull of the great freighter, if such it be, riding gracefully over the great swell that she pushes ahead, he drops back to amidships and then, with the skill of long experience, throws his line away up to the deck of the leviathan, where it.is quickly made fast by sailors who are on the watch for him. The rowboat drifts for a moment, but suddenly the'line tightens and the little boat which as Jooked like a cockle-shell bobbing up and down beside the - mammoth freighter, leaps through the water as if shot from i a catapult; meantime a bucket has been lowered, into whicn _ mail for the carrier has been placed. Hé takes this out and puts in the ship’s mail, the line is let go and the little boat quickly drops astern, to be again picked up by the steamboat. Sometimes whole fleets are passing Detroit -and going in opposite directions. Quick action and rare skill and judgment are required at such times. Then the ‘steamboat makes deliveries to the slow boats, while the carrier in the rowboat takes care of the fast ones. The service during the past two seasons has been equal to every emergency, and failures to deliver are now almost unheard _ of, the service in this respect far surpassing that upon land. - Not only skilled but stout-hearted and sturdy employes =» are essential in this service. Its hazards and hardships are many, and can only be appreciated by those who have wit- -nessed deliveries made by the brave carriers and sailors of thus, without Government aid, maintain a kind of marine — “steamboat from the Detroit postoffice, through a station. 7 THE MARINE RECORD. the service upon dark and stormy nights, with the river lashed into a furious sea. It is an undertaking calculated to make the stoutest heart quail; but, from the time the first boat goes up until the last one comes down, no wind weather stops them. During the past season, Carrier M. L. Randall had a narrow escape from drowning. He was ROW-BOAT READY TO BOARD. alongside of a big boat upon a dark night, and in a fierce storm, when a great wave washed completely over his little boat, carrying away his oars and lights, leaving him u:terly helpless, and it was only the prompt action of the captain of the mail boat that saved his life. It seems in place here to give a brief account of the ori- gin of this remarkable service. For many years prior to its establishment on June 10, 1895, private agencies at Detroit and at Port Huron, Mich., had delivered mail, which was - sequently he was thoroughly conversant with the vast m: STEAM TENDER DROPPING THE ROW- een ALONGSIDE, sent in their care, to boats passing these points. The ser- vice rendered by these agencies was extremely valuable to the interests served, but it was limited in its scope. I however, suggested to the postoffice officials at Detroit, | were familiar with the amount of mail handled b: agency at Detroit and with the character of its service, idea of the Government’s taking the business in hand an providing a service commensurate with the magnitude the interests to be served. Fortunately for the success of the project, the position of Superintendent of the Free D livery System was filled, at the time the matter was being pressed upon the attention of the Postoffice. Department, by its present incumbent, Mr. A W. Machen, formerly of Toledo, Ohio, who, when a resident of Toledo, was. gaged in the vessel business and was besides an enthusias tic yachtsman, and as such known all over the lakes, con nitude of the vessel interests of the Great Lakes, and al possessed the technical knowledge essential in making close approximation of the probable cost of the servi This was shown by the fact that his estimate was wit few dollars of the actual cost the first season. Th Department was somewhat doubtful of the success” service, even after it had decided to establish it, was « denced by the fact that the steamboat that was ‘first gaged was rented but for one month, and a slow and manageable craft she was, too. The discouragements the start were many. The boat provided was not at suited to the service. Pilots and carriers possesed of th necessary skill and daring could not be picked up evety day. Applications for carrier came from all sorts of sailo and boatmen, men who had followed sailing all their lives, but one by one they failed, either because of a lack of ski or daring, or both, usually both. One big fellow w. thought he was a regular sea-dog, after attempting a d livery came back to the dock wet to the skin, and, with blanched face and chattering teeth, declared the Gover ment hadn’t money enough to induce him to make anoth attempt. One night an excitable pilot chased a Windsor street car to Sandwich, thinking from its lights that it was a vessel that had escaped his notice in passing the marine station, and in the exciting race he did miss a passing ves- sel. The Windsor car was not very fast, but it easily beat the captain’s old tub. A day without an accident was a rare one. If it was not to the steamboat it was to the rowboat, or in the loss of oars or lines. The opposition of the pfivate service was fierce and almost resulted in per- sonal encounters between the men. Ignominious failure was predicted for the postal service by the opposition, and