SOME OF UNCLE SAM'S WORKSHOPS [POST OFFICE] Part 3
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “Uncle Sam’s greatest workshop is the post office. Every hour 850,000 letters are delivered by its 350,000 employees. They handle one third of the world’s mail.” “Each letter must be carefully addressed. Is this letter correct?” Envelope with ‘Rev. Sam Sylvester Smithers, #23 Pike St., Seattle, Ind.’ on it. “The letter starts on its rapid journey. Uncle Sam will carry it from Seattle to New York in 98 hours.” Woman placing letter in mailbox, close-up of letter. “Uncle Sam collects the mail at regular hours day and night.” Mailman getting out of truck, removing mail from box, getting in truck, driving on. “Your letter with thousands of others comes to the large main post office. The letters are sorted.” Women workers sorting mail. “Each letter is time and place marked and the stamp canceled.” Letters going through canceling machine. “A machine cancels 500 letters each minute.” Machine in operation. “In a large post office the letters are sorted for the different carriers.” Workers sorting mail. “The sorter reads rapidly the address and the letter flies to its place. This requires rapid work.” Sorters at work. “Carriers coming for their morning mail.” “Each carrier sorts the mail for his route.” Carriers at sorting racks. “The carriers with the morning mail are leaving the post office.” Mailmen with loaded bags coming down steps. “Mail is delivered by carriers in all towns of 10,000 or more.” Mailman handing little girl mail. “If your letter or newspaper goes out of town it is sent in mail bags. Sorting the papers.” Workers sorting papers into bags set up in rows. “Each bag is for a different city.” Worker removing bags from frame, tying tops. “Uncle Sam’s Postal Service carries packages by Parcel Post.” Workers moving mail sacks on hand trucks, loading sacks into trucks. “Motor trucks carry the mail to the waiting mail train.” Loaded trucks leaving post office. “The fastest trains carry the mail. Each mail car has its clerks and sorters.” Train moving through yard. “The fast mail train does not stop at the small stations. The mail is taken on in this manner.” Worker fastening mail sack to upright beside track, passing train picking it off with hook. “Inside the mail car the mail is placed in the different sacks, one of which is dropped at each station along the line.” Workers sorting mail from large sacks into rows of smaller ones. “Benjamin Franklin founded our postal system. Mail was carried in stagecoach or by post rider.” ‘Benjamin Franklin’ sitting at desk writing by candlelight. “At first our letters were folded and sent without envelopes. Thirty miles for six cents, which was paid on delivery.” Close-up of letter with address on same sheet as letter - hands folding letter with address outside, sealing letter with wax. “Stamps were first used in 1847. Today many kinds of stamps are used on our letters. The common two cent stamp of which we use 20 billion each year and the Special Delivery stamp.” Close-up of stamps on letter - worker handing special delivery letter - carrier mounting motorcycle, driving away. “It requires great ingenuity to provide us with so many stamps all ready to stick on a letter. The stamp paper is made from spruce logs.” Logs floating down mountain stream. “The wood-pulp is rolled into sheets.” Pulp on paper-making machine - worker taking paper off roller - close-up of matted pulp.” “Printing 12,000 stamps each minute.” Press in operation. “The mucilage is spread upon the back of each stamp by machinery.” Worker pouring paste into reservoir of machine with sheets of stamps going through. “Making perforations so that the stamps may be torn quickly apart.” Workers operating machine. “The magic stamp is made in Uncle Sam’s greatest workshop. It carries our letters by land, by water and even through the air. The airmail is loaded with mail bags and goes swiftly through the air.” Man handing sacks to co-pilot of open cockpit plane - plane taking off, in flight. “End.” “Ford Educational Library.” [1922]
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