Looking Back #69 - Tribulations of the Carrier

Tribulations of the Carrier

"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom
of night stays these couriers from the swift
completion of their appointed rounds," so
quoth Herodotus, and his quotation is carved
in a lofty space across the face of the big
G=2EP.O., in New York City.

Old Herodotus, however, probably wasn't
speaking from personal experience and, never
having had to lug a bag of mail about a big
city, could not have foreseen some of the
complications, hazards, and dangers that the
later uniformed carriers would encounter in
their daily trots around the circuit.

Henry Wing has shown me a cover, with a 2=A2
1890 attached, addressed to a house in
Minneapolis. Delivery of this missive was
evidently delayed until the situation improved,
for the carrier brought this letter back to the
office, and wrote in the corner of it, "Cross
dog in yard. Thurs. A.M." That carrier, very
likely hadn't heard about Herodotus, and
probably there was nothing in the manual about
how to approach an unreasonable dog.
=20
- George B. Sloane=20
Sloane's Column=20
Stamps=20
July 15, 1951

Thanks to modern science, I have a little battery operated
plastic box that emits an inaudible screech that
has dogs heading for the hills in short order.

We used it often, in the little Soi's (backstreets)
of Thailand, near our home, where stray dogs were
left to their own devices to survive, some had rabies.

The only problem is/was, every one in 20 or so,
the alarm had no effect, in such cases, I always found it
interesting, that the normally complacent lazy hairs on the
back of one's neck, stood to attention.


office, and wrote in the corner of it, "Cross
dog in yard. Thurs. A.M." That carrier, very
likely hadn't heard about Herodotus, and
probably there was nothing in the manual about
how to approach an unreasonable dog.