In November, 1909, all the service rendered in all passenger trains
and cars of the Burlington system, reduced to a common basis of car
foot miles (that is, each foot of linear space that was carried one
mile), amounted to 529,936,590 car foot miles, divided as follows:
In Passenger
Service. Mails. Express.
428,164,920 62,246,130 39,525,540
(80.8%) (11.75%) (7.45%)
The original circular of the Post Office Department contained certain
"notes," to the effect that in reporting the length of postal cars and
apartment cars, and the space therein used for mails, the railroad
companies should only report the length or space "authorized" by the
officials of the Department; also that in reporting space used in cars
for what is known as the "Closed Pouch Service," the railroads should
make an arbitrary allowance of six linear inches across the car for
the first 200 pounds or less of average daily weight of pouch mail and
three linear inches for each additional 100 pounds.
These directions were modified by the subsequent circular letter of
the Department, dated October 23, 1909.
This letter, among other things, directs the company to take credit
for "surplus" space in post office cars and apartment cars, if
actually used for the storage of mails.
The practical difficulties attending the measurement and proper
allotment of the space used for the mails in postal and other cars run
on a passenger train will be better understood when it is known that
such space is or may be described in at least eight different ways,
and is actually used on the Burlington road as follows, namely: