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318
The Royal Mail: Its Curiosities and Romance
·
James Wilson Hyde
127
Now
the
use
of
this
apparatus
demands
much
attention
and
alacrity
on
the
part
of
the
men
who
are
in
charge
of
it;
for
arms
and
net
must
not,
for
fear
of
accidents,
be
extended
anywhere
but
at
the
appointed
places,
and
within
200
or
300
yards
of
where
the
exchange
of
mails
is
to
take
place.
The
operators,
in
timing
the
delivery,
are
guided
by
certain
features
of
the
country
they
are
passing
through--a
bridge,
a
tree
on
a
rising
ground
which
can
be
seen
against
the
sky,
a
cutting
along
the
line
through
which
the
train
passes
with
much
clatter,
a
railway
station,
and
so
on--as
well
as
by
their
estimate
of
the
speed
at
which
the
train
is
running.
When
the
nights
are
clear,
a
trained
operator
can
easily
recognise
his
marks;
but
in
a
very
dark
night,
or
during
a
fog,
his
skill
and
experience
are
put
to
the
test.
On
such
occasions
he
seems
to
be
guided
by
the
promptings
of
his
collective
senses.
He
puts
his
face
close
to
the
window,
shutting
off
the
light
from
the
carriage
with
his
hands,
and
peers
into
the
darkness,
trying
to
recognise
some
wayside
object;
he
listens
to
the
noise
made
by
the
train,
estimates
its
speed
of
travelling,
and
by
these
means
he
judges
of
his
position,
and
effects
the
exchange
of
the
mails.
It
is
indeed
marvellous
that
so
few
failures
take
place;
but
this
is
an
instance
of
how,
by
constant
application
and
experience,
things
are
accomplished
which
might
at
first
sight
be
considered
wellnigh
impossible.
When
the
exchange
takes
place,
it
is
the
work
of
a
moment--"thud,
thud."
The
arm
which
bore
the
bag
springs,
disengaged,
to
the
side
of
the
carriage;
the
operator
takes
the
inwards
bag
from
the
net,
draws
the
net
close
up
to
the
side
of
the
vehicle,
and
the
whole
thing
is
done,
and
we
are
ready
for
the
next
exchange.
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