UNCLE SAM'S BIG PAYROLL
CHEHALIS POSTAL SERVICE HAS TOTAL OF TWENTY-FIVE EMPLOYES [sic]
NINETEEN IN THE CIVIL SERVICE
This City One of Big Mail Centers of Southwest Washington - New City Carrier Assumes Duties December 1.
At the request of the postal authorities in Washington the records of the nineteen civil service employes in the Chehalis postoffice have been prepared and forwarded to Washington. Assistant Postmaster Imus devoted much time and energy lo compiling the records which show the names, positions, service in years, months and days, where born, dates of original appointment and military service. From this report and other sources the following information about the postoffice force has been gathered. The civil service list is as follows:
IMUS, JESSE H.-Assistant Postmaster. Service, 18 years, 14 days; born, Washington; appointed, June 17, 1907; military service, none.
BLISS, JESSE V.-Carrier. Service, 16 years, 16 days; born, Michigan; appointed, June 15, 1909; military service. National Guard.
FRANCISCO, ROLFE R.-Rural carrier. Service, 15 years, 1 month, 15 days; born, Wisconsin; appointed, May 16. 1910; military service, none.
BURLINGAME, CARL A.-Clerk. Service, 15 years, 25 days; born, Washington; appointed, June 16, 1910; military service, none.
DeLEAU, JOSEPH - Clerk. Service, 14 years, 7 months, 13 days; born in Belgium; appointed, November 18, 1910; military service, none.
CONN, ELL B.-Rural carrier. Service, 12 years, 2 months; born, Indiana; appointed, May 1, 1913; military service, none.
TAUSCHER. RUDOLPH-Clerk. Service, 7 years, 8 months, 26 days; born, Washington; appointed, October 5, 1917; military service, none.
EASTMAN. WILBUR J.-Rural carrier. Service, 7 years, 1 month, 25 days; born. Michigan; appointed, May G, 1918; military service, none.
WILLSON, AUDLEY E.-Clerk. Service; 6 years. 10 months, 12 days; born, Michigan; appointed, August 19, 1918; military service, regular army.
GLODT, JOHN H.-Sub-clerk. Service; 5 years, 8 months. 4 days; born. Iowa; appointed, September 14, 1914; military service, navy; remarks, reinslated, veteran.
WILLARD, NORMAN-Clerk. Service, 4 years, 9 months, 15 days; born, Washington; appointed, September 16, 1920; military service, A. E. F.; remarks, veteran.
HARTWELL, CART, R.--Carrier. Service, 1 years, 3 months, ]3 days; born, Iowa; appointed, March 18, 1921; military service, none.
MEYERS, ROBERT D.-Carrier. Service, 4 years, 1 month, 14 days; born, Mississippi; appointed, May 17, 1921; military service, none.
BURLINGAME, WALTER E. - Carrier. Service, 3 years. 5 months; born, Washington: appointed, January 31, 1922; military service, none.
SIEGWARTH, FERD. P.-Clerk. Service, 2 years; born, Washington; appointed, July 1, 1922; military service, none.
TRAVIS, STEWART H.-Rural carrier: service, 2 years, 11 months; born. New York; appointed, August 1, 1922; military service, A. E. F.. veteran.
FAY, BENJAMIN D. - Sub-carrier. Service, 2 years. 1 month, 22 days; born, Washington; appointed, May 9, 1923; military service, none.
DETERING, HERMAN H.-Rural carrier; service, 5 months, 29 days; born, Indiana; appointed, January 2, 1925; military service, A. E. F., veteran.
CLINTON, LEE G.-Sub-carrier. Service, 4 montbs. 7 days; born, Washington; appointed, February 24, 1925; military service, navy.
Jesse R. Imus, assistant postmaster, the technician of the Chehalis postoffice, has served 18 years in the Chehalis office. He was literally born in a Lewis county, Washington, postoffice, his father being postmaster at Meadow, an office maintained many years ago near the mouth of Independence creek. He was not only born in a. postoffice but married a postoffice lady, Mrs. Imus serving nine years as a clerk in the Chehalis postoffice before her marriage.
Jesse V. Bliss, the old-time city carrier, entered the carrier service in Chehalis when it was first established 16 years ago. He was born in Michigan, was a member of old Company F, N. G. W., of Chehalis at the time of the Spanish-American war. Mr. Bliss serves the business districts. He has a wife and family.
Rolfe R. Francisco, route 2 rural route mail carrier, came to Washington from Wisconsin. He has faithfully served on route 2 during the past 15 years. During the early years of his service he drove a horse and buggy or a team of ponies on the route over Logan hill. He has witnessed the slow but gradual improvement of that road until now there is less than a mile of plank road left to travel over and he makes the trip daily in a high-class automobile. Mr Francisco is a family man.
Carl A. Burlingame, a native o Lewis county, ranks the other clerks in the office in years of service, having begun his labors for Uncle Sam June 6, 1910. He is an expert at handling mail and has an excellent general knowledge of all the postoffice and is blessed with a sunny disposition that brings him many friends. Mr. Burlingame is married, lives in the country south of Claquato, and his present assignment brings him to the office at 6 o'clock sharp six days of every week.
Joseph DeLeau la another old-time clerk and will have served 15 years in the Chehalis office on the 18th of November. Mr. DeLeau is money order clerk, handles the postal savings accounts, collects for C. O. D. parcels, rents postoffice boxes and makes himself generally useful in many ways. Mr. DeLeau is the only foreign-born man in the postoffice, having come to the United States from Belgium when 11 years of age. He speaks French fluently.
Ell B. Conn, who carries mail on rural route 3, has been more than 12 years in the rural route business at the Chehalis postoffice. He has a wife and family and believes in keeping busy, so he owns a home near Forest and devotes his spare time to teaching his boys the farming game.
A. E. Willson handles the registry and stamp window and includes a multiplicity of details in his work. Mr. Willson has been in the service in Chehalis nearly seven years. He was born in Michigan, served in the regular army, was a city carrier before being appointed to a clerkship. Mr. Willson is a family man and an enthusiast when it comes to backing the home team in a football or baseball game.
Rudolph Tauscher is a native-born Lewis county boy who has been nearly eight years in the postal service at Chehalis. He is clerk in and has charge at the general delivery window and strives to be accurate and accommodating. Mr. Tauscher is still alone in the world, being a bachelor.
Wilbur J. Eastman is a native of Michigan but has been in the postal service at Chehalis the past seven years. He was first a city carrier, but for several years has been a rural carrier in charge of route 1. Mr. Eastman and his family devote their vacation time to long auto trips through Washington and neighboring states.
John H. Glodt is a substitute clerk, having been recently reinstated in the service from which he resigned several years ago. He served during the war in the navy. Mr. Glodt is a man of family.
Norman Willard was once a railroader but has been a clerk in the Chehalis postoffice the past five years. He served in the A. E. F. Mr. Willard, who was born in Washington, has a wife and the finest baby In town.
Carl R. Hartwell was born in Iowa. He has served more than four years as a city carrier. Mr. Hartwell has a family and a home in Chehalis.
Robert D. Meyers, who is a native of Mississippi, is serving his fifth year as a city carrier. He is a man of family and seldom misses a day from the job.
Walter E. Burlingame, familiarly known as "Jack," serves the west side of the city as a carrier. He has been three and a half years in the service, has a family and his own home. He is also a native Washingtonian.
Ferdinand P. Siegwarth, clerk, is a native Lewis county boy who has seen three years of service as a regular in the office. His principal business at this time is to dispatch the outgoing mails. Mr. Siegwarth is another of the bachelors.
Stewart H. Travis has been a rural mail carrier three years. He first served on route 4, but took route 5 when it was established. Captain Travis served overseas in the A. E. F. He lived in Idaho before moving to Chehalis where he had much clerical experience and served with the Idaho national guard as quartermaster. Captain and Mrs. Travis have their home near the pavement south of town.
Benjamin D. Fay has served two years as a substitute city carrier, but his promotion to a regular position will take effect December 1. He is a native of Lewis county, a member of the well known Fay family, and a bachelor.
Herman H. Detering is serving his first year as regular rural carrier on route 4. He is a native of Lewis county and served in the A. E. F. Mr. Detering has a family, is quiet and unassuming and is making good at his new work.
Lee G. Clinton is serving his first year as a substitute carrier. He was born In Washington and is of an old Lewis county family. He served in the navy; and was recently married.
Others who belong to the Chehalis postofflce Include the postmaster, J. C. Bush, who is not a civil service employe; John F. Pankratz, mail messenger; G. E. Waterbury, special delivery messenger; Orren Bishop, mail contractor on the Chehalis-Bremer route; Harold Stilson, who carries the mall on the Chehalis-Mossyrock route; and Otto J. Hendricks, substitute for the rural carriers.
[Editor's note: A.E.F. = American Expeditionary Force]
Source: The Chehalis Bee-Nugget, Friday, 27 Nov 1925, page 20.
Transcribed by Jenny Tenlen.