Show mule postman loses contract in remote area PORTLAND ORE the lonely existence of the scattered families living in the remote fastness ol 01 siskiyou lyou you national forest no longer will be relieved by periodic visits from the mule driving postman the mule pack postal route between the isolated towns of illahe illace and marial near grants pass has been terminated by the government because the carrier who has a monopoly on mules submitted too high a bid the action leaves only one route served the year around by mules although 12 others are served by mule and horse during the stormy winter months residents of the remote mountain areas served by the mule routes do their shopping through the mall mail order catalogues cataloguer catal and depend upon mule packs for everything clothing accordions rifles even food acco according to fred H twohy railroad mail district superintendent who has spent 10 years traveling the mountain regions to check on his mule postmen one winter not even a horse could get through the heavy snows twohy recalls the residents were shut off from the world and there was quite a squawk obliging postmen resorted to sleds to reach the isolated areas twohy adds arid and the first thing the people ordered by parcel post was several cases of beer the marbal rout typical 0 of I 1 the involved carr up required to get mall mail to see sec reas mall mail went 34 miles up a r tn in a flat bottomed river boat horn wedderburn then it was transferred to mule for an additional 16 mile trip it was kind of expensive twohy hy admits costing about a person to keep the route open the stamps dont begin to pay for it he be adds 1 I have a hard time convincing them back in washington that these routes are worth the expense twohy hy says gays |