George S. Bangs Monument - Chicago, Illinois - Smithsonian Art Inventory Sculptures on Waymarking.com

The grave stone is in the shape of a large tree stump. At the base of the large carved stone tree stump is a scale model of a railway mail car entering a tunnel. The railway car and tunnel entrance appear to be out of proportion with the tree and carved foliage and plants.

George S. Bangs succeeded George B. Armstrong as general superintendent of the postal railway service.  Bangs is credited with "Fast Mail" trains, these were specially designed trains consisting of only mail cars with expedited schedules designed to accommodate the needs of the Post Office rather than the needs of the traveling public.  These trains were equipped with special retrieving hooks so mail bags would be retrieved from specially designed hooks so the train would not have to stop in small towns.  As the mail was retrieved the mail would  be delivered by pushing out the bag whose destination was the town being passed through.  The mail was sorted on the train and delivered as the train went on its route. With help from participating railroads, namely the New York Central and the Pennsylvania railroads, the first five-car train was assembled on September 16, 1875. The train traveled from New York City to Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo, and Chicago on its first trip and carried more than 33 tons of mail.  During its first year of service fast mail never missed a single connection and failed to arrive in Chicago on time only on three occasions. On trips east, the train failed to arrive in New York on time only once.  On the trunk of the tree of his grave stone it reads:

George S. Bangs
Died November 21
1877
aged 51, 8 months, 21 days
 

His crowning effort
The Fast Mail

 

TITLE: George S. Bangs Monument ARTIST(S): Engelbert Gast of Gast Monuments DATE: Installed ca. 1880. MEDIUM: Sculpture: Indiana limestone or granite. CONTROL NUMBER: IAS IL000007 Direct Link to the Individual Listing in the Smithsonian Art Inventory: [Web Link] PHYSICAL LOCATION: Rosehill Cemetery 5800 North Ravenswood Avenue Chicago, Illinois DIFFERENCES NOTED BETWEEN THE INVENTORY LISTING AND YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND RESEARCH: None noted

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