Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-02-21
THE LONDON POST OFFICE.


As post establishment, the office in St
Martin s. le- Grand, London, is the first in
the world. The Post Master General and
his staff are at the head Of an army of over
$1,000 persons; and such is the concnetra-
ton of business, that in this office is per-
formed about one fourth of the postal bust
ness of the kingdom. The number of letters
passing through it in a year is eight times
as great as the number passing through
New York, and nearly as great as the entire
number in the United States. The number
of letters received for delivery in London,
in the year 1854, was 103, 377,728, and
the number sent out, 97,645, 106. This
gives total of over 900 900, 600 letters in
a single year.
To an outside spectator there is little to
be seen except plain, substantial stone
building some 500 feet by 100, supported
by Ionic pillars and having large hall for
he accommodation of the public. But du-
ring late visit to London, we were per-
miited, by the courtesy Of Mr. Rowland
Hill, to see all the arrangements, and in
spect the machinery by which the immense
establishment is kept in motion. In the
Inland Office" where the mills are made
up for the country there is lull in the
middle Of the day, tie letters and papers
coming in SO slowly that but few clerks
and sorters are on duty. There are en-
ployed in London $685. persons in the
mail service. Of these 1913 are letter re-
ceivers-keepers of the small sub-ofices--
located in all parts for the convenience of
mailing letters.
There are in London, 1855 letter CARR
ers, and they have rooms in the Post Of
flee building; it requires many of these car
riers to sort and arrange the letters Then
there are 1,l52 other persons employed in
the London Post Office, but of these 100,
money order clerks, have quarters in an
other building. There are 253 in the Cen
eral Post Office, and 739 clerks, stampers,
sorters and subscribers, engaged in the re-
ception, delivery and dispatch of mails
The mails are so arranged that all letters
leave LondOn-no matter what direction
they are going-at the same hours; at nine
in the morning and nine in the evening
Men on foot, on horseback and in carts are
constantly engaged, during the day, in col
Letting letters from the various sub-offices
and receiving houses in all parts of the
twelve mile circle" circle having radi-
us of twelve miles. To induce publish
ers of newspapers to get their papers ready
early in the day, the Post office sends the
mail carts, at certain hours, to transport all
the papers, then re ady, to the central Of
fee. This saves trouble both to the pub
fishes and to the Post Office Department
There being about 10000 newspapers
passing through the London Post Office
daily, and these forming nearly four-fifths
of the bulk of the mails, there is immense
labor in sorting and packing them. Unless
some such plan were, adopted, it would be
almost impossible to get off the evening
mail; for the bulk of the sorting, stamping
and dispatch of letters is done in the last
two hours; from six to eight o'clock.
As the hour of P. M. approaches the
number of persons to deposit letters begin
to increase. Faster and faster gathers the
crowd; and. instead of dropping their let
ters leisurely, they rush up to the box, and
with nervous twitch, dash them in, and
then stand back and give room for others
Many stay and look on, while the scene
grows east and furious" About quarter
before six, men bearing bags come stag
gering in, and by tapping at a wooden slide,
a whole window is opened by clerk, who
receives the bag, empties it and throws it
out. Boys with handsful of papers, wo-
man bearing letter and penny to pay
the postage, rough looking mechanics,
with brawny arms, and honest faces, some
with letters, generally stamped, and strug-
Cling through the slit in the window. pre-
pared to receive them. In the inside is a
busy scene, butno hurry nor confusion. At
first there are separate letters dropping, one
after another, then handful; then thicker
and faster they patter in as if the elements
without were charged with letters, and they
were by a sudden tempest, showered into
the post office. The hand of the clock