The New York herald., 1862-12-28


tae stand, aband ning arms and supplies.
= Major General senJamin r. Better entered and took
military possession Of the city Of New Orleans
TIE NEW CUSTOM HOUSE. LII.
Removal OF the CustOm House Business
% tho Old Merchants' Exchange-Com.
plete Description OF the New Buflding,
location or tho OA1ces. dkc.-The ora
Custom House-The Work or Altera.
tion, &c., Sc. se.l as .lt
After delay Of between seven and eight months the
business Of the Custom House this port has al length
been transferred from the building long used to the edincs
formerly known the Mcrchants Exchange This long
interval Of time has been employed in altering the newly
occupied building 70 mako convenient for the pur
poss TO which In future 1t will be devoted.
Ins preliminary arrangements between the OF
the Aefoaanss Kxchangs and the government made
last winter; but the occupants OF the building held
leases which would no expire until the LIST Of May 1882
II was found impossible 70 the work Of alter
ms repairing and rentting tho building until that time
should hsvc arrived However, early % last February
two gentlemen were sent from Washington 70 make the
necessary surveys. estimates and plans ana durtng
that month and the enc succeeding Nsssrs
g. H. Clark, the Engineer Of the Treasury Department
and a. B. Young wore engaged n this work. Their
plans finished, they advertised In the New YORK papers
pIOpOSaW W
plans and specifications, and had everything ready by
the month Of May 70 commence operations. was then
thought that the alterations could be made in short
tme and that the business Of the Custom House could be
transferred 10 the early In the fall. But the
alterations were more numerous and extensive than
generally supposed and month after month passed before
the building In proper state for reoocupation.
The primary object Of the removal was 10 AFFORD Mr.
Cisco, the SabTreasurer, space and better
modAtons than those furnshsd in the old bank building
then and stn occupied the New York Sub.Treasury
The rapidly Increasing wants Of this department Of tho
government on account Of the great issues of
paper money. the negotiation or loans, the payment
Of interest on the increased public debt, 10 !,
rendered Il necessary 70 have more room; and
accordingly about year ago Mr. CISCO renewed his appl
cation 70 the department. q Washington for the building
then occupied the Custom House, recommending a. the
time that the Merchants' Exchange be leased or
purchased for the Of the ocss Of the port
His claims valid and his estimates Of the cost 70 the
government Of the adoption Of hb plans satisfActory
Moreover the Custom House bad been erected many years
ago when the Of the port vastly inferior 70
II 1t the present day. More very much needed
By Of hs Collectors dspartmsnts a. well q uy The
SubTrsasarsr II was, therefore, deemed advisable 70
aspt the sugssstsons oe worthy subTeasursr and
the lease for the Merchants Exchange in
The removal OF the business Of the Custom House wss
commenced last Auguss when the warehouse department
Of the Collectsr's ONCE. Of which Hamilton Bruce
b deputy, was transferred The removal was
saa1s On vWy short notice, and, in Consequence,
tes Department thrown into considerable confusion
Temporary desks had bssn erected In the rooms 10 which
As department removed the new onss ordered for
the clerks not having been completed. The result
q the isolation Of this deparsmsns from tho others
was considerable inconvenisnos 70 both government
employees and importers and broksrs, nasmuch a
the dirent bureaus or the Custom House are % con
nects1 that mistake needing correction in one depart
msat also nseds correction sometimes In several others
Entries passed Aroush The Collectors Department must
moreover be examined In the Naval once, which stl
remained in the old building Thus II will DO seen thai
much running between the two buildings necessary,
and that this would naturally give rise 70 grumblng
the part Of those thus No department
other than tho already named was tranferred from
Hs old TO its quarters until month or two since,
when the Collectors Auditors Department wss removed
Tho removal OF me remainng departments was resumed
this month and completed about fortnight aeo
The Naval Once clsrks were hrst transferred
and then the entry and other clerks OF the
Collectors ONCE. Though Efforts bad bsen made to
have the rooms to be occupied BY. these clerks In
readiness for their whom the removal should take
place, the rotunds and OF the other apartments
sti IN IN entirely unfinished state whsn takeu poe
session 6. A force was employed most Of the night
after the vr4ncpal departments were removed In
placing desks and making arrangements for the con-
veniencs q the clerks, 90 that they were enabled TO
transact their business the uext morning with but little
delay. #2@
As many Of readers are Interested In the Custom
House, and have not yet learned the location Of the
various ofnees, description 6 them viii prove In.
terestng:- .s.
THE RoTuNDA. ~
The principal apartment Of the New Custom House 10
the rstunda into which the doors opening Wall street
lead. The room was formerly occupied az the saies-
room Of tho Merchants Exchange, and Is cmnsntly
well fitted for the use 70 which IL IL now put
dome ninety feet above tho oor q the room forms the
roof In this glass 10 set through which abundance OF
light Is admitted In this particular the new Custom
House s much superior to the old one the light In the old
building being very poor, that the clerks generally
found II necessary 70 write by gaslisht dark day
Below the skyght In the rotunda space enclosed for
the use Of the entry and amendment clerks The railing
enclosing this space Is nearly feet high. and 10 very
neat In design BY the side Of each desk placed inside
portion Of the railing may be lowered admitting Of the
passage o entries 70 and from the clerks The ailus n
from the works cwood Perot In Philadelphia rail.
Ing similar 70 the already described encloses space
on the outer portion Of tho ROOM which are ocated