Litchfield enquirer., 1864-07-21
For ike Esotttxs

sS'oA"i PltCucu DallIeS. The oons oi contention has been the new Post of- nee. very many of our prominent citizens have enlisted and fought on one side or ,sk other, very much to the amusement. and soma. times to the great disgust of quiet lockers oA Our Post Office accommodations hays for . long time been of the most meapre cboroo,., qulte lhsumelent to meet the increasing wants of our rapidly growing city. There is many a village, of less than one quarter of opr no-- pulation, which has Post Office facilities far surpassing our own. Strangers who bovs visited the dark and narrow hole, which ex tends several feet behind board marked "PosT OFrIcE," have concluded that, notwith. standing our great pretentions, we do not amount to much after all. We have endured these things for years with a submissive and patient spirit, till patience seemed no longer to be virtue. The good sense of the people began to demand better accommodations and as it was discussed, the opinion became gene ral that something ought to be done. Every. body felt this, and vote of the citizens to this seffect-would have been almost unanimous. But strange to say, when active measures be- gan to be taken to erect Q new building rival interests in different parts of the city began 10 present their claim for the particular location, and it soon became evident that very many would not be satisfied unless the Post Office could be located near their own doors.
 At length, few of our enter prising men | Gat hat pnu l,. k,.:H and many of them invested their money for this purpose, simply for the improvement of the city, expecting to receive no remuneration for it. The lot selected was directly opposite the old Post Office Bank street and extended entirely through to State street. The ground was broken, the foundation laid and the walls of magnificent and very appropriate edifce were nearly completed, when suddenly it was discovered by few of our worthy Capitalists that it was not in the proper location Ac- cordingly they set to work to tear out the in. side of an old building in Main street, trife larger than the old Post Office, but not to be compared with the new building, are employ. ing all the laborers they could command, that it mig ght be completed and ready for occupa- ton before the rival edifce could be finish ed. Moreover, they generously offered this build ing to the Government for four years, free of expense, which of course proved that they were quite unsefsh in the project! They labored assdueusly from "eary dawn till dewy eve,' and it became at one time quite uncertain where our Post Office would ulli- i al, ho1 tod ol Al people that company of our worthy citizens could have little regard for the improve ment of the city as to do any thing to bring to naught the labors and sacrifices of those who were so literally beneftting the whole town by the erection of beautiful and com modous Post Office One of their strongest arguments for the location which they selected, ] r,os ,L.. -----.."o",t.e me people on the east side of the river much better than the building ir Bank street. It has been ascer-. tained by actual measurement that the present location is precisely sixteen and three quar- ters feet farther from East Bridgeport, by the nearest route, than the proposed site in Main street What a tender regard these good people have for the weary feet of those who 1 live over the river.
 Taking all things into consideration. it is most unaccountable that there should have been such d hard struggle to wrest tho Post Office from it's new location and place il in the building so generously donated 10 the use of tho Government. But the powers that be ha7e decided the question, so that thore is no longer 1 1ol, TI,o H,,;ll hnah hnn,, leased for four years from the first of July, and notwithstanding the opposition of so many, the city is to be honored with a Post Of6cO that comforts with it's size and importance Our Office, so far as business is concerned, Is the third in size in Connecicut while tho ratio of increase in business is greater than in any other Office in the State. The new building, which is now completed, and which will be occupied the present week, will give ns Post Office facilities that are far superior 10 any in the State except New Haven. ltwih stand as Q monument to the public spirit Of those who, against all the opposition which i money and position could bring to bear against them, have gone on pobly in the prosecution of their work It is a building of which the city may be proud. Henceforth, none of us will be ashamed to point stranger to the Bridgeport Post Office. J.w.s
 Bridgeport, July 18th, 1864
 
 DENIS DUvAI"-The following is the lhst passage Mir. Thacgeray wrote of his unfinished novel. It is noticeable that in these times, the last word the great novelist ever wrote is battle" "I shall not attempt to tell that story or the battle of the 23d September, which ended in our glorious captain striking his own colors to our superior and irresistible enemy. Sir Richard has told the story of his disaster in words nobler than any could supply. who, though indeed engaged in that fearful action in which our flag went down before a renegade Briton and his motley crew, saw but very small portion of the battle which ended so fatally for us It did not comm nce till night fall. How we'll remembered the sound ot the enemy,s gun, of wh oh the shot crashed into our side in reply to the challenge Of our chptas,aI who hailed her Then came oroa,Sl10 J, ..9,1. from. us the first I ever heard in battle. pF