, 1866-12-02
THE CHICAGO POST OFFICE.
The Several -ssThrow.
tuE1-Tho Carrier Syntem-Re~.
1sterfnE and Honey Gre1efs
New lp&lfucffouk.

The Several Departments
tnG''-fho Carrier System-Re~-
tsterfnE and Honey Orders
New Instructions.
Not qrl:e thirty i've yes.s ago, the Post Ol1ee of
Chicago VA kept In country variety eto.e on the
lower past o. Lake s,secttn tho mtds$ Of mingled
stock Of "tar, tteaclc, tesr,uents" Eand other
n!*eenaneou. goods. Subscribers 70 newspapers
the clerk was occupied In Weighing . pound Of
butter o. measuring pint Of noiasses, and those
v, ~ wsls ~ Tie na5 n receiving letters nailed
anticipated mistives. These booi.iecs were
p.n1;ntse pm: ~ @ @aneppt At ptva.e boyes. When mai!
not alwaYa Wilt to have The letters sorted opt but
''hoked through the plle' themselves. FaiEs
must have been honest II those days, for there are
general delivery. II The c1penmeat we:t tviei
19xsa{; 3a Saaa iSny r. aae woald d5aw full hand
wtnn1 of 'si-1 nc had no Post Oaicc, and oar only
~.otsd g., 1f:s lqn Ss;; Siesssa .Sea. once
e..ssas WIN ~aat anxtoas eafs, i tho.e days,
m :; ae sst,sat
ont, and, beelonias viii lie Oldest read pauently
The sueeekslss ts.ues. until be h.d ketencd up''
Why. in those umcs, people pvrforoe took a., In-
te.c9tin crea foreign news, and these were bo!d
sp1siss who, for waht of c1eiteusnt nearcr home.
1he ssnlesMic- -nol.tssn question had Il then pc.
etnHo ltseti 70 some rttltcts the gradual tsscs-
sss Slss'"n n.s1., Of sei,etgepss then .aish. have
much. for the death Of faorla coukin or
mothc4.h-}aw. who had been buried 4 month o.
!Eo before one beard Of the Incident and then BY
Eatt having clipped with soue other man, thu
Thing woald scen Ike an old story.
arc hol treasured IL .he archives Of !he establish.
'acnt CT Dearborn street, and hr1 slender docu-
a %s.saaSa heis9 Ws Is T.
pretty mnth ran Itself, or elsc it was 20 unlupnr
tari, fos . long while, that the Department. sway
bother about II. Or ,hlaE it worth While 10 live
It." lts carly history is preserved only IN the
memories 3s e, e our ..oldet. q Hnab,taats" t5ere
unto e thc1t ,Ee.s Il ~ But it 'isa l. benr il
ssse Sss 'es, thf aEst eohe,tsa ab Pq;
proisieios Of The country variety store down on
South Wsser :'!css; lie sequi1cd bis Official dig
cratic NAH iac,ities OF ti4ie eecton for nuab:f
OF 5ea,s. lila position with reference thereto how
svst; s rather ap;lY illustrated By N Incident re-
Potomac. who, in addijon 10 his erif.
isual duties, oGiciased Fostn,a=str for his reg
imeIt. II was about the t!ma Of the battles IN the
u!ar, AID the good Chaplain Nar much auEeved
by inquiries from the men As to VIXEN letters
would - OF mails arrive. H.v,n. oecasinn to
ride over 10 ne1slhns1pg camp one day, be. bn.
6s1 Se s, o. n tsn
mau VII e. ros When o1s 'u w r. IT,
found tlat lc:ac VI: hst, closely ceaaetfsted his
hasd;r,~s1ssrs IL TIC adai:ion-"S Neither dos he
So, the now 1opgdepartsd logan, knew li.,lo
and probably cartd less, about tho mails uuIer
hiF charge. Hut t.eu, people wcrc mnre easily
n III .han nv VIZ fyo aG as
orally, md sometimes wandered round through
Michigan. and thence ACROSS here. Sidney Absl
hTsvd III thas ~ :. early a. II, ahsn @ Wm. sieRss, @
tho third incumbent, was In power. tho o3'cc hed
risen 10 snch dignity 4. 70 command the exclu-
feet wide, aud fftF or aixty feet deep. Fec lob
by fer general delivery was about half tho size
q the pEetent lostma.,er's private office, and
The space 1nwn stairs was 30 small Tat thrY h1d
to b. carried Up eiaIs. In baskets 10 b. d;.-
,1inHtss snd psgple, =, ,oS Tho cane fos ss:sss oa
takinc thsir lnrns On thu "nsst casse, h.ri
ii. /. Stuart followed wn. Stewart, bo.t ga.
tleulen enjoying tull four year tcsms. Ihrn IT, L.
Wilson enjoyed The aeersa: rlories o; ths post
Ms. 6. ". Dole. n hi. time, shc exien."d nrsi.
ncas 6fthe Chicago tost Office. growing in pro.
pottseso e - saka issfsass tn go2a.sion s4d
larger quarters. The little brick bnx Which uad
formerly served, OIL the corner OF the alley on
Clark strcc., wferc thu sherman nou.c now
sta.ds, Was no longer tenatle. and r,ktt Of the
TK1nESk bui.d!nG then cEccted, was modelled 70
As to neecrnuodatc the rost oalcc, Thu portion
room room 1.-THE rnisrSE, and ,ha voom ~ row ocsaaici
By tic tea store on The corner Of the alley. Ih-se
Ncrc then deemed Te.y cormoassua quarters.
large enough 10 do handsomely for m1rg years to
Ia
IN the oltien time, hut even A. latc a.
n isss - G5 ~. :or'sap;Ss wssA ws;hon.
:he inae from New Dr0aio. aud in Winter were
brought sbund by stage trum kalamazoo, ling
deast. @ S pa ~ sSe baiidins II @ % eS sf Gnteaeo
| ard 10 speedily xcrc her systems Of commun,ca-
zion With /: Eat, South. and West aeseloned apl
necessity for et larger ol!cc became imperative
at the zane tru1e the growing Importance Of The
q III was sy,n ~ sa
! werl, demanded the use of more shau half .ht
space then occupied BY the Post 0lce for tho pns-
Aroths. location had TO be found for the Post
Office. which seetos to haze been almost unset.
tied and RI - peripaiedss s,r. as .he % Hoatd ,s Of
seventh Postmaster on tho list, found new place
for tlt ot,lec IN what was then hnosn a. ".ile
on ibe corner of The aiiey between Randolph and
Washington et.oe:s. Here rest wa4 tonnl for a
| considerable ti.ue. and here, alter Mg. Cook had
s 9eisnes Is Il. stead. sse an anthai:y va! aeS s.
rllort duration, only one 5ear: and then Ar. Cook
| was feappointea. and rrmAtned In Office the
yea1r. The nc1t treuulh Mt. appointed by
President Lincoln. las the late J. l.. sc:pps, one
ofthc mcat WORTHY citizens Of chicago, who alter
ftltng tie Office with admirable abiry ard ia'ez.
by Mr. samuel Hoard. ono Of the lev capsule of
Ftiasy, b. Colonel Robert 4. Gillnorc. 4 sal,a:,i
The the lwenty..issh Regiment illinois Vo,un.
rItce.t, ard fcpgt; through every tn; cement II
whtsh big command ~; oEouSht Inc ae:syn
service, rAising himself to the rank VI JLculen1n!
Colonel. and serving muct Of the time as Coi,nel
iaas reova 81 tie T fost STU ocs, 5l a I'd
.sb1 lex hleck,' Gnwr 10 the prcsc5t raa-ait:cs
building en- the corner Of Dearborn and Monro,
rtat and unpreceaentedly rapid ext. rsion 81 oui
fo:t Ct!ce, one Of tec most thoroughly rup1c=en.
tatise Institutions Of city, which in a6ous thi:y
to lie wall Of ! conr1y rtose IN % spl:nIld cd
lace; tho nails to and fs,rl wnic, have ilc1c4s
from Tbs few letters loosely carried In haltbEeed
Iu1lzn's brccchca nnrket, 80 - to Aaonn, al
ready 70 rome twenty tons pcr diem; waiet
vas then ganassd caslly hy ona cle's h
employs ons1iy o1cr ou. hundred as:a sixty asn
some nineteen months aco, Ar. Reynolds. ii.
At.se:snt Postmaster. weighed the o7s:goius
tae average wei:h, then was nineteen tons pei
Cay. Since tha: tine. t.ete ha. been t-taeIa
/ 6Id steady lEclca<s. but no weighing las stlEt
taker place. At the present time on< Ayrtrsd
cnd str,aty locked hae='-thnee cortatntu- let
tc1s-apd about three hundred ba2s oi pa2crs al
scat cut dai:j. II Addition 10 tho innunse I IN
bcr Of fncw.r.rc.. thus distributed f.oca the Gar
den City fh.on;h The Northwest. the readc
Will remember i6al BY far the largest portion o
tie country cizeusailou Of the daiilcs Coe In han
| t.es which arc ueIeE enclosed In bsCt, and wlc'
do rot 70 through the Fo.t O:ct:. Of The 1t.lEExE
tor instance, thirty thousand Per di.o 50 n 1his
IasnI eE eycry week dag.
But, to rrtarn 1ota this d;gressicu, tt MY no
be uuiu1etesting to .cA3ess 10 rcy:rw so-cIa.s:
Of the machinery of Tie Chicago Poet 0nec =. !
now IL, in o. der to undcrttand and apprrtiate |.
axtc1t ard the Immense amount Of labor involves
IN IL ds1y business. For thi. purpose 1tt t
E!ancc at the teYctAl j..
pErAKrHIx1s
tnto which its det.ils a:e divided, Fist q tase
| Is tie ~ Eastern Room" where all lie mail Co!a
eats IL soE.ed and put up IN PACKAGES for tbs eet
cal Offices 10 which IL: letters are addressed
| This department is Under ch.-Ec Of Mr. q. Il
Wele.,. a1d employs ten n.rn. The Weese:
| Room IL tor the SORTING Of letters going wes'
| south a-d north, aad Ia uudcz charge OF J. Stna
aE and l. Z. Eeehe> Tssa5! men sre q J.
pa1fnent Both she9 dc7artc,eate are o
The first toor. md tic letters from them. no'
| nsda ttY {pfn nscs-n sent from them dow