The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-08-06

on this side of the water think London
is something Of town, rubbing his
hands with delight and smiling . his
wife who sat opposite him.
The American nodded assent, and
the happy Enghshman continued
I've think so much Of our store. be
said. that bad a model of il execn-
ted, aud placed il in my house, so that
can see il any time. II is the fines,
store in all London How does il com.
pare with Mr.. Clafin's 7"
The American quietly looked at the
model. and replied, II think il is about
half as large as his.
This was the last. feather for the
proud Englishmans back, and he burst
ont excitedly with:
"You are the strangest people on the
face Of the earth / cannot comprehend
you at all We don't understand the
Americans
The story was too large for the En-
glishman and he couldn't believe it any
more than he could the statement that
ia Chicago whole blocks of houses were
moved at time.
SIZE or THE STORE.
In speaking Of Mr.. ClaAin's store, il
will only be possible to mention few
general features. The mouse has a
frontage on West Broadway Of eighty
feet, the same on Church street, and on
Worth street it is three hundred and
seventy five feet long, and seven stories
high, commencing with the sub-cellar
This is the main building; another
building, which covers two lots Of
ground, and is used mostly for offices
connects with the main building by tive
iron bridges, and in the court we find a
packing room one story high, with an
arched glass roof, two hundred and
seventy five feet long, by some twenty
or thirty feet wide. The sub-cellar ex-
tends under the sidewalks, and is one
hundred feet long all in one ROOM
This is the immense house which ex-
cited the Englishman, which is stuffed
full Of boxes and bales of goods from
top to bottom, which does an annual
business of almost one hundted mil
lions of dollars!
THE GENERAL OFFICES.
What is known as the new building
lit having been erected about year
and halt ago-contains the general
offices, and these are much more exten.
siye than one would imagine. Here il
the post Office, where letters by the
bushel are received and sent. Mr.. Claf
lin has post master OF his own, whose
sole business it is to look after the mail
| The post Office sometimes costs eleven
thousand dollars a month, and clerk
has to helptransact the business. There
is telegraph Office, through which di.
rect communication can be had with
Europe, or any part Of the United States
| An attorney is all the time employed tc
look after the unsettled accounts and th,
legal part of the business. His Office il
near the post Office, and is quite as large
and elegant as the offices OF many down
town lawyers.
The general business Office, or book.
keepers rooms, contains desks for eigh
ty clerks. Here may be seen Mr.. IL. b
Clafin, and his partner, Mr. Bancroft
MIR. Clahin is man of about fifty years
OF age; he has pleasant, full face, thir
hair, slightly gray, mild eye, and pleas
ant manner. He lives in Brooklyn, at
tends H. w. Beecher's church, anC
spends most of his time looking after
hls extensive business He has gen
eral oversight of the whole concern, anC
does great deal of purchasing for th,
qouse. The general business Office il
thronged with people, and with thu
eighty clerks looks more like one o
1astmans business colleges than any
thing else Opening out of the genera
office is large double vault, each OF whicl
will hold fifty men. These are used fol
the important papers and books of tn,
house.
THE GAS WORKS.
One man has nothing to do but t,
look after the gas works of the estab
lishment, five of the largest sized ga
meters being required to supply th'
house. Speaking ol gas, MIR. Clafin il
about to introduce All Improvement
| which 1T would be well for other mer
chants III this city 10 initiate. When q
ire occurs, like the burning OF Chitten
den's store, for instance, the flames ar,
all the While led with an immense stream
of gas which rushes into the building a
fearful rate Ii there Was some wal
OF chutting this oil from the main PIP,
which supplies tie building, one great
help towards extinguishing the fir,
would be found. blr. Clafln is abou
to cut through the sidewalk, whereye
a gas pipe comes, and have cut off pu
III, which can be operated from th,
street, as well from the inside OF til,
building. The greatest precaution i
everywhere taken against fire, buckets
full Of water standing on the staircases
while large iron tanks Of the same ar.
to be found IN the upper stories.
NUMBER on CLERK 8.
Between five and six hundred clerk
are employed in tais store. Among
these are lawyers, ioctors, Judge adyo
Gates, scientific and military men. Al
the officers OF regiment, from the col
onel down to the drummer boy can be
] I.s.