The New York herald., 1868-06-17

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the Proposed New Metropoitan Post Office
The Immediate Erection of the structure
Recomme ended-EinbOrate Exhibit of the
Increased Postal Business Of the Country
and the Prospective Failure Of New York;
Interesting Comparative Statements and
Statistics.
Representative Ferry, from the Congressional Com
mttee on Post Onces and Post Roads, yesterday
submitted TO the House an elaborate and highly
interesting report the subject OF the erection OF
the contemplated new Post Once and United States
Court building in this city. bill referring TO the
! same subject was also reported from the same COM
mittee, later in the day, which, together with the
report, was ordered TO he printed. II then re-
committed TO the committee with instructions 10 re-
| port compete.
An appropriation Of 81 zoo, 600 vii also lie reported
! TO carry the bill into effect
! Subjoined will be found the mOsr interesting
features fthe report
The Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads, to
| whom referred the subject OF a new Post ONCE
and United States Courts building IN the city OF New
York, Gnder letters of the Secretary OF the Interior
and the Postmaster General and memorial OF the
Chamber of Commerce Of the State Of New York,
That SO far as the necessity for Post Office
building an the city of New York, adequate to the de-
niands OF the present and prospective business OF
this continental distributing Oflce, your committee
| have determined taat-in great measure determined
from the fact OF the purchase by the government of
Congress, approved May is ls66-the commission
authorized BY that resolution, after diigent search
and negotiation were successful in obtaining suita
an area Of e5,259 square feet equal to about
lower sontheriy end Of city Hall Park, formed
by the uniting thoroughfares of Broadway and Park
/ upon each 500 feet from the curved line which
bounds their junction IA specific diagram of
nominal sum OF s5oo,Ooo, which has been paid
for by the government, and title to the
% a U e
m.ttee objections to the eligibility Of the purchased
site were presented from various quarters, and while
your committee have taken 1t for granted that the
question OF site loreclOsed by the formal acton
referred to by the government, they cheeriul!y lis
parties who appeared before them for that purpose
when sitting in said city, and found that all such
objections were substantially met by the adms-
| siOns of each that no other suitable location
within the range OF reasonable valuation with clear
oIher purpose than or Post once and federal courts
could the consent Of the city have been secured to
me he SAFE i oI TINS AMI na %en NJ is &c
valuation by the most reliable real estate judges OF
the city is not less than two and half millions of
dollars, its purchase for the sum Of five hundred
thousand dollars may be deemed an exceedingly for
| tunate negotiation for the government.
by virtue OF a commission appointed under a resO-
luton OF Congress, approved January %, 1867, plans
and specifications were submitted for suitable
States iost Oflce and courts In pursuance OF TINS
duty said commission formally adopted rules and
*,
! Guiding generous scale OF premiums for the four
most meritorous plans, all OF which, after receiving
the approval OF the Secretary OF the Interior and
the Postmaster General were, under circular form,
published and circulated with Invitation for general
ton and adoption ion Of the commission n ~ Fiity-two
plans thus received, thirty-seven OF which were
at rejected, the remaining fifteen thereafter re-
| duced to dve each OF which covered respective
features deemed desirable in the plan finally to be
adopted. These nve-submitted by the several Al.
ehitects Renwick 4 sands, n. lie Brun, schutye 4
Schoen Richard M. Hunt and John Carrejc-were
subsequently combined in one with the essential
merits Of each, and finally adopted as the
plan of the cOmmsson, and fully ap-
proved by the Secretary OF the Interior
and the Postmaster General. This chosen plan to-
gether with minute specifications and estimates in
Guiding perspective designs OF proposed completed
structure from various points OF vew are also here
Under resolution OF the House of Representa-
tves OF March !, directing the Secretary OF the
Treasury "to have detailed estimates OF the cost of
the proposed Post Once and Court House building in
the city of New York, according to the plans pre-.
sented by the commission, to procure said plans and
to report at the earliest moment, with any recon-
mendations in regard TO the material and mode of
tion from A. b. Mullett, government supervising
architect was submitted by the Secretary to the
architects Is here inserted in Mr. Forys repoT
The questions OF necessity and site for the cOnem
plated buildings having been determined by the ac-
non OF the government, there remains but the con-
Guiding one to consider, as to the immediate neces-
ihe New York Post once is the great distributing
Office for this Continent. Adequate space and fac-
ties for the rapid and proper handling Of the vast
amount of mail matter passing through this Office,
with suitable accommodations for its executive de-
partments, become not only question OF local con-
venience but assume national importance, as the
postal intel es OF The whole country in great mea-
sure depends upon the accuracy and celebrity with
| which this great distributing reservoir performs Its
functions.
The present building used for post office purposes
was originally erected ana used for a church. IL
bears upon Its front entabature the date OF 1929,
and II may safely be said that II ~ the Oldest struc-
ture OF any considerable size now standing In the
May /, 145 at an annual rent OF $4,000, then pur-
chased October 20, 1861 at cost oi s2OoOO0 TO the
| government and $4,000 to contributing citizens.
Additions were made to the building under contract
January 1862 costing $5S7. From hat time To the
present the average expense Of ordinary repairs
able has been $500 annually. Within the past two
months an enlargement Of room demanded by the
increase OF business has been made by means OF
| Mansard roof, and additional floor partly around
the building at an outlay Of about 8 $1,000; The
Condition are such that an annual expenditure OF
$4,000 for gas consumed during daylight is made
the amount 1t should be; all Of WHICH would be
avoided by properly constructed building.
been increased during the last years from 2es to
6e5 until TIE average space each occupies y t9rty
Let this be c6htra ted with the average room allotted
! In the following olflces, to wit
Boston, space to each employe. 81
:. Philadelphia, space to each employ ........... 35
Baltimore space to each employe. .............. 90
Cincinnati, space to each cmploye. e............. 20
Chicago space TO each empiOye ................ 10
st. Louis, space to each empioye. ............. 50
| To compress men into the average working space
Of thirty feet, and In many instances ten feet is an
abuse Of human endurance and calls loudly for re-
FORM The following statement OF the medical officer
| employed by the government for the care OF the
employees is startling exhibit OF the sanitary re-
out feeling the full force OF tue fact that the dapi
| dated condition, inconvenent limitation depriva-
ton Of natural light, general decomposition with
| nnnla
without the possibility OF securing pure
air enough TO neutralize the fatal atmosphere IL
| suflcient to condemn the building and location as
totally unit for the force and labor indispensable to
an ONCE OF such magnitude. lHere Mr.; Ferry incor
porates in his report the testimony OF Dr. waiter k
Jiillet, medical oficer OF the New York Post ONCE
which shows that the average number OF days lost TO