Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-17
New England Dispatches.
Gra"d Celebration IA BOsiOn-LnyiuS
the Corner Stone of the New Post OAicc
-The Distinguished Guests Interesting
Postal Matters, etc.

seized and takenEto Guysboro, n. s. Tor viola
tion Of the fishery law. She was cut ont by UNI
known parties supposed to be American seat
men, a week ago last night, Excitement was
caused to-day, it being announced that an Eng
fish man-of-war was cruising in the bay, expect.
ing the Horizons arrival tonight. Collector
Babson has been hele in consulta ton with the
president, and revenue cutter Mahony has been
dispatched, under sealed orders; also, it is said
iigate has been sent TO Gloucester, and future
Developments are awaited with anxiety.
BosroN, Oct. 16-Ghe cornerstone Of the
new post office was laid with Masonic ccre-
monies, this afternoon, in the presence Of Presi-
dent Grant, several high national aud state Dig
nitaries, and an immense concourse of specta-
tors. Many ladies, including Mrs. Grant OCcu.
pied reserved seats on the raised platform, The
exercises consisted in placing a tin box, contain
ing great number and variety of articles, in
the niche upon which the cornerstone was low
cred, President Grant aiding Grand Master
Charles L. Woodbury. with the tlowel and
cement. Music, prayer, an original hymn and
addresses from Postmaster General CreSwell
the remaining exercises. The address Of Post
master General Creswell was quite long. He
sketched the earliest history of the postal SER
vice in foreign countries and in the United
States, tracing IL dOMh 10 the present time, ana
continued as follows:
Having conceded, when first entrusted with
the administration of the post office department,
that the people should be satisfied with nothing
less than the best and cheapest service, | deem
the present fit opportunity to make known
what has teen accomplished during the last
three years. The number of letters transported
aud delivered during the year ending June 80,
last, exceeds 6i0,O0OOOO, and it is estimated that
the newspaper and miscellaneous mails disposed
of were ten times greater in both weight and
bulk than the letter mails. There were in the
postal service at the end of the last fiscal year
40 954 persons, scattered over every part of the
national domain, from Sitka to Key West, and
from San Diego TO st. Johns, who were classified
as follows First. In the department proper:
Postmaster General, one; assistant pOstmas-
tiers general, three; superintendent OF for
eign mails, one; superintendent of the money
oder office, one; chief OF division of dead let
tiers, one; chief clerk OF the department, one;
chief clerks OF the bureaus, four; clerks, labor
ers, watchmen, etc, 3l9; total, 341.
Second. In the local service: POstmasters,
60,O45; contractors, 1856 clerks in post offices,
1889; letter carriers, 1919; route agents, 6S4;
railway postal clerks, 2132; mail route mcsScn-
gers, 1903; local agents, 81; special agents, %;
making total of 1891, or 1898 more than
the whole army OF the United States, officers and
enlisted men.
OF the 3O,O45 post offices in operation, 2O76
were money order offices, HIP were filled by APP
pOintment by the president, and 2o,Si3 by APP
pOintment of the postmaster general.
A comparison Of 1871 with 1863 On the Both
of June, 1868, there were in operation 2G,4Sl
post offices, OF which $40 were filed by the pres
ldcnt and 1852 by the postmaster general; 1868
were money order offices. At the SaITe time,
the department had 400 route agents, 81 mail
route messengers, 233 railway post office clerks
and 80 local agents There was an increase, in
three years, Of 1864 post otiiccs,-Ol which 1913
were filled by appointment OF the president and
3A1by appointment of the postmaster general
COS money order offices, 1874 route agents, 40
mail route messengers, 2Sl railway post office
clerks, and IL local agents In 1871, there were
in operation 23S,3j9 miles of mail routes, of all
kinds, apporiOncd as follows; 16S19l miles Of
routes other than steamboat and railway routes,
costing S5,127,4 13; 2O,334 miles Of steamboat
routes, costing STl6,g43; and 1881 miles of
railway routes, costing S5,724,9T9.
In 1868, there Wers in operation 1928 miles OF
mail routes, of all kinds, apportioned in the
manner following: 1929 miles OF routes other
than steamboat and railway routes, costing
81, 43S ,299; 1851 miles of steamboat routes,
costing $500 ,631 and 36,OlS miles of railway
routes, costing SHIT l26; showing an increase
in three years of q ,431 miles in the total length
of routes, with the following exhibit: increase
of 1928 miles Of routes other than steamboat
and railway routes, with decrease in the cost
of $40, S26; 6S77 miles Of steamboat routes
with an increase in the cost Of S126,313; and
1886 miles of railway routes, with an increase
in the cost Of 81 ,547 1853
In 1870, the total annual transportation on
routes other than steamboats, and railway
amounted TO Al 96S miles; on steamboat
routes, to 46S4,17S miles; on railroad routes, to
IS, 557 ,04S miles; making an aggregate annual
transportation, by all routes, of tO7, 572, T94
miles, at cost of S11 ,529,395.
In 1868, the total annual transportation on
other than steamboat and railway routes
amounted to 45,54O,5S7 miles; on steamboat
routes to 1856 $50 miles; on railway routes, to a.,
SS6 176 miles making the animal a0orepatp Of