Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-06-27
The New York Custom House.

In the year 1868 the Government
leased, and subsequently bought for
81, 1000, 900, the present Custom-house,
originally built as the Merchants
Exchange" The whole front on
Wall Street is simply facade of sol
id granite, composed of square blocks
and heavy-looking columns of blush
gray granite. On the whole front
there is not window the utility of
which is not almost or entirely de-
stroyed by the follies of the original
design. The rotunda, which is tho
noticeable room of tho building, is,
from the floor to the spring OF the
dome, nearly hundred feet in
height, and is so situated rs TO abso-
lutely absorb all the available space
of one of the most valuable squares
of ground in any city Of the world.
All the rest Of the rooms, facing on
four streets, are small, badly shaped,
and, from their thick walls, are as
darks as casemates, and suggest to
tho most casual observer the interior
of vast and dilapidated fortress,
turned to the use Of people engaged
in civil pursuits.
The desks in the rotunda run par
allel with the wall, and form one
large and one interior circle, with
space between to accommodate the
hundreds of people who have bust
,ooo NIT h tho Gustopox Il ouoa off oio L.
70 the rotunda are assigned the dep
uty-collectors and clerks, whose SER
vices are demanded in all the prelm-
mary and closing acts of business
routine. Here are four "deputy-col-
lectors," three ''chief clerks, i've Ten
try clerks, "bond clerk" and assist
ant "ohief clerk, and "foreign clear
ance clerk" and his two assistants
three amendment Clerks" three
"ordcr clerks" two "invoice clerks,
and two "coast-wise clerks" These
designated officials include those who
come in constant contact with the
merchants, brokers, coast-wise cap
tains, and all others who, not know
ing where to go, rush into tho ro-
tunda, and ask questions, add finally
get the information they desire and
are happy, or become so confused
that they retire in disgust. The
hours of business are from 10A. NJ. TO
3 P. NJ; and in all that time, to the
uninitiated, it is babel of confusion
and discordant tongues. The mos
mont. however, the urfaced clock,
which forms such a conspicuous OBJ
iect on its slender column, erected.in
the very centre of tho rotunda,
through its long and short hands in
dicates the hour Of P. NJ, no ghosts
at cock-cro wing more rapidly vanish
into thin air, or more effectually dis
appear, than do tho members of the
noisy crowd which for five hours
have kept alive the interior OF this
great room, dedicated to commerce.
1t is not generally known, bat Wis
itors, especially ladies, are always
welcome to the galleries which COM
mand this scene of industry, and,
without intruding or interfering with
tho busy crowd below, can overlook
one Of the most interesting and in
structive sights to be witnessed in
this city.
Attached to all the departments
of the Custom-house arc some eleven
hundred clerks, whose united pay
amounts to about $25O,O0O per
month. The Collectots stated sala.
ry per annum is $4,000, deputy,
collectors $4,000. From this last
named sum the remuneration rapidly
decreases down to $500 per snnum-
paid the hmble sweepers and messen-
gers. The customs on imports are
collected in the New York Custom
house at cost Of from one to one
and a half per cent,-greatly less
than in the internal revenue depart
ment, and just half Of what it costs
to collect the imposts in England.
In fact so economically conducted is
the New York Custom-house regard
ing its expenses that the Govern
ment literally pays nothing; for the
fees collected on entries, protests,
re gisters, and other documents
amount in the course of year, to a
sum quite equal to the salaries paid
to all the officers legitimstely at
tached to departments.-Harper S
Magazine for June.