New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-02-10
ALETTER-CARRIER'S REVIEW
JAMES wATSOY'S ACCOUNT OF THE CITY
POST-OFEICE
WHAT ONCE FILLED A RACK IN A COFFEE
HOUSE NOW MEASURED by TUNS-EPISODES
OF TWO HUNDRED AND FIF'TY YEARS.

or TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS.
The following is q summary of an int rest %
Ing lecture on the "NewYork PostOice from lCl3 to
1873" recently delivered at Steinway Han BY James
Watson. himself a lettercarrcr:
In 1923. nine years after building OF the first fort
tho southern extremity OF Manhattan Island the
primitive New-Iork Post-0hice into being. Cap
tans OF vessels bringing letters from the old country be-
gan TO deposit them in coee-house where they were
displayed In a rack The cofee-house OF those days was
the place where the merchants and burgherS met 20
ZIP and exchange the Of the day. The first letter
carriers the gOodnaturcd hangerson OF the place
who would volunteer letters to those whose visits
60 the oOfee-house New Amsterdam an 1860
was by no means large town IL consisted OF strag.
Cling groups Of One-sory houses, with bigh-peaked
roofs and gable ends fronting the street which extend
ed from the Battery 20 wal-st The town windmill stood
the Battery The Government House in Waterst,
Whehallst. A creek through BrOad-st.. up
which market boats rowed by stout Dutchwomen,
brought provisions and the mails Bergen, Cow
and Brooklyn. The city wall-where Wall-st now
is-was a row OF palisades with embankments nine feet
high. aud broad enough the top for foopath. 1t
WAS fsvorte promenade for the residents OF that day
EARLY POST ROUTES AND FACuITIEs.
II not till 1892 that the first regular city post
otnce established by the municipal government. In
l-iO the Postmaster General of Great Britain estao
Ished chief letter Office, to which all letters brought
by ships directed be In III post routes
were established between New-York and Boston and
Albany the mails being carried about twice month on
horseback In 7lO similar arrangements were made be-
tween New-YOrk and Philadelphia. The PostOhcc was
situated in Broadway, opposite Bowling green and
the name OF the first Postmaster Of whom there is any
record was Richard Nichol In 1853 Benjamin Franklin
was appointed for the Colonies, with
a small salary, conditional upon the postal revenue
realizing that amount 1856 the postage to England
by the first mail packets four pennyweiShts OF s
yer In 1894 the mail service between New-Nork ana
Philadelphia was changed from twice month to twice
o week. and tin some years after the Revolution boy
with saddlcbags carried the mails without overloa aiding
his horse Then a sulky used, and the people were
Let In amazeent at the progress OF internal improve
uents when a four-horse stage found necessary.
Eow large mailcar, making four or five trips day, Is
hardly sufficient to transport the mails between these
cities
In i765 Alexander Colder succeeded Richard Nicho
Postmaster OF the City of NewYOrk which position he
held tl the breaking ont OF the Revolution When the
took possession Of the city the POstOmee was
abolished. and for than seven years all communi-
eaton by writing not connected with the army of occu
patton had 10 carried by stealth. William Bedow
va. the frat Postmaster after the Sebastian Bau
mar succeeded him in in which year the first city
directory, containing 925 names, was published Inc
postal revenue for that year amounted TO $S9 "a the
revenue for the past year $65O0O exclusive Of the
money order department The first Postmaster General
Samuel Osgood assumed his duties in 1882 in the City
Of New York. There at this time IS Government
postoices and miles OF post roads. There are now
81 ss3 posoces and 2 1913 miles of post roads In 1890,
when the scat Of Government was removed from New
York 20 Philadelphia the latter city had three letter
carriers. New-YOrk having only one There are now
employed In the New-York Post-Ofice COG clerks
sud 37 carriers and cOectOrs-a toal Of $685. The car
rcrs deliver daily average Of 10000 domestic let
ters 5000 city letters and 10000 newspapers and
CIRCULARS This is exclusive of those delivered through
the boxes. which increases the number One-third
In 1898 J1sls Ten Eyck succeeded Bauman, but after
years service followed by Theodoru5 Bailey, who
held the position nearly quarter Of century. He
removed the Post-Oce from Broadway 20 No. % VIII
lam-st at Gardenst now Exchange-place. Here boxes
were nrst established for delivery They were IA in
number and filed Of the front windows on the
croand foOr Postmaster Bailey and his family occupied
the upper part OF the building residence. His name
ppears g ned 70 a set OF resolutions resenting the
sumptons OF Great Britain relative TO the impressment
~ American When the War OF 1914 broke out,
nearly all the male citizens of NewYork were employed
in in helping put the city in state OF de-
fsu-e Archibald Forester. whose son Charles is now
employed IN the PostOice, was among the Post,O1cc
employees divided their time between their ordinary
dIties aud labor on the earthworks.
WHAT PITY YEARS HAVE DONE.
In ts2l high board fence built along the line Of
Duane and Harrison-sts 10 shut in the yellow fever
which yed in the lower part OF the city and the Post
Oace was removed TO a house In Greenwich Village, at
Rank and FOurth-sts single trip OF One-horse furnl
-ure-agon was sufficient the entire contents
~ the Office Now the daily sale of stamps amounts to
out - 500 the number of letters stamped daily In the
Office u 10000: the number OF circulars is 6OOOO OF
thrr bags or ock-ups are daily from the Office
The total weight nearly 80 tuns with nearly an equal
non Of foreign mails the gross weight sent out Is 10
In the Foof 1922 the POST Office was removed to its
old quarters whamst The population OF the city did
then number more than 10000 ana Cahast d0rneu
tue extreme northern HmI OF INC oeS, ii AZ IT
General Governments leased the Academy bullding IN
hep tb@ basement Of the new Merchants Exchange
was leased IL stood the site or the present CUSTOM
extended 10 Houston and Fourth-sts. The fraDkinG
privilege freely used in those days CONGRESSMAN
IlckOns first term and then franked her back TO New
York to which place she was led tied TO the man coach
Con Bailey died in September 1928, and samuel L.
Couverneur was appointed his successor. HIS cousin
Known ~ little SAM, the first regularly appointed
shjer In the great fire OF December, 1885, the Post
once burned and the mail matter was telnporaIy
removed 70 IneIs near na Psr IN ,s Lanes PAGE
who mad previously been Postmaster OF hsdelpha sue
Ionatban i Coddngton who sbuit an addition TO the
RStunda and established branch once IN Chath9in-
square, and a letter delivery in the Merchants Ex-
change President Tyler removed Coddington and ap-
pointed John L. Graham
THE DUTCH CHURCH OCCUPIED.
In order 20 secure the present location OF the Post
oce 5000 was raised by downtown merchants, which
with 100000 given by the Department was sufficient to
purchase the Middle Dutch Church" The Government
expended $4,000 in ttng up, and in 1915 the Post
Osoe vas removed 10 It's present location. In la5,
Robert n Morris succeeded Graham street boxes were
fr-t established in that year About this time, also,
postage was reduced IRON nHe ana zen cehIs 70
tbres eents In isl9 William V. Brady became Post
master and in 1883 Isaac v Fowler received the appoint
Iuent At this time large number OF ward politicians
we're appoined carriers but when ehey found they
rompesd 10 do hard work most OF them retired In dis
gu, Lamp-pOst boxes were introduced about TINS Time
.od the registry Of letters begun in 1856. Regis
td letters are receipted for from hand TO hand en- route
IN their destination. Most OF the bonds held
n, Europe were sent over as registered mail matter
PROM 800 70 200 registered letters by each mail