New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-06
THE POsTOFFICE
How the Mails are Handled
The Perfect System of Vast Machine

The Perfect System of Vast Machine
The Postoffice is located on the lower
floor of the Customhouse, and occupies ths
entire front on Old Levee street. Ingrest
and egress is permitted through thirteen
massive doors. Entering the doorway neal
corner of Canal street the visitor finds him
self in q large hallway, paved with tes
selated marble. There are two rows OF
massive pillars supporting double row OF
| groined arches. At the corner of Canal and
| Old Levee streets are situated the money
| order office, the cashiers office and the pri
| vate office of the postmaster. At the corner
of Customhouse and Old Levee streets will
be found the offices of the special agent and
| the registering clerks. The intervening space
| is occupied by the facade of boxes which
| fronts Old Levee street in parallel line,
with re-entering rectangles at either end to
give space for the general delivery, carrier g
department and ladies' delivery. In the rear
of the facade of boxes are situated the
desks of the two assistant postmasters, who
are thus enabled to directly supervise the
entire working Of the force. The hour for
closing the Postoffice is 10 z. NJ, though
watches are kept up both day and night.
There are three watches. the first from 7
A. M. to P. M, the second from p. M. to
10 P. NJ, and the third from 10 P. NJ to ! A.
NJ. To sustain these watches, and for the
performance OF the immense amount Of
work required at this Postoffice fifty men
are employed.
The carriers department is situated 10
rear of the office of registry. There are
fcrty-seven carriers and one substitute.
There are four deliveries in the business
portion of the city each day, Sunday ex-
cepted; in more remote sections, one or two
deliveries. as may be required. The routes
extend from the Slaughterhouse to Jetfe1-
son, and from the river to the swamp. The
start out is at A. NJ, and the final return
az 4:3O P. NJ. Five carriers are detailed
each week for night duty as collectors of
letters from boxes in the business portion
Of the city. Some idea of the labor per
formed by these faithful messengers may
be obtained from the following data: Dur
ing the month of April 5s4 registered letters
and 1899 ordinary letters were delivered;
of postal cards there were &c, 263; Of local
letters 1892, of local postal cards q ,,52.
and l0S,6l4 newspapers. OF this number
1896 were returned to the Office for various
reasons, such as absence or removal on the
part Of the persons to whom such letters
were addres sed. During the same month
the carriers collected from the 30l box es
357 ,034 letters. 1888 postal cards and
l06,5l5 newspapers.
The clerical work of the carriers depart
ment is performed by Mr.. George P. Wright
and two assistants.
The salary of letter carrier is 500 for
the first year, $500 for The second, and in
case Of continued good conduct $500 there
after, subject to the usual vicissitudes of
official changes.
The carrier system is so perfect and so
satisfactory that at the expiration of each
quarter boxes are surrendered and orders
given to deliver letters by carriers.
Turning the angle and approaching the
facades Of boxes we come to the general
and foreign delivery. Three clerks run this
department, each having under his super
vision three pigeon holed boards, arranged
in triangular form and placed on revolv-
ing axis. This department delivers about
260 letters daily.
The box department., under charge Of
Mr.. Joseph H. Baker and seven assistan is, is
next in order. There are 1928 boxes, of
which number 1880 are size one, Ago are
size two and 1924 locked drawers. The rent
of the boxes rates as follows: 81 SO per
quarter for size one, So for size two and
So for locked drawers. At present 2064
boxes are rented, the rental accruing di-
rectly to the government at the end of each
quarter. 1t is by many persons errone ousIy
supposed that the rentals of the boxes re-
vert to the postmaster. Such is not the
case. There are no perquisites in the
postal service; from the postmas ter down
to the messenger only the fixed salary is
allowed. Even the pieces of Irvine and
waste paper must be accounted for.
In this department is placed the massive
old clock, which for quar- ter of century
has done duty in the service of Uncle Sam.
A correlative branch of the box depart
ment is the mailing bureau, Mr.. c. A.
Freyhl in charge. About $500 drop letters
are received here per day, and about $4,000
come IN for distribution. AS fast as the
letters are brought in by the carriers or &C
cumulate in the drop box, they re taken
by the stamping clerk and arranged on
table go as to bring the stamps on a line.
Persons who facetiously paste tn cir stamps
in the centre of the envelope or in any place
but the orthodox upper right hand corner,
should see the scowl with viii ch the stamp
ing clerk greets such pleasantly.
The number of letters sent to the dead
letter office daily is twenty. During the
latter half of February valentine season.,
the number of dead letters rea ches 200 per
day, going to show how utterly regardless
love is of stamps. Should these dead letters
contain any article of either intrinsic or
Fictitious value, sey are returned to the
writers by the deg rtment at Wash ing ton.
photograph, fE1cents. lock Of hair, or
even q little fadHd flower, may save the
misdirected letter from destruction.
Mr.. Sam BrOm $rg and seven assistants
have charge of t newspaper department.
The weight OF III a matter sent off from this
bureau daily is D1pounds. Nearly hun
bred pounds OF ~ spapers, short paid. are
daily dropped ID b the Office, which, of
course, remain heAe and are sold as waste