Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-06-02
OUR CENTENNIAL LETTER.

Splt hdid, weather and Splendid sights
1sfLThe iAttendaaee InereasIng-IoFe
- ab0us 4 neIe SataAs GenerBl Display
Postal Facilities on the GrOunds7
Some Inferestng Subjects for FutuFe
Letters-A few other thugs briefly
smenttOned. ''' -
I r. The attendance at the Exposition in
creases somewhat and has been generally
better than last week. For some days past
the weather has been most delightful, and
aside from the slight drawback Of a few
unfinished buildings, ETC., this is really the
pleasantest time to visit the Exhibition,
The trees, flowers, grounds and all sur
,roundings look as fresh and beautiful as a
May queen, and Fairm0qnt Park is Just
now themost attractive place to, be found
anywhere There is no dust and loppress-
i've heat to- be encountered, and travel both
oRsthe road aRd about the city. is not ae-
eompanisd with many disoOmforts which
iwilIbe inseparable from it in midsummer,
Yet most ikelythe great rush of visitors
Will come then, for Americans, as rule,
,selectithe season 'oflthe year for pleasure
trips, when travel is burden rather than
pleasure e-wheniiti is too hot to stay at
home. There are still, people who do not
realize the diseomforts Of two ina bed, in
a seven by nine room, in the middle of
July, and that is why the erowdsis expect
ed to be larger about and after the gle7
rious Fourth. - ~ 3rs-ii - - ~
Last week gave pretty full outline of
the government agricultural display, but
only ''fooled round the edges" of the q nj
ted States building proper, which I think
win, after all, attract as much notice from
the average visitor as any part Of the Ex-
,hibition. Uncle Sans Centennial Branch
Post Office, which occupies a space forty
by sixty feet, in the southwest wing Of the
building, is as complete and well-ordered as
any city in the country possesses. 1t il. /.
enclosed by walnut. partition with glass
front, and has five hundred lock boxes,
There are, ten carriers employed, and fifty
boxes for depositing mail stationed at vari-
GUS points on. the grounds, The clerks
speak all languages, and the deposit boxes
are lettered in English, French, German,
Spanish, Italian and Japanese. Hourly
trips are made to the main, city post office
by the Centennial mail wagons, which are
handsome vehieless with drivers inAnform.
Oneiof the. carriers is John Ghinaman,
whose quque hangs down bislbaek as natu-
raj as the curl of a pigs taiL l55ioy5t
The space occupied by, the Post Office
Department, properyis 40x40lfeetg and dis
plays many interesting exhibits. The little
envelope maGhine and nickle plated Bax-
ter engine, mentioned before, which isl now
turning out %, 900 envelopes per day. with
the new Centennial stamp, attracts a con-
slant crowd around the bronze railing by
which it is enclosed. A model mailcateh-l
er upon car inside Of the building, built
on a scale Of oneiineh to the foot, and near
thelenSelope machine, calls forth the adj
1liratioh Of the Younger visitors. "a This car
runs. on 8 track twenty feet in length, Sand'
catches miniature mailbag as it passes |
along at full speed, illustrating the prac- /
tice of sthe fast mail trains. There are
cases containing specimens ofall mail-bags,
pouches, etc., used by the department.
Specimens of all the locks and scales used, |
and samples of making and canceling |
stamps, together with six highly orna-
mental frames containing specimens Of ali
stamped envelopes, official envelopes, pos
tai cards and postage stamps ever used in |
this country. These are furnished by the |
Columbian Bank Note Company, the pres
ent contractors, and are valuable directo-
ry to the stamp gatherers. a.
The Interior Department makes q good
display. The Patent Office shows 5000
models arranged in classes, !6O,80o patents
bound in series; central office Of. admin
in which the workings Of Amsri-
cas- favorite bureau isilihstrateti. Strange
ly enough, one finds the Patent once sec.
ton Of the Interior Department IN Il pos
session Of the original Declaration Of In
dependence, and the commission Of Gem
eral Washington from the Continental Cen
gressi also, the relics Of Washington, his
clothes, camp equipage punch-bowl and
furniture, The National Museum once
sought fre-prOof place of deposit in
Washington, and 50 did branches Of the