The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-03-12
The new YORK POST OFFICE.
What Twelve Hundred Men
Have TO Do.
Errors About Removals and
Appointments.
Fifty-two Years Among the
Letter Boxes.
THE LIST OF VETERANS.
THE LIST OF VETERANS
Jackson and Van Buren, Clerks
Still at Work.


about tamper.ng with his letters had the effect Of
turning everybody's eyes upon the New York Post
Office Our Postmaster promptly demanded a thor
ough Investigation and II was promptly made; and the
entire committee, majority being democrats, not
only fully clear the Office of suspicion Of
wrong but volunteer the highest cncomiums upon the
management OF the Office under Mr.. James
Not many men and not any women know have
any adequate idea OF the business done in that
immense beehive at the lower end of tho Park. Wo
know that ono can step to tho corner and drop letter
into box. feeling quite that it will gat TO tho
Post Office much sooner than could place therc;
and we know that almost invariably letters reach
much quicker than could get them; but how and
by whom this great machinery is matters Of
which the mass OF the people know very little.
What tho extent OF correspondence by mail might
have becn without tho telegraph wo can only conec
ture 1t might have been one-haf creator, possibly
nearly double For in these days nearly all tho news
find in the papers and great portion of the bust
OF bankers and merchants goes and comes by
lightning Yet there is good share Of work left for
the Post Office, as the reader VIII nnd by glancng
the brief setting forth in this article
THE OLDEST INnABrANT-posT OFFICE MIGRATION.
The veteran service in the New York Post
Onico is Charles Forester, superintendent OF tho
Registry Department He was appointed by General
Theodorus Bailey in November 1895, and Is now in
affairs His father was in the service before him, hav
ing been appointed by General Bailey in 1905 So tho
Forrestcrs have been almost seventy years
in the Post Office; ana now the .hird
generation Is there, the person of
Charles Forester, Jr, Superintendent Of Registry
When tho present ono vas appointed the Post ONCE
in Garden street (now Exchange place) in ord
nary private house, in which the Post master lived.
Six clerks and six carriers constituted tho force
Of tho establishment, and 144 small pigeon holes,
which the Astors ana Stewards Of the period their
lettors when they pleased, accommodated the
vast mercantile business of tho city. There
wore stations, no lamppos boxes, and, Of course
no collection Of letters. The carriers began work
1--WE A. NJ, making up and distributing mails, and
then went their rounds, which were mainly below
ut Harlem, OF which william b. Bradshaw was Post.
master. We now have twentyone stations, sixteen Of
which do larger business than was done at tho only
Post ONCE IN 1925.
Mr.. Forester has the ms and outs as post
masters OF General Bailey, Samuel L. GouvcrncLr
president Monroes n-in-iaw) Jonathan Codding-
ton, John LorImer Graham Robcr. II. Morris, William
Y. Brady, Isaac v. Fowler John Dix William b.
Patrick II. Jones, and is now in lair
way to 40 long service under Mr.. James
had 1866 900 Inhabitants Mails were carried by steam
bonts and stages, or on horseback. There were
tho telegraph. Tho grca, railroad king who died
few days ago worth nearly si0o, 900,
siesmooass Beiona and Bolivar. Ap running no 10
Eiizabethtown and staten Island We had for
morning papers tho Gassne aud General Advertiser.
Mercantile advertiser, Ddity Advertiser, Courier and
Enquirer Journal Of Commerce and Morning Herald
lnot the present HERALD nor by its propreIor). The
evening papers were tho Commercial Advertiser, Post
American, Ere',,ng Journal aud Sentinel. The more
conspicuous newspaper propretors and editors
Lang Turner, Butler Mumiord, Dwight a. Town
seud, Webb Z: Tyiec, Hale Il Hallock Francis Hail &
Co.. Charles King and James G. Brooks civilians
Register, for $780, says there were IN New York city
daily papers, ten semi weekly twenty three
weekly two semi. IN onthly, and one monthly-.n all
1000 ana the highest weekly be Methodist paper the
Christian Advocate and Journal about 20 COO
There were about eighty churches and dozen banks
In the CITY.
When the Exchange was burned in the great tire of
1853 the Post ONCE went with IT, AS soon possible
the Office was opened in the Rotunda in the Park A
great row made by the merchants, who thought
the Park out OF the world just the builders of tho
City Hall did when they put stone In the
rear wall, because few people would ever see
that side Of the ed'hcc About this time Mr. Codding.
ton was made Postmaster. he established a branch
oice in the present subTreasury build n.y. and made
snug sum by charging two cents for letters and one
cent Tor papers delivered there. Sometimes there
would be three four THOUSAND such letters In a day.
Another branch was established IN Chatham square
Mr.. Coddineton was SO well liked that when Har
risOn was elected no thought OF removing him was
entertained, until the accession OF Tyler changed tho
programme. John Lorimer Graham put and
long night about new Post Office. further down
town, and finally the Old Dutch church
only $500 for the property the owners asked
$3.50, 600, The merchants glad to get tho Post
Office down Town again that they raised the SoOOOO In
nm hour and made the government present of the
money.
The operations Of the Post Office In that old rookery
are well known. The wonder Is how such vast ana
rapidly increasing business could be done under such
discouraging incOnvcnIcuccs.
MISTAKES ABOUT REMOVALS.
Zero are great many simple minded people who
Of the opinion that tho installation of Col.
Icclor u new Post Is the signal Tor clean
sweep of tho little people under their control
We'll informed men know better. The mass of
the seldom disturbed. This is cspcci-
CIay true the Post Office under General James A
recent examination shows this TACT a striking man.
ncr VIII be seen by tho following table OF persons
now employed in tho service and the postmaslcrs by
whom they appointed
App0 nyscel