The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-01-27
sUYDAr IN THE err rOsr OFFICE
Looking Mt n Vnst mud Complicated Machine
while 10 IL Partially Rt Rcst.

On Sunday you miss the hustle and excite
mcnt OF wagons laden with sacks Of letters and
packages. some coming In from tho stations
with their contents. others dashing out for the
steamships and railroad depots, and hundreds
~ letter carriers and clerks rushing around.
either receiving or delivering mail matter
under the vast roof OF the New York city Post
ONCE.
Over seventy tons OF second and third class
matter. an average OF three hundred thousand
city letters. and about one hundred and seventy
thousand letters outside tho city pass through
the city Post Ofloe daily. The general delivery
and distribution department Ia kept in active
operation on Sundays. there being delivery
from the stations and letter boxes both morning
and evening. and tho boxes for the delivery Of
letters nre kept open all day. In this depart
mont alone over three hundred persons are
employed on Sundays, and should foreign
mail arrive they must do double work.
Under tho escort II the assistant custodian
Col. McAiec, reporter for THE sun awaited
himself OF tho comparatively quiet rrigning
partmonts After spending some time watch
ing the operations in the general delivery, we
descended tn the basement to examine the
mlchinery the iron lungs that give heat and
life To the vast building. Here We are thirty
two feet below the curhstone. We can hardly
hear tho dim, rumhling sound ~ stages and
wagons over our heads; the daylight II shut
out from us, but hundred gns jets and the re-
II Ftun OF the glowing furnaces render IL as
bright m day. This immense area ~ n net
work Of converging ptp's, tubes. and heating
apparatus. There Rrr two ten horse mower
steam engines: four duplex WOrthingtOn
pumps Tor supplying the twelve hydraulic
elevators used IN the building; two high pres
sure boilers for power use. and eight low pres
sure for heating and other purposes. To keep
these IN operation takes. on an average, sixteen
tons 81 coal n day
From here the twelve hydraulic elevators nra
worked, from here the whole hu ling is heated
by steam; from here waior n pumped to the
immense tanks that supply the building with
water; from here radiate through the Post
and twelve miles Of speaking tubes.
Ascending 90 the basement story we find thnt
the ceiling ~ II IL on n level with the sidewalks.
| rms IS the newspaper packages and third class
matter department. About seventy tons OF
matter are daily sent down here through sluicps
| and are assorted, boxed. and hasged. and then
| hoisted to be sent to their destinations Twel"a
hundred individual sacks Of newspapers and
| packages arc daily despatched from here
| There IL n hlacksmith's shop. Il large repair
| shop, IN which sacks are made and mended
| and a largc-slHed Gordon printing press run
| by steam power for printing circulars and 9TH,
| Post Onicc matter This story Is lighted by
| gas and over 500 burners make II almost NJ
| light IA day.
From this we ascend to the general delivery
ana once more ENJOY the light Of heaven. The
| hustle in this department is not that of q sccu.
| lar day; but 1t Is hustle. nevertheless. Oh
| sunday.
The registry department. the assistant Gus
| todian = room. and other Offices are on the gal
| lerics that surround tho general delivery, Nnt
| all those IA we'll as the Postmaster's rooms nut
| tho Offices IN the stories above, are uuoccupic,
| on Sunday except 10y the wachmen and Tia,
| railroad mail agents and clerks, who sleep IN
| the seventy or eighty beds in the nth story