The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-11
A GREAT POSTOFFICE.

What "Smash" as and how 1t Is Handled.
New York Herald.
While the rush of New York's outgoing mail
is at its height and men working tooth and
nail to make some progress against the inundat-
ing mood that comes IN from the business
houses, the rumble of heavy wagons comes
family in through the open doorways at the
northern end of the building and growl Of par
donable profanity passes around among the hard
worked men they think of over 100 600 extra
pieces suddenly to be dumped upon their hands
This is q Smash" in the vernacular Of the post
Office 1t is like break in the 4evee to the in
habtants of Mississippi town, and can be con
quered only by the most herculean efforts It
differs from the western flood chiefly in the fire.
qGency of its coming
1t is at such times as this that the splendid
efficiency of the New York postofice is shown to
perfection. The magnificent spectacle of q
regiment Of trained men working together with
the precision of clockworll, and a keen intensity
which causes great mountains of paper to
dwindle away into thousand receptacles, is
worth going great ways to see But few are
privileged to see it. The postofce is a hard nut
to crack, 1t is nut with two shells. All can
penetrate the outer husk, but when it comes to
cracking the inner shell, the penetraha of this
hive Of industry, one must have uncommon
good luck to make a success Of it.
EXaTtly how big smash" it would take to
overwhelm the Office is one of those problems
that Eaye never yet been solved, for the reason
that the office has always come out triumphant
daily average of pieces handled is two and
quarter millions, and that the run of mail matter
is always more or less irregular the
working force at the disposition of
Postmaster Pearson must of necessity be large
and heXible-that is to say, some must be quail
fed to move from one place to another when
ever stress comes upon particular department
But when, on the contrary. the constant press
ure OF the regular work is brought into consid-
Grafton, one cannot help wondering that the Office
SbOnlQ he c1Dablp Of ne f.e-
mendous spurts which so frequently is recorded
by it.
1t is safe to say that there is no buster spot on
earth than this clearing house of Uncle Sans
No one can spend couple of hours within the
great rotunda and wonder that so many Of the
employees are cultivatng shortness of sight and
open spaces on the tops Of their heads. The
ceaseless pulse Of labor which beats there day
and night, week day and holiday, year in and
year out, is enough to make the mere spectator
dizzy. The big postoffice is always busy
The first thing which happens to a piece of
mail matter when it enters the Office at either
end, IS the stamping of day and hour upon it.
This record is never omitted 1t is the depart
ments badge of honor for one can always see
with what celebrity his mail reaches its destina-
ton after it has once been branded with the
familiar Up, O: N. Y" Next comes the distri
button, so divided up into large" and close"
assortments that the utmost speed is attained
by several landings. In the case of mails com
ing into town as much assortment as possible
has already taken place The bank letters, for
instance, have been placed together, and they
are always bundled first. This one department
is no chiId's play, for the New York banks re-
ceive from 1000 to 1000 letters apiece every
day. Then comes the separation of box letters
from carrier letters by distributing clerks of
the highest degree of experiences, and then the
more "close" distribution, either into the boxes
of the different carriers or of the box tenants.
If it be near the carrier hour of departure the
clerks are concentrated upon their mail while
the box delivery fills up the chinks of time be-
tween whites. These are all somewhat familiar
processes, however, and do not need charging
upon