Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-12-24
LOCAL MEN OF LETTERS
FONTS Pr KED UP IN OUR POST
OFFICE.
Esxtent OF the work Done TheTe-
Information 'afDIcd 10 the nIssy
season.

OFFICE.
Extent OF the work Done There
Information Ttmed 10 The nmsy
N SEASON.
The post-oflice is in important and
necessary part OF the life of the city
which is sealed book TO n very large
portion of its population. II is the main
artery or rather the heart Of the system
of intercourse by written missives with
out which the people would have no
practicable means of communicating with
their loved ones or their business ocnnec-
tions. Without il all communication
would be slow and torpid. Yet it is run
so entirely on business principles, with so
little said about its internal affairs out
side, that to many people whose relations
with the Office are limited it is almost o
mystery. The magnitude and also the
tediousness of the work done there is in
no wise appreciated by them. 1t is fitting
to call attention to the office now, as it is
on the eve of O busy season which is
always the heaviest and most trying of
the year. During the week preceding
and following Christmas the mails and
post Offices have their capacities tested,
Y II ever they do, with presents in every
a
messages and letters particularly apper-
Tfeining To the season, as well as the
fegular quota of straight business letters
aud papers.
The number of pieces of mail matter
handled every month is about 100000.
This is all handled by 10 carriers. These
are all the men ut the present time pro-
vided for Wilmington and more seem TO
y be needed, as some of these are loa led
4slown with heavier sacks of mail matter
fhan a man ought to be made TO carry. A
Mnumber of the routes are not extremely
heavy, but few in the business parts of
the city are so crowded that they Should
Y be divided, and most likely would be, had
the authorities any men at their disposal
Z TO help do the heavy work. At the
present time the money order department
of the business at the post office is
heaviest, people taking this time to send
money away to relatives to give them
chance to use it on Christmas. But from
this time till New Year the mails will be
extremely heavy and the carriers will he
squad of the hardest worked men in
Wilmington.
As fast as letters come into the Office
they are stamped and sent away at us
rapid intervals as the mail trains leave.
L
each day, which with break from mid
night until early morning, leave Mt an
average of IL hours apart. There arc
nine mails for New York every day. All
mail matter that reaches the post-ofhce mp
to ii O'Clock in the evening for points
north is sent to Philadelphia by 10 o'clock
fion the same night. Going south there
Il tlre seven mlils every day all told. Five of
Nthese are for Baltimore and points further
south. There is only one full mail a lay
down this State. As far down as Harring.
ton there are two, below that hut one.
The mails arriving from Philadelphia are
eight; from New York, FIVE; from Balti-
more and Washington, five; from TIE pen.
insula, one; from the state as far down as
\ Harrington, two.
Now that Christmas is so near and SO
many packages will be sent through the
< post-otfice it will be quite to the point to
remind the public of the rates of postage
in vogue, as that is a source of frequent
4 inquiry. Ordinary letters go for two
Z cents per ounce, being first-class matter.
Mail matter of the third class embraces
books, circulars, and printed matter of
the same general character which is de-
signed to instruct, amuse, cultivate the
mind or taste or impart general informa-
cent for two ounces, and this class in
\ cludes all such things as Christmas cards,
calendars &c. Mail matter of the fourth
class includes patterns, photographs, play
ing cards, advertisements, tags, bill-heads,
\ letter-heads envelopes, ornamental paper
nndall matter of the same general eharRc-
ter; also merchandise and samples, speci-
mensof or METALS, minerals, seeds, &C.,
which are not in their form and nature
calculated to damage the contents of the
mail bag. The postage for this class is
4 one cent per ounce. BY special act
passed by Congress last winter newspapers
and periodicals go through the mails ut
y the rate of one cent for four ounces. Any
esealed package, containing no matter
q what, goes as iirst-class matter.
Letters dropped without stamps or with
Insufficient postage are a fruitful cause of
Gouble. In these cases the officials send
q card to the parties addressed informing
Chem of the fact and they must send back
the necessary postage before the letter is
nailed. Letters of this kind average
nbout 400 each quarter. In case
letter has 2-cent stamp but weighs more
4 than an ounce it is sent on TO the party
addressed and the extra postage is col
looted at the other end, but this is not
latter stamp put on. Newspapers and
merchandise will not go unless full post
" nRe is paid, no matter how much is ON it
4 Wheu il is dropped. The party addressed
will be informed, however, the same a,
In the case of the letters. Before the
postage on newspapers was reduced there
was grent deal of trouble for lack of
Rubicient postage, but since il is only /
cent for four ounces it is seldom that q
package of papers comes in overweight.
Persons sending packages of merchandise
or Newspapers should never seal them, as
in that case letter postage will be charged.
The post-office is open every evening
until IL o'clock. The money order and
registry department close at p. m. The
office is open but one hour ON Sunday,
from $50 to $50 a. m. Letters dropped
into the various boxes around town are
: I'eollected at frequent intervals during the
day, and in the districts bounded by the
Bfandywine, the Christiana, Lombard and
jefferson streets they are collected at 7.30
every evening, full collection is made
every Sunday at 5 O'Clock in the after
noon.
In the special delivery department a
inir business has been done, but not so
lurge as it ought to have been, for the
prople do not seem to understand it.
Binder this law any letter will be de-
}iyered within 20 minutes at cost of l2
eents, two of which are for the regular
and 10 for the special stamp. There are
people who ring for n messenger boy and
have to pay quarter when they have an
1rgent letter which they wish speedily
deliyered to some part OF the city, when
hey could save both the trouble aud the
expense by sending their lctterto the post
pffice with special stamp upon it. 1t
I, would be just as speedily delivered, and
would not cost half as much. If it was
pnly thoroughly understood This system
will be of special convenience to great
many people during the nearly approach
ing Christmas time.
t -~-s-S-