The Washington critic., 1888-04-07
P0ST0FFICE QUARTERS
Discussing q Temporary Structure
at Ninth aad D Streei5
DETAlISOF FTHEPLAN
The Necessity Zoe SPEEDY g--
moYal from the Present site

II ucttRdlipn CAllcc Oh EO5tm tdtef
Ross yesterday afternoon TO picture 10
him the advantage of the LiucoiD
Hall building Us a postOilice site. They
did not submit It formal proposition
in writing, but talked with Mr. BS-s
TO learn his views so as 20 formulsteg
proposition in accordance with then
which will be formally submittediu
a few days Nh Ross said to q Carte
reporter that he favored the locatisG
IL it was found that there was sn-
fcient room for the transaction Of tie
Postoflice business.
It is. he said, an excellent location.
and should meet tho approval Of Al
concerned, He had not thought Of
the details Of arrangement, he said.
but he thought that IL would accom-
modate the office. He could not say
anything about the selection OF the
place until a formal proposition had
been submitted showing what kind Of
q building the owners would erect
and what they would lease the prop
erty on.
TIM LINCOLN NALL SITE.
The lot occupied 10y Lincoln ithl.
which was burned in the latter part
of 1886, being occupied at the time by
Ilerzog' Theatre. has been LEFT ua.
touched. The lot is 100 feet square,
fronting on the north side Of u street
and the east side OF Ninth. At the
northeastern corner OF the lot Is
projection containing about 600 square
feet. This, however, would be OF al
most no value, exception storage, 0t
il is at the corner remotest from the
street. The principal objection TO the
site is the difficulty of arranging an
approach for the mail wagons.
Though the square is large oae,
there is no alley in il aud no way OF
making all approach to the rear OF the
lot,
1t would be out Of the question Ia
have the mail wagons back up anJ
stand, while they unload, on either
side of the building, MS they now 80
on G street.
Both Ninth and d streets are too
busy to have one-half Of their width
and the pavement on one side con-
tinually blocked by mail wagons ~ is
now done on G street,
TO obyiate this ii is proposed to
take o wide alley-way from the cast
side of the lot, running back 80 OF 81
feet from ID street, where the mail
wagons can drive in and unload With
out blocking the street. This, OF
course, would take much valuable
space from the Postofiice proper. Bat
some such plan seems to be necessary
evil.
The cellar and the foundation walls
Of the old building are still intact ani
| the plan contemplated is TO rebuild
the walls TO the height OF the sec00i
story, thus giving a cellar for storage
and such purposes, u ground floor for
| the handling Of the mails and rooms
on the second floor for the money
order office, registered letter office
railway mail service Office and post
masters, assistant postmaster's, cash
ier's and other offices.
THE FIRST STORY,
Superintendent Bell said, should bC
twenty-five feet high. This woald
give plenty OF light without sky
lights, Then, with second story
the full size OF the lot, it would give
about 20,00o square feet of space, es
cept such of the ground floor as wa:
cut off by the alley, not counting the
cellar.
In the present building tie Post
Office, exclusive Of the posmaster's
o. sistant postmaster's, cashier's,
money order, registered letter and
railway mail services offices, has
about 10,600 square feet of room. o.
the crowded condition of the Office
nothing need be said, but the rapid
increase of the business is noticeable
The amount of legitimate mail baa
died by the Office yesterday was &c
tually larger than the amount bau
died during any other day inthe
whole history Of the office. This
surprising, rs the increase was legiti
mate, not on account Of any unusuR
circumstance whatever.
Some days ago Mr. Bell was sent [,
examine the Postohicc Department
building with a view to the Temporary
location of the City Postoflice in ii
He has just reported to Mr.. Ross thu
the plan is entirely infeasiblc Eyet
were there sufficient room for Ia,
other business there is no way for th'
mail wagons to unload. There is bu
one narrow entrance to the court, anC
this is not sufficient for the passage o
the mail wagons. Any radical chang
in the building such as would b
necessary would be objected to.
The Lincoln Hall site, if arrange
ments are made for the approach 70
the wagons, would be especially suits
bic for the postoilice building. lti
even nearer the business centre o
the city than the present site an'
such Of the postotiice officials as have
expressed an opinion regard it fayor
ably. Many inconvenience woull
he borne with, as ii would be but
temporary office pending the recon
struction of one better suited TO th
needs of the city,
| The advantages of the ground foo
being all in one large room, cannot b
overestimated. At present mail maj
ter has to be labotiously carried o
wheeled OH little trucks through nal
row halls, around short cotners, az
up and down inclined planes to pas
from one department TO another o
the office, and all the time exposed &
imminent danger of being burned
This morning, in one corner OF Ia
Office, were pile of internal reycnp
stamps, aggregating perhaps $500, 90
in value, with nothing but two, light
open, picket fences of wood and
glass door between them and G stree
The carriers department is T
crowded that sometimes, esp'
cially on Monday, q part of th
carriers have to wait until those fr
to come have started out on the'
routes before they can get into Oh
room to sort their mail.
The labor of handling the mail
both outgoing and incoming, wou,
probably be lessened fifty per cen
by having all the various mai
handling departments in one larl
room.