New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-13
LITTLE DOING At THE POST OFFICE
FEw NAILS RECEIVED or DELIVERED.

THE TRAIN SrhNltf.
This is serious business" Postmaster Pear
son said as he sat in his Office yesterday after
moon opcning letters received in the few mails
whicl, reached the Office. "Wc are doing all
that can be done" he continued, but we are
stoppcd at almost every point Few mails have
been received from ont Of town to-day. NO
mails are received at the Grand Central Station
So we are stopped both ways. There is little re-
ccived and little sent ont of the city. Most OF
the clerks and carriers have reported for duty,
but many live in the suburbs or at long distances
from the Office, and they cannot report Tor duty.
Communication between stations Is difficult ana
slow. Some of those who have reported for duty
have little to do. The collectors have been out
all day, however and some letters have been re-
ccivcd through the mail boxes. These and the
letters received Sunday and from the few ont
side mails to-day have been sent out for delivery
as rapidly rs possible. OF course the regular
schedule of the carriers could not be maintained
to-day. The difficulty in going about the streets
prevents the carrier, from finishing their tours
in the usual time They, however have made
deliveries as regularly rs possible, and as compare
lively few letters have been received :hc sr:vi'c
is not behind hand to any great degree. The
jntcrruption of telegraph and telephone comnuni-
cation and the delays on the elevated roads and
in every other mode OF travel have crca'ci great
difficulties. but the clerks and carriers have
worked faithfully
THE BIG BUILDING DESERTED AND BARE
A fair proportion Of the officials and clerks at
the General Post Office vcnturcd out III the storm
of wind and snow and were Mt their places,
though somewhat later than usual. The Postmas-
fer took his usual morning walk from Grmercy
Park TO the Post Office, not this occasion for
pleasure or health. but because no other manner
Of reaching the office was available. liy start
ing somewhat earlier than usual he was at ms
office before o o'clock. and found an almost de-
serted building on his arrival Assistant Post
1aaster Gaylcr was snow-bound Mt his farm, ana
some Of the superintcndents VINO i've III tiie
suburbs could not reach the Office, and the Post
master personally directed certain departments
usually taken in charge by some Of his assist
ants. Fully half of the clerks took 'hrlr usnai
places, hut the piles of letters awaiting the stamp
ing and distributing clerks were small. mere
were no lines OF people at the stamp WihIoWS,
and almost the only visitors 10 tie lobby of ne
POST Office were half frozen travellers who sought
shelter from the driving winds which howied
about the corner of the building.
THE CARRIERS HAVE A HARD TIME OF IT.
While the storm may have been serious bust
ness" TO the Postmaster sitting in his warm Office
and considering the needs II the scr, ice. it was
more serious matter personally to the brave car
rier, who poddcd through the drift" and mounted
the stains in various buildings stamping off the
thick masses Of snow from their boots as they
gained an entrance to any building. and then,
heaps of snow Frequently they found business
houses stores and offices closed. ana ~ inosI
places only a small proportion OF the usual . nm
Der of clerks statesmen were found AT thrlr
desks or counters In the uptown streets INC
delivery Of letters was slow and arduons WORK.
The ca rrer after fighting his way through great
would often find il almost impossible
to make an entrance 10 the court, vafdS or 10
climb the steps covered with soma pank Oh
snow Uousnmaids opened the street doors re
and hastily took the offered letter ana
closed the doors with bang, hnging new, clouds
OF snow over the face OF the carrier All gay tise
carriers murlcd to the cars, their ears N turn
rcd and white with cold. their muStachcS or
whisllcrs masses Of ice. and their hands, hal
numb in spite OF their mlttens' passed rom I luz
TO house carving the MESA gcs or business IfIehh-
shin and love. The horse-car drivers and con
ductors who usually share with them thE IN
v rhirb was denied 70 the carriers Many business
mon and householdcrs bore witnes' yesterday TO
the faithfulness and pluck of the carriers.
A FEW MAILS RECEIVED EARLY IN THE DAY
The storm almost isolated the city rs lar as
communication through the mails with the outside
world was concerned. The late It mails thai ar
rived in the city without remarkable delays were
The mails over the Pennsylvania route, ma tnc
NewYorl< and New-England and Harlem liver
mails. which al arrived at 6 80 a. m. TWO hourS
and twenty minutes late. twenty mails W.T.
dnc between the early morning honr ana inc
middle OF the afternoon, but only Two OF them
were received The New-York and chicago mai
the New-YorS Central road que and abo I Ras
n
ton and Springfield mail, due at ;O5 a. m. was was
received Mt 1910 D. m. None Of the Other mails
were received up to evening The mails due IN
cludcd those over the Pennsylvania. New orE
Central. Erie, and some over the New-l orK allu
Ncw-lTavcn road. Most OF them were through
mails
MUCH OF TIE LOCAL SERVICE ABANDONED.
No mails from local points were received, eX-
cent from the direction Of Nyack. Railroad OIL
Gals went home early, and no mails were sent
ont The mails are usually sent between the
General Post Office and the branches by mcssen-
gers who use the elevated roads freely. The
whole service over elevated roads was. however
abandoned yesterday. and the sole dependence
yyos an tho wagon circuits which usually only
supplencnt the more rapid delivery by the ele-
yofed trains The deliveries by wagons was
slow and communication with the stations was
infrequent
FIREMFN AND POLICEMEN IN SUSPENSE.
NEARLY ALL THEIR ALARMS OUT OF ORDER
WAITING FOR A BIG DISASTER
Probably no body Of mon in this city looked upon
Yesterdays storm with SO much apprehension a. tho
Fire Department. The heavy drifts made almost
any kind of travelling with boscs impossible and IN
addition telegraph poles wcro down, tho hydranis
were buried ia snow and many OF the alarm boxes
were out of order. The secretary OF the FIG De
uartment told TnBUxE reporter that the main
cause of the Interference among the boxes was the
blowing down of telegraph poles. Besides this the
weight OF snow and the heavy gale had slackcned
the wires and as they swaycd I'm the wind, circuits
were made and broken automatically.
Every precaution possible has beon taken- he
said we have doubled up our horses and every man
in the department Is at his post Mr.. Farrell, su-
cndent Of tho tccgraphing division of tho de
part ment, said Forty or fifty Wires out of hun
Of order