New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-01

THE PLAN FAVORED BY THE POSTAL AUIhohi'
TIES To EXPEDITE THE DELIVERY
OF MAIL MATTER.

The Postonice authorities favor the use by the
public Of index letters to expedite the delivery Oh
mail matter In this city, These index letters are
merely the names OF the branch p0stoiice stations
through which the mail matter must pass before IL
reaches it's destination The city is divided for poSa
purposes, into nineteen districts each OF which mas an
Office at which is handled the mail matter posed or
intended for delivery in the section. That part Oh
the city south of Wall and Rector sts. Is tributary to
Branch p, situated in the Produce Exchange Buding
The next section is bounded the north by Catherine
and Canal ss., West Broadway and Franlln-st', ana
the postofice takes Of its mail.
District A adlons being limited by the Bowery
Third ave. FOurteenth-st Carmne and Garrison s,S
District is cast Of it, being bounded by Cahcrihe-s
the Bowery and East Houston-st. From Fourteehth
to the Harlem River Fifhave. is the dividing line
between the sections on the east and west sides OF
the city District is north OF A. and extends 10
Twentieth-st which is also the northern boundary OF
ID. T. and F west and cast OF the dlVlolhG
avenue, and go to Forty fourth-st; q and II are OH
the west and east sides Of the city, south OF seven
tietst. and X west and east Of the avenue, below
one hundredthst J is west OF Fifth-ave, and runs
to West One hundred and forty hfthst while L. Is
bounded by the Harlem River.
Station is the feeder for the section west OF the
Harlem, and south Of Dyckman and 1nwood SIS.
II denotes the High Bridge District, which is west
of Jerome-ave. and extends about half mile above
the bridge. II is limited the north by line drawn
from the Bronx River west to Jcromeave., which, il
continued would about strike High Bridge. District
is north Of 5. extends the west 10 the Harlem
and on the north TO a line drawn from KingsbrdSc
little north Of east to Van Cotlandt Road and along
that road and Gunhl Road to the Bronx River Last
Of all comes 5, which extends north Of NJ and to the
city limits.
The idea is to follow the system in vogue in London
which city is divided niR sections according to the com
pass. The letters, which put at the end OF the
address of mail matter be delivered in London, such
as E. G. least CENTRAL, 5. W. (southwest etc, indi
cate the part of the city TO which the article is to
In London there sometimes half dozen different
streets with the name hence without some other
direction il would be impossible to deliver some mail
matter. Besides there many streets IN London
that it would be the labor of lifetime TO learn where
each one of them is situated.
In Ncw-Yorl, there is By no means the demand
for the extra direction, otherwise it would have been
| introduced long ago At the same time, the po'ta
authorities think that the proposed system would be
an aid to the assOrters in the service Assistant fOsV
master j. Gayer has prepared and copyrighted an out
line postal map of this city, which all the districts
are lad ont He gives the following explanation OF
the advantage of adding the index letter to the address
| at the bottom Of the envelope:
The assorters are compelled to learn the situa
ton of all the streets in the city. SO that they vii
| know into which pouch each letter should be put II
i true that they can refer to the little directory Whcl
| is given TO them, but that takes time. In the mex
| Mace even when they know in what district siree
IS II always takes time to read the name OF te sve.
especlally it, a. is often the case the Writing Is no
very egible Resides, most of the crOsst0w street
hetween Fourteentlst and the Harlem klver are II
fwo districts. and II takes an apprecaoIe periou y
| time to find out to which one the letter Is 10 20
These mental operations of course, cAceeulneS
rcf but when YOU take into consideration the enor
mons amount Of mail matter handled they amount |.
| " ,reat deal If the indexletter system were unVer
| ,v used the assorters would merely nave 10 ganc'
~ the letter at the bottom OF the envelope ana los'
| ;hc article into the proper reccptacle'