The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-01-07
MOntpelier's Public Building.

On New Years day the new government
building was opened to the inspection and
use of the public. The post-otfice officials
had transferred the fixtures of the office
from the old quarters little by little, so that
no break in the service, more than that
whichis usual on New Years day, occurred.
Once in the new office. the force set to
work to put things in order, and it is still
busy at the intervals between the rush of
work in putting on the finishing touches.
1t will be some time before the machinery
is in perfect working order but as it is, the
post-Ottice men are to be commended for
their good Judgment and dispatch.
Yesterday a WATCHMAN representative
took "A look at the mysterious interior where
so much that directly concerns each mem
Der of the community is going on day by
day. The men were distributing a mail
which had Just arrived. 1t was wonderful
with what facility great mass of letters,
papers, etc, first dumped into the opening
case, could be sorted and distributed either
to the carriers, the boxes or the general de-
livery cases. When one considers the
amount of matter handled and the rapidity
of disposng of mail, the wonder is that
more mistakes, rather than less, do not Oc-
cur. The office is finished in pine, with
a Georgia pine floor, and the furniture is of
cherry, with oak supports. The furniture
includes, in addition to chairs desks, etc,
an opening table, "A mailing case, "a distrib-
uting case, four carriers routing cases, two
wardrObes, two registry cases, storage
case and two general delivery cases. Then
there is the Harrison mail distributing rack.
The room is bright and spacious Indeed,
there is more room than is actually needed
at present. Light is furnished from three
Siemens Lunghren lamps and eight or
dinary gas chandeliers, and all are wired for
electricity. The chandeliers are of ham
mered old brass. Seven iron pillars of the
Corinthian order support the floor above.
There are 57S lock boxes, eighteen of which
are large ones placed beneath the smaller
ones. The money order room opens to the
right from the main corridor IL is well
supplied with light, and a table extending
nearly the entire length of one side of the
room gives ample opportunity for writing
Near the staircase and opening directly on
the corridor is the postmasters Office, a
good.sized room, furnished with "A cabinet
desk, a combination wardrobe, etc, and
having a fire. place, with Tennessee marble
finishing. A safe from the Hall Safe Il
Lock Company's works and toilet room
open from the room.
Let us visit the basement where is the
biz boiler that keeps the whole building so
warm and comfortable. One room in
the rear is used as a toilet room, another,
directly opposite, as receptacle for
the post-ofhce files. Then comes the
large hot-air chamber, in which are
sixteen double coils of pipe which con-
tain about ten thousand feet. This hot-air
chamber is supplied with steam from the
John Lyon boiler of forty horse power, and
the air which passes through the pipes into
the three great conductors, and thence all
over the building, is supplied from the out
side by means OF the Sturtevant blower,
which, in its turn, is worked by the little
Sturtevant engine. This system OF heating