Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-02-28
ATTRACTIVE SMALL FITTINGS.

oalupOO COuce tHDie, WHICH ID one OF Inc very
prettiest novelties in bamboo furniture. The
best place for this 10 near q divan, as the juxta-
position seems quite orientally natural. In the
smoking room one or two substantial chairs
covered with red leather would be a suitable
addition to the ones of lighter FORM 81
THE OLD DEPARTMENT CLERK.
The Post Once Department and Patent
Once Fifty Years Ago.
TIME OLD CLERK OF THE FORTIES WHO
l. had given STAR reporter some facts about
the government departments in the old times
continued his talk. eve have COTTON through
with the uptown Offices" he said, land we will
take up the Post Office Department. The old
Blodgett Hotel property on Z street, front ex-
tending from 7th to 9Th street. had been occu-
pied by the department up to some ten years
before the year Of which speak, 1S45, when it
was burned. The new building occupying the
southern part Of the square had not long been
in use. The appropriation for its erection,
$50, 900, was made in 1889, but other appro-
priations increased the cost to nearly half
a million. 1t is unnecessary to describe the
building, for it forms q portion Of the
present building. Each Of the three floors
contained twenty-five or thirty rooms, heated
by furnaces i'll the basement. The dead letter
floor. while the sixth auditor occupied the OPP
posite end. The Postmaster General, his as
sistants and clerks were on the second floor.
There were on this floor also clerks of the audi
tors Office, some Of whom were in the third
story.
"Cave johnson was then the head of the de-
partment with Maj. Hobbir, W. J. Brown and
John Marion assistants and forty-two clerks.
Among these were the late W. D. Wallach, 80
long the editor Of The STAR; the late G. A.
Rob m [l~A1 n
and S. V. Leech), ]. H. Mari, who recently
died after over fifty years Of service; A. N.
Zeverly, afterward an assistant postmaster
general. Hon. Horatio King, who is now liv-
ing, was then a 81 400 clerk. As far as know
the rest are all dead excepting Mr.. w. j. Sibley,
then messenger and afterward clerk and
now retired merchant, and Mr.. Eli Davis,
then Waterman, now living on Maryland ave-
nue. near 7th street southwest.
THE CITY POST OFFICE.
"The city post Office was located on 7th street
just north Of the department. with Col. C. K
Gardner postmaster and eighteen clerks, of
whom ]. T. c. Clark. J. Mel. Gardner, n. p
only survivors. The letter postage was cents
if less than half an ounce and the distance less
than 800 miles, and drop letters the same as OF
present-2 cents There were but two trains
of cars northward then and the mail steamer
left ut o clock in the morning.
IHk BATH AUDlTOhS OFFICE.
'eThe sixth auditor Qor the Post Office De-
partment) was, as have stated. located in the
department building Peter G.. Washington was
the auditor, with W. Van Voorhees,. chief clerk
and sixty-siS clerks and other employees. Mr.
r. White, Mr.. Sharrctts and Mr. Il. s. Wharton
are the only ones now living as far as 1 know
Among some OF the familiar names I recall is
that Of Mr.. j. A. n. Duncanson, father Of C. C.
Duncanson; Giles Dyer, who resided at 18th
and NJ streets and had a country place near
Tenleytown, which has since been laid off as
the town of Reno: Mr.. Durham, long a resident
of Capitol Hill; Maj. Hume father Of Frank
Hume, the grocer; VIM. Curry Lipscomb, a
Odd Fellowship, and Nicholas Tastet of South
Washington. The same rule applied to this
bureau as to others, viz: II the work Of
a desk was kept up it was immaterial
how the clerk spent his leisure time. Much Of
the work being in relation to accounts there
we're some clerks who were efficient to an ex-
traordinary degree. and a few were regular
lightning calcuators in the celebrity with which
they did their work. can recall one who was
not only efficient at his desk, but was such an
expert at accounting that he supervised the ac-
counts Of several establishments Cat compen-
sation. Of course). Some months he would
scarcely think of his government work till near
pay day, when he would in two or three days
working perhaps few hours over time), bring
up his books to date.
Jealousy was as much part Of human ma
ture in the forties as today" continued the old
clerk, land there was n bad case not o mile
from the post Office building, though it wns an
employe Of one Of the other departments who
was thus afflicted. The man was elderly, and
up to the time of his marriage was regarded as
a confirmed old bachelor. He, however, met
of District family noted for the beauty OF its
women. As she looked on him az a good catch,
it did not take long to reach the state Of matri
mony. Within day or two after the marriage
he furnished a house and took the bird to the
cage. In little time he became insanely ieal-
Gus Of her and insisted that while he was OF his
work she should remain home. This she did
not object to, for the street on which they lived
was not lonely one and she could sit at the
window and see who passed back and FORTH
was fair to look upon by eyes other than his
own, and many, 1t Is said, passed the house to
see
Hannah at the window binding shoes
''Then he suggested that he would before going
to his office see that wood and water with pro-
visions were in the house and that she had bet
ter spend her time in the kitchen. To make
sure that other eyes could not feast on her
beauty he purchased a paddock and placed it
on the gate. She, however, did not adopt his
suggestions and the fair prisoner would daily,
on his leaving the house, take her sewing TO
had before. The jealous husband finally it is
said. determined to spoil the view Of outsiders
and one fine morning he had Whitewater
give coat to the window panes on the outside.
don't know" said the old clerk. whether he
accomplished much other than to hasten on the
war, for it was not long after that the old man
and young bride were regarded as q very ILL
mated couple as to agea sizes, religions belief
and tempers, in fact totally unsuited to each
other. You may doubt this II you will, but
the windows whitewashed
THE PATENT OFFICE.
1.-THE patent Office, then under Edmund
Burke, was q bureau Of the State Department
and had but a few years before moved into the
building erected on F between 7th and 9Th
streets. which today forms part Of the pres
ent structure. In that day it was a self-sus-
tanning bureau, the fees not only paving all ex-
penses but forming surplus of over 500. 900,
besides contributing S200,000 toward the erec-
ton of the building and restoring the models
The then new building was 270 feet long 20 feet
wide and OF two lofty stories over high base
ment, the upper portion being an open hail. in
which were natural history and other speci-
mems Of the Wilkes expedition &c. The base
ment was then used for the display Of fullAszed
models and rooms for the national institute
and the large room at the rear and of the
second floor for models Of patents issued
There were but four examiners at the time
Profs. l.. ID. Gale. T.. G. Page, W. p. EitzEerald
and 7. 8. Clinton. H. Knowles WAS the ma
chinist and A. L. McIntire, father Of Cranch
McIntire, the draughtsman. There were eight
clerks, including the chief, among them A. B.