New-York tribune., 1891-05-17
WORSE THAN PIGS IN CLOVER.
THE IMPROVED" LETTERBoxEs AND THEIR
CUNNINGLY HIDDEN OPENINGS.

THE IMPROVED" LETTER-BoXES AND THEIR
CUNNINGLY HIDDEN OPENINGS.
The insidious newiashioned letterbox which has no
visible way of being opened Is steadily tightening It's
grip on this devoted city Two hundred Of its tentaces
are alfeady stretched out TO increase the citizens snare
of woe and that number will be multiplied by ten In
the course Of time This contrivance Is the work OF
committee which evidently went through life under the
impression that every new thing improvement.
This Ietterbox has a kind of trapdoor arrangement
whereby any who is In the secret can, by pulling
down a kind of knob expose TO view place In which
some letters may be deposited
Envelopes that are thicker, broader or much longer
than common cannot be put into the opening-that Is
the thin ones can be forced In they are folded up
The chief objection however is that unskillcd per
son does not know how TO find the opening. At first
there WAS nothing but small handle 10 indicate where
the point to be attacked was, but the newer ones bear
the inscription Pull Down." This is. Of course, all
Greek to that large body OF New Workers who do not
read English aud it generally only puzzles any one
else.
The remarkable thing is that the postal officials In
this city are no better pleased with the box than the
public s The selection Of the particular device Is one
of tile evils which has lived after the administration
OF Cleyeands superintendent Of the Free Delivery sys-
ten of the Postorce, Mr. Bates. Mr. Bates appointed
the committee which selected the box from among
number of Others, presenting the most advantages
over the lowIy ones which have served the public pass
ing well in spite Of possessing what the committee
seemed 10 consider a fatal defect-simplicty.
The first OF the new boxes was sprung on New York
City nearly two years ago and now whenever an odd
one is worn out or broken 1t is replaced by OF the
"improvedn kind The system OF letter boxes is under
the charge of E. NJ Morgan, superintendent Of the city
delivery Of the Posoffce, whose experience is ex-
tensve In spite Of his youth. Mr. Morgan is thus the
Innocent means Of foisting on the community these
menaces to the public happiness. He however, rccog-
nizes the complexity of the patent boxes and said
teTday
"There is one point in which the new box is better
than the old-lt Is safer. wire can be pushed
through the opening by thieves Still this is the only
advantage of the socalled improved box. Its worst
fault is that nobody TO know how to get into IT,
Then 1t requires two hands 10 open and 10 drop in
the letter. This prevents woman from mailing a
letter in such box, she always has n bundle or
something else IN her hand OF course woman or a
one armed drop letter In the box with her
his teeth but that is little awkward
Mr. Morgan said that boxes had been recently in
vented which superior TO the kind now being put
up IL is to be hoped that OF these Will be adopted
before 1000 OF the cacedestroyng oath causing Kind
are scattered throughout this city. Complaints are
heard on every hand OF the trouble caused by the ap
parenty ART ght and any number OF citizens would
Join in a crusade against them.