Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-18
A PROUD POSTMASTER.
McKean Pleased With the Showing
Made by the Postofice.
MANY IMPROVEMENTS WROUGHT.
Advantages. of the Fast Mail Train That
Has Just Been Secured.
BUSY NOW WITH CHRISTMAS PRESENTS

The new furniture for the second story of
the new postofice building is expected to
arrive in Pittsburg this morning, and the
Pension Office, the Internal Revenue Col
lector's office and the Collector of Customs
office will be removed there at once. New
carpets were placed upon the floors yester-
day, and the rooms will be magnificent
when the furnishments are arranged. The
entrance to the postoffice is to be covered
with boards for the winter, and new and
additional lights are being constructed
about the place.
The Importance of the Pittsburg postoffice
Is growing rapidly. In postoffce business
Pittsburg stands as the ninth city in the
United States The city is thirteenth in
population. New York stands first in post
office business, with Chicago, Philadelphia,
Boston, St. Louis, Cincinnati Brooklyn,
Baltimore and Pittsburg following in the
order named. The sale of stamps, postal
cards and stamped envelopes by the New
York postoffice for the last wear amounted
to Sc. $50, 521 90 The sales in the Pittsburg
office amounted to S56S, $50 2S, or an increase
over last year of S51 ,000 The expenses of
the Pittsburg office for the year consumed
42 per cent of the gross receipts of the Office.
The expenses of the Philadelphia office were
50 per cent of the receipts, and the expenses
of the Brooklyn Office were 72 per cent of
the receipts
Long-Felt Want Supplied.
Postmaster Mexican received many warm
congratulations yesterday from bankers and
business men on the department having sue
ceeded in placing swift mail facilities be-
tween Pttsburg and New York The new
service is considered Of the greatest impor-
tance by the bankers and business people.
For some time the Postofiice Department
has been laboring with the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company to induce them to put on
another mail train similar to the one that is
now known as No. Z, to leave New York in
the morning, so there would be two exclu-
sively mail trains, one leaving in the morn
ing and the other in the evening.
All the necessary arrangements have now
been made and the new train will COM
mence December 90 1t will consist of four
of the Pennsylvania Company's latest i'm
proved postal cars and will be run as the
first section of what is now known as the |
New York and Chicago Limited. 1t will |
leave New York at o'clock A. NJ. and ar
rive in Pittsburg at $40 P. NJ. and in Chi |
cago at 9:45 A. NJ. the following morning.
How Delays Were Caused.
Heretofore the limited has carried but |
little mail, only such as the small baggage |
apartment in the composite car would hold |
after the baggage is loaded, and sometimes |
the baggage is so heavy that there is no
room for mail which necessar:ly has to be
held for the next train, causing delay OF
several hours in reaching its destination.
Under the present system the train leaving
New York at 4:30 A. NJ. and arriving in
Pittsburg at $40 P. NJ. has three postal cars
and the one leaving New York at 9:06 A NJ.
arriving at Pittsburg at 11:5j has
two cars and the limited has none.
Consequently the bulk of the through mail
for this city and points west of Pittsburg
is held over for the 11:55 P. NJ. train.
With the new train all the mail will be
brought to Pittsburg and pass on through
to Chicago, as one of the postal cars will
be taken on the limited and the other cars
sent through to Cincinnati, Indianapolis
and St. Louis
The public knows but little OF the working
of the postal service, especially on the rail
roads, but when they consider that it now
requires seven large cars to carry the mail
that now arrives in Pittsburg from the East
in the morning and five in the evening they
can realize the Importance and magnitude
of this important branch of the Postofice
Department
Officials Entitled to Credit
The ofhclals OF the PoStoffice Depart
nent who were most instrumental in secur-
ing lie new and improved service are
Hon. j. Leon Bell, formerly General Su-
perintendent Railway Mail Service and
now Second Assistant Postmaster General,
James Ewlin, formerly Superintend-
ent Railway Mail Service at Chi
cago, now General Superintendent
r. C. jackson, Superintendent at New
York, and Postmaster Mexican, of this city.
These officers have been energetic in their
efforts to convince the Pennsylvania Rail
road people of the advantage such a service
would be to the public.
Postmaster Mexican yesterday issued a
number of suggestions to the public regard
ing the use of the mails during the holiday
season, to avoid the annoyance of Christmas
gifts being. delayed or lost, with the state
lnent that in case of loss or delay a report
should be made as early as possible to the
clerk in charge of the inquiry division, on
the Third avenue corridor.