The morning call., 1892-09-11
NO MORE POSTMAN'S Ring
A Familiar Sound That is to
Be Banished.
NEW SYSTEM TO BE USED.
Carriers 30 Deposit and Collect Mail From
House-Boxes-Grea Difficulty Had in
Securing Model.

No more postman's ring. no more post
mans knock
That is the order of the Postmaster-Gen-
eral
No more will the familiar sound break
IN the ear. as one sits at the break
fast table waiting impatiently for the jingle
of the bell that tells letter has arrived.
The spirit of the poet Cowper will turn in
the grave to know that that sweet sound is
to be banished from the world.
In a short time in all free-deliyery cities
there will be established system of door
letter-boxes," as they are called in post
Office parlance.
For the last two years the Postmaster
General has been engaged in having the
system perfected. The innovation will
mark great stride in the delivery and col
lection of the mails, and will be vastly BEN
eficial both to the postal authorities and the
citizens.
The new system provides for the estab-
fishing of boxes at the doors OF all houses,
so that the carrier can deliver and collect
without mounting flights of steps and DIS
turbing the inmates of the house by ringing
q bell.
The delay in inaugurating the new system
has been due to the failure OF American IN
yentorS 10 design the kind OF box required
by the Postmaster General before he would
proceed with the innovation. he desired 1t
TO be q success.
According to the following dis2atch it
appears that his objections have been at
last overcome 10 the extent OF trusting the
system to be put in operation:
WAsHIN GToN, Sept 9.-Postmaster General
Wanamaker to-day issued the expected order
deputiZng the postmasters OF the free-dellVely
cities. towns ana rural communities 10 put up
letter boxes on the request OF citizens for the
collection and delivery OF mail AT the house
DOORS The order 10 Is said Affect. 3,OOO,oOo
residences TO which the fTee-devery service is
already extended. and is regarded by postal ex-
perts as the most important departure 10 The Tree
delivery OF The mails since the beginning oil the
system under Postmaster General Blair.
The dispatch does not state the character
of the box selected, but there was consider
able trouble in obtaining anything like the
box required, as the following facts will
show
In 1890 the Postmaster gave out to in
ventors what was required by the depart
ment
In the same year a committee was ap.
pointed by the Postmaster TO examine 564
models and designs of house letter-boxes
which had been submitted by inventors
agreeable to an advertisement OF the de-
pRrtment, calling for some device iG which
the letter-carrier could deposit mail without
delay. and from which he could also, as he
went his rounds upon the same trip, collect
the mail.
Not one of these 564 devices exactly fitted
| the requirements. 1t was first required TO
| be inexpensive, yet neat and ornamental.
1t should be proof against weather and
mischief makers, or thieves, simple enough
not to get out of order and not to require
time to open and ornamental enough TO
please the householder.
In June, 1891, 1881 other models and de-
signs were examined. showing the interest
the subject had awakened among inventors,
as fortune awaited the one whose box hit
| the requirements of the department.
But one of these was satisfactory and ac-
| ceptabe. There we're twenty-five meritori0us
| Ones, and these were put on exhibition so
| that inventors might be able to get ideas
| from each other. From the next Tot it was
| decided to put six boxes on trial on certain
routes in Washington.
1t was decided to commend to the atten-
ton of the public, first, slot; second, a
slot with an inside box to receive mail !;
| third, slot with an inside box to receive
| mail and in which mail might be deposited
to be collected from the outside; fourth, an
| outside box to receive mail; fifth. en- outside
box to receive mail and from which mail
may be collected; sixth. box to be placed
| In the walls of buildings during the prog
reSs of building.
| 1t is not known what kind of box is TO be
| selected by the Postmaster.
OF course the Postoffice Department will
not put boxes in every house in the land
| free OF charge.
There is no appropriation for that pur-
| pose.
The citizen who desires the convenience
| OF a box must stand the expense himself.
Assistant Postmaster Richardson stated
| that he had been expecting such news for
| some time, but as yet had received no official
notice of the new order Of the Postmaster
| General When such notice came he ex-
| pected to receive some of the boxes, which
would be put in every house where the
| owner made the request, at the same time
| standing the expense.