The Globe-republican., 1892-09-23
OUR ST. LOUIS LETTER.

No Alarm felt as Regards the Chol-
era-A Useful Official in Large
Office Buildings.
ST. LOUIS, No., September 19,-Of all the
large cities in the country, ST. Louis seems
70 be the least affected by the talk about
cholera. Numerous sanitary officers have
been appointed who are looking after the
cleanliness of the city, but the ordinary c.ti-
zen does not concern himself at all about the
reports coming from the East If you ask
one of them why he is not alarmed, his reply
will likely be-
why, there could be no epidemic disease
here, with such q system of sewerage as we
have.'
And he would be right. From all sides St.
Louis slopes down to the river and 20 the Mill
creek valley. The small sewers run directly
into the river and through the valley is laid
one enormous sewer through which furnl-
sure van could be drawn by two horses
abreast. There has never been anything like
an epidemic in the city since these sewers
were built, even when it was most endan-
Sered by disease coming from other points.
lie sanitary officers feel confident that with
the advantage they have in this respect they
could protect the city even if the cholera ap-
preached as near As Chicago.
The pneumatic tube will be used in st.
Louis for the Transmission of mails through
the city, some time before Philadelphia, the
only other town which has adopted the plan,
gets its apparatus in working order. Ar
engagements have just been made there to lay
the Conduits through which the tubes will be
run. Here. We already have the conduits,
which is to be the railway tunnel, running
under the city from the bridge to the Union
depot. The plans for the pneumatic ma
chinery are now completed, and the mails
- L. Al
hrst of the year. A new postOhiCe Is TO be
established at the end of the tunnel, where
the mails from the tube will be received. The
tube and this Office will save the work of
dozen letter-carriers and will handle about
one-sixth of the entire mail of the city.
One OF the large buildings which have
lately gone up down town has just made an
improvement. in its elevator service which Is
to be recommended to other big cities.
There is nothing so annoying to man in
hurry as to so into a building where he
knows someone whom he wishes to see has
an Office, and have to depend on one of the
several elevator boys for information about
the location of the Office and the present
whereabouts of the one sought. Generally
the boy knows the number of the Office.
Sometimes he doesn't. He seldom knows
whether or not the man Is in his office, and
the hurried visitor has to go up himself and
see about it. In this building there stands
mau at the foot of the elevator shaft, wear
Ing a cap marked ''Guide." He has nothing
to do but watch the movements of the men
who have offices in the building and tell peo-
pie who come to see them where they are.
This man has an accurate memory, of
course, or he would be useless. He can tell
you If the person you come TO see is in his
office or not when he went out and when he
got back. If messages are left with him by
men passing out be will deliver them to call
ers. IL many cases he makes en- office boy
entirely unnecessary.