Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-08
Light Thrown on the Transfer Of the
Departments
FROM PHILADELPHIA TO Tells CITY
The Washington Of 1900 as It Ap.
peared to Officials.
D E P A RI INT SITE 8

The paper which Mr.. w. B. Bryan read
before the Historical Society on Monday
night threw a large amount OF light on
the history Of the removal of the depart
ments Of the government from Philadelphia
to this city, and incidentally was a valuable
addition to local history. Mr.. Bryan stated
that he drew some of the material from old
letter books found In the departments. The
richest yield came from some characteristic
and gossipy letters written by Mr.. Abra-
ham Bradley, jr., the assistant postmaster
general in the year 1900 and for many years
later. Mr.. Bradley had entire charge of the
removal of the Post Office Department to
this city, and his official correspondence on
the subject Is filled with interesting data
concerning the Washington OF his time.
Under date Of June 2, $780, Mr.. Bradley
writes to his friend Robert Patton, as fol-
lows: I'VE arrived here Friday last
having had pleasant journey as far as we
travelled by daylight. Capt. Stevenson.
with whom agreed for a house before my
arrival, was not ready to give possession.
| and the house was not convenient for US.
1 have therefore taken a large, three-story
| house within few rods of Blodgett's
Hotel, which will accommodate the office
and my family and the postmaster's office.
1t is about equidistant from the Presidents
all the people attached to the public offices
| should be accommodated with houses, the
| few that have been left are at rents none un-
der $3.50 and S3OO. Provisions are plenty. good
| enough and cheaper than in Philadelphia
| You can buy peck Of field strawberries
| for a tive-penny bit garden at IL cents
quart. Vegetation Is at least two weeks
| earlier here than In Philadelphia. For my
self 10 not regret the removal. The situa-
| ton of the city is beautiful, and this season
is extremely pleasant
A Prophecy.
| Under date of June IL. Mr.. Bradley writes
to the Postmaster General. as follows:
| I'VE have not been able to open the
| office and to commence business until to-
day. / left Philadelphia on Wednesday,
| May ~, and arrived on Friday evening, the
| 18th. The President left Philadelphia the
| 10Th and arrived at Georgetown June l.
I The situation of the city is extremely
| pleasant, ana will probably become the
| greatest city in America. Provisions are
| plenty and cheap, but ii will hardly be
| possible for all those attached to public
| offices to be accommodated with houses
| within two miles OF the offices. L have not
been able to learn whether any house has
| been taken for your family, and have,
| therefore. been obliged to store your furni-
| ture in Georget9wn. We have taken DR..
| Crackers house for tbis Office (close to the
| great hoteD and forsmy family at $500 q
| Year. The apportfonment of the rent l shall
| leave to you. It appears to me that 500
is as much as l ought to pay for a house.
| Our office is kept on the second floor, which
| contains one large room and two small
| ones. The largest room is 2Ixl1 feet, and
| the smallest rooms are each 1oxl4 feet
| The front room the first floor was pre-
| pared for Mr.. Monroes Office with an apart
| ment for blanks. Only half the floors were
| laid when we took the house. and only
| four rooms were plastered. The owner al
| lowed us to eXpend $3.50 Of the rent to
| m a a
| now at work and we shall complete, far
| as our money shall permit, by the last of
| next week, at which time Mr.. Monroe will
| move his office here. We have q
| flood Of bl siness on hand at this time, and
| our removal has put US month in ar
| Tears. 1t took US a week to prepare to
move, load, etc. and 1t VIII take US
| another week to get our things in the
| proper order.
| The removal of the government. as Mr..
| Bradley indicates, took place in the early
| part OF June. Congress adjourned about
the 10th of May, rather took recess.
| to meet again in this city in November.
| Location of building.
THE information which is in the letters
CT Mr.. Bradley" said Mr.. Bryan. will be
| recognized as constituting a valuable con-
tribution to the history of that period.
| While Mr.. Bradley does not give the exact
| location Of the building that was leased for
| the of the Post Office Department, his
description is, perhaps, as accurate as
| could be expected under the circumstances.
| 1t is hardly necessary to say that while the
| streets of the city of Washington were
| beautifully delineated on paper. and care
| fully named, there was no indication. or
| at least very little. In the city itself that
| there were any streets. Some years later
| traveller to the city stated that he was
| in the center OF the city when he thought
| he was still some distance away There
| WI no tnl nd hn ITO nd
| midway, as MIR. Bradley says. the large
| building known then as Blodgetts, or the
| Great Hotel 1t was located on the site
| of the south wing of the present Post
| Office Department. From Mr.. Bradley's
| account as made more definite by other
| records. II Is believed that the house re-
| ferred to was at or near the corner of 9th
| ard 10 streets. Reference is made by Mr..
| Bradley to providing quarters for Mr.. Mon
| roes office in this building. Mr.. Monroe
| was at that time the postmaster of the
| city, and this statement clears up a rather
| doubtful period in the early history of the
/ city post office. AT any rate. the joint ten
| ancy of the Post Office Department and
| the city post office then began which was
| continued with but slight Interruptions up
| to few years ago."
The Removal.
Mr.. Bryan takes issue with a published
| account of the removal, in which 1t is
stated that the transfer was not very
lOTmludDFe AFFAIR. The Oldest lnnaDltant
assures me-" says this account, that
single packet sloop brought all the Office
| furniture Of the departments. besides the
| seven large boxes ard four or five smaller
| Ones which contained the archives of the
| government. Fifty-four persons. comprising
| the President, secretaries and clerical
force. chose their own method Of convey
| ance."
| Mr.. Bryan holds that, while the depart
| ments were not very immense affairs at
| that time 1t took more than one vessel to
| remove the effects. He says
| The first blue book, which was printed
| in the year 1872, shows that the employees
in the government departments numbered
| 134. exclusive Of the heads Of the depart
| ments. The Navy Department was not
then In existence. and the general post Of
| fice with Timothy Pickering as Postmaster
| General, Is put down as having no returns.
| The next blue book was sent to Congress
| by President Jefferson on January II. 1902,
and the number of department employees 10
| given as 126. The total amount paid as
| salaries when the transfer was made to
Washington was $125SS1. The employees
| for the first year in the new city appor-
Il IL