New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-01-26
MORE ROOM AND BETTER.
CONGESTION OF BUSINESS IN THE POST
OFFICE, AND IT'S RESULTS.
MONEY NEEDED TO REMEDY ARCHITECTURAL
AND SANITARY DEFECTS. But 1T is HARD TO
GET-LAcK or SPACE FOR WAGONS
CHANCES IL SIGHT.

.Next week tie new postonice in this city Will be
occupied. our local columns contain fun details o.
the improved facilities which Postmaster james VIII
now he able 10 furnish to our citizens. The Ola
Dutch Church in Cedar-st. will hereafter be of IN
terest to antiquarians. and future generations VIII
wonder how its narrow limits could so long nave
served the postal business of New-i orK.
Thus runs an editorial paragraph In the New
York Tribune of Wednesday, August 30 l0''' -
would be well If that paragraph could be written LOT
an issue of The Tribune for the present day' re-
gardlng the removal from the present cramped
Quarters of the Postofrce into modern structure
only the modern structure is still thing of the aim
and distant 1t IS really matter FOR astohish
ment and furnishes food for thought to eon'em-
plate how shor;-sighed the generality OF people arc
when brought face TO face with question Oh INV
ncipal growth 1t would seem that they have no
faith IN themselves. They talk about building FOR
ali time on each and every occasion that ruDhc
Improvement is up for consideration, ana WITHIN
decade they have to face the sarcastic comment OIL
their progeny and the positively unanswerable evil
dence Of their own senses
In no department Of municipal life is this more
clearly proved than in the postal service 1t ap-
pcars on every hand. The old Dutchmen VINO
smoked their mulish Governor into compliant con-
dtion thought st. Pauls Church and Nese!-st
would mark the limits Of New-lorks northward
growth. Later on the limit was placed as far north
as Canal-st. 1t was terrific strain upon the i'm
alton OF Contra! Park out of a primitive wilderness
OF unyielding rock Then the edict went forth and
rang and echoed among the Palisades. like the last
triumphant note Of Anthony Van Corlears trumpet
as he went down into the turbulent depths oil
Spuyten Duyvl Creek that the head of the city
should be the head Of Manhattan Island. But. like
Anthony. the prophets were wrong. The city went
on The corporation line has been extended until
municipal limits are twenty miles from the
City Hail. at Yonkers. and the stability OF mat
local government is threatened.
Broadway is a street $50 miles in length. extend
ing in name and indeed in fact to Albany which
is likely to win distinction as the capital
suburb Of the Greater New-York
CONGESTION IN THE POSTOFFICE.
The postal service of the city has grown with its
growth in a kind of way. The working force has
been steadily and continuously increased, ana the
crowded condition OF the General Once, the one
building under consideration. has come to such
a pass that It can be described by only one word
congestion. The conditions are not as bad as are
those existing in the New-York Custom House.
whose deplorable state was passed in review last
Sunday for the building marks one Of those inter
medary transitions through which architecture
has passed from affecta;on to an absurd degree
Of the classicism OF the ancient Greeks down
through the epoch of a strained renaissance and
n rheumatic marriage OF multiform notions. classic
and bastard. to the ideal modern structure With
this difference, however, that the Government mas
not yet reached the stage of absolute emancipa-
ton from Journalism in design. II must have so
many porches, so many columns massive depth Of
window seat and al topped off by the French
,nansard. Chicago likely TO break the rule
and fashion OF the time. for she Is to have a Post
office building only two stories in height. which
shall contain all of the working departments on its
ground floor. where the people can get at things
quickly. and the second, the officials of the de-
partment in whatever capacity. That is business
nd bic hni1 In &c In
Herein is displayed the perspicuity Of Chicago.
She goes for things unitedly and gets what she
wants. Other cities New-York among the num-
Der. go for like things and get hung up like the
ancient and honorable pirates. who. If they did not
hang together were hanged separately, which was
a very percoptble difference from their original
design OF escaping scot free. New-York has been
told that she may build her own Custom House.
By the same token possibly the privilege would be
conceded her OF remOdel.ing her own General Post
Office. Yet the Postofce. like the Custom House,
is the of distribution for the entire country
Think Of 4S6 tons of mail passing through the
building in Mail-st.. Broadway and Park Row each
and every day OF the year! IL means $4,000 pounds
every twenty-four hours. These are the average
figures. that Sundays and holidays are counted in
HANDLED PIECE BY PIECE.
With some exceptions this enormous mass has to
be separated and each individual piece stamped
and then distributed anew for various destinations
view OF the intelligent citizen at this point some
estimate OF the volume of the work. and the figures
are at hand In the last published report Of Post
master Dayton through +. II. Roome, Supern-
tendent OF the order Department. This department
has nothing whatever to do with the money order
division. some good people might suppose from
casual reading Of the title 1t Is what Post
master Pearson once designated the brains Of the
Postofiice. 1t IS in reality the fountain whence
flows all statistical information to the workings
OF the office. and alr. Roome IS a sor, of con-
denscd encyclopedia OF information in consequence
He has the ADDED distinction OF having his Office
on the floor OF what Is technically called the
mezzanine gallery A good many people in taking
one OF the new eternity transit elevators In the
Postoffice have noticed this word emblazOned in
faddish cellulod lettering The jolst facing the
intermediate floor. They invariably inquire of the
elevator man what that means. and he is showing
visible signs Of WEAKNESS. With intent TO relieve
him The Tribune gives the definition. which he may
cut out and paste In conspicuous place. Now. the
term rnozzanne means literally "a story OF small
height introduced between two higher ones" There
You are and the faded spirits OF the elevator
men in the Postofice may take n day off and re-
cuperate. The who says that tho Postoffice
OF Ncw-York is adequate for The clty's needs IS
building a mezzanino-a little story. a half truth
but this has nothing TO do with statistics
The total number Of pieces ~ mail handled in the
city IN 1896 was .3SDS5j9 In the distribution de-
partment % the General Once there was a grand
total OF $500 697 about two-thirds Of the entire
business OF the city figured down 10 a single piece
basis. There hfty-eight branches and sub
stations scattered about the island Branch A. in
Prince-st. and West Broadway handles as much
mail IN a single day many OF the general Offices
in cities 81 the first grade over the country The
daily average OF all kinds Of mail for the year was