The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-13
HOUSE NUMBER SCHEME
SOME INFORMATION on THE
CHANGES TO BE MADE.
How Ii VIII Affect Mail Delivery
Correspondents should state il
Number Is New

In about, month every house in town
will have new street number. incidentally
people Will suffer no end of annoyance by
the change from the system of fifty 10
one hundred numbers to the block. but it
is believed that i'm the course OF "A wear or
those who have not in the meantime lost
their minds getting accustomed to the new
system will find II much more convenient
and satisfactory than the old. In ten days
the work OF distributing the new number
plates will be commenced by the city en-
gineer's forces, the Board OF Public
Works yesterday awarded the contract 10
Fertig q Keevers at the rate of $50 a
thousand for the number plates The first
thousand are to be delivered within ten
days and the others to be delivered at
the rate of one thousand a day thereafter.
The number plate chosen is Of black Jap
aimed tin, with figures and border In gold
leaf.
Owing to the irregularity with which In
dianapolis, outside OF the original square
mile plat. is laid out. il is a difficult thing
to attempt to lay down rule whereby peo-
pie may know how to lock for numbers.
IL blocks were of exactly the ZANE length
it would be safe 10 say that the new num-
Der may be ascertained by doubling the
rule will not hold good in the outer re-
gions. Washington street Is the dividing
line from which houses are numbered north
and south. one hundred umbers to each
block, and Meridian street is the dividing
line east and west. Going out East Wash
ington street. No. 100 will be at Penn
sylvania street, 200 at Delaware, 300 ~
Alabama, and so on. Old 200 was at Noble
street, which will now be 600. No. 100 will
be at the Institution for the Deaf and
Dumb. corner OF State avenue. fos merly
No. $50. Starting west on Washington
street from Meridian to the other extremity
of town the change is at the same ratio.
No. 100 will be at Illinois street. No. POO at
Capitol avenue, No. 500 at West street,
formerly No. 250. and so west
Walking north on Meridian. Pennsyl-
vania, Illinois any of the old north-and-
south streets the change in numbers will
be equally confusing. Many people have
calculated IN arriving at a number, Tor in
stance, that No. 300 would be at North
street North street will be No. COO. When
the numerical streets are reached. Tenth
street and so on north, IL Is comparatively
straight sailing. as Tenth street is No 1860
Eleventh street No. hoo. and SO
Leaving Washington street TO the north
and going south on Meridian or other old
streets the same rule prevails. No. 100 will
street, etc. McCarty street has long been
a landmark for people hunting numbers
who knew that No. 400 was at its corner
The corner of McCarty on Meridian street
will now be 800
There is one thing TO be borne in mind,
ana that is that streets not starting of
Washington or Meridian street will moi
have any one-hundred numbers. but will
begin numbering at the number belonging
to the street from which they start. For
instance, streets in the southeast running
south from Prospect street will begin num-
bering from 100, as Prospect street is
eleven blocks from Washington street The
M her IN old
liUO as 1t begins eleven blocks east of
Meridian street
1t IS not the intention to try to point out
the innumerable changes. but simply to
give faint idea of those that exist To
add 10 the confusion, the city directory
shows the old house numbers as the change
IN the system was not made until after the
directory was issued The ordinance pro-
vides that both the old and new numbers on
the houses shall remain for year on this
account. Next year the directory will treat
OF the new numbers and names
:. by FAR the greatest annoyance the pub
lie will suffer will be with regard to the
delivery OF mail by the letter carriers
James Deery, superintendent of city deliv-
cry, has been at work for weeks getting a
directory prepared for the use of the car
riers showing both the old and new num-
bers OF the houses. Mr. Deery said yes
terday that after the new numbers are
tackled on the houses it would greatly facili-
tate the rapidity of delivery II patrons of
the postal department carefully instruct
tneir correspondents TO use the new num-
word new before the number given. All
letters received. unless thus designated
Will be regarded as addressed to the old
numbers. This will necessarily make DELAY
IN the delivery of the letters. Supposng n
letter IS simply directed TO 400 North Merid-
ian street, the new number being meant
when 1T ought TO be addressed New 400
North Meridian street" it will be placed i'm
the hands or the carrier delivering mail to
the corner of Meridian and st. Clair streets
wnen IL ought TO be delivered by the carrier
delivering at Meridian and Vermont streets
all because the word new was omitted
before the number Mr.. Deery said how
ever that no changes should be made I'm.
III after the new number is delivered bv
the engineers forces, so that the resident
may nave the right number when direct
ing his correspondents how TO address him
~ VIII De month, at least. before all the
number plates are delivered as there arc
o5,oOV houses In town, more or less. For
TINS work $1,000 was appropriated III the
NUMBER OF signs necessary does not exceed
the estimate of $4,000 IL will cost the civ
A'sSo Tor the plumber plates alone.