Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-09-18
Augusta Postsnics q 0tAsr Days.

| IN the FOLLOWING letteT 20 the Main
Farmer from Charles M. Morse Q
Jacksonville, ILL.,:
| II notice in a recent Maine pape
| that there are IS clerks employed i,
the Augusta postoffice. This cause
retrospection, and carries me back 6
years, when in 1887 l went to the Au
gusta postoff1ce (from Wilton, wher
my father was postmaster ninetee,
years and nine months) az clerk 70
Postmaster Woart. and with whom
remained for four years. In the las
two years l was sole clerk most of til,
time. except during the sessions Of tn,
Legislature. Our principal mail was O
course from the west. which we received
via Brunswick daily. except Sunday
| and of course by stage. That was !
famous stage line for half century ul
more. between Portland and Bangor
There were two other mail stage lines
tri-weekly between Augusta and Port
land; one via southwest bend, and thu
other via Monmouth. Also a tri-week.
ly to Belfast, one to Pennington. on,
ITO Wilton. and one to Skowhegan, which
latter became a daily line sometime
previous to 1910. Then there were mails
carried in one and two-horse vehicles
to Litchfield, Belgrade, Whitefield and
possibly one or two other points.
1.-The postoffice in 1S37-8-9 was in q two
story frame building on the east side OF
Water street, about four doors north OF
the foot of Oak street. In the winter OF
1889 a fire which destroyed several
buildings Immediately north Of the Of
flee drove US out temporarily, and for
two or three days the Office was kept in
the basement of the court house. In
1889 or 40 the office was removed to
the Reuel Williams block. short dis
tance below the bridge. Mr. Woart
was succeeded late in Al by r. F. Per-
kins, but l left the Office on the 22d of
August, Al.
I'm my first year with Mr.. Woart my
salary was $40 per month, with board,
sleeping in the office. After that re-
ceived $25 per month, without board. I
got my meals at the old Kennebec no
tel, for which l paid the extravagant
price of $225 per week, and I dare say
1 saved as much money as most young
men do now on SIS per month. The
postage at that time on single letters
of one-half ounce weight or less, was
six, ten, twelve and a half, eighteen
and three-fourths and twenty five
cents, according to distance.
'"There were about so lock boxes and 200
or more glass boxes. and notwithstand-
ing the lapse of 56 years. l remember AL
len Lambard had box l12. Rev. DR.. Tap
pan box 49, Gen. Henry Sewall ia, and
could locate many others.
Mr.. Woart was very kind to me, and al
though during the hot political campaign
of 1S4O c'Tippecanoe and Tyler, too, the
Democratic town committee. Col. Stan
ley and Ben Rust. demanded my removal,
because was a Whig, though not voter
Mr.. Woart defied them, SO l remained
with him. OF course the salary depended
upon the receipts of the Office. l think 1t
paid the postmaster not to exceed $loOO
per annum, clear of expenses.
Among the large patrons of the office.
aside from the State officials, were the
banks-Augusta. Granites and Freemans-
Wheeler & Perkins, qumber Dealers 7;
chlds M smita w. A. 'amss b. Brdes c.
w. Morton, J. w. Bradbury, Gen. Green
lief White Deacon John Means, Gen.
John Chandler, Gen. Hepry Sewall. Rich
ard H. vose. Elias Craig, John Potter.
let. johnson Lunt, Daniel Williams, and
Reuel Williams. who as U. s. senator,
paid no postage. The newspapers were
The Age. Journal. and Gospel Banner.
the Farmer was then published at Gardi-
ner. originally at WinthrOp)
''Then every letter Orfletters, for same
destination. was accompanied by way
bill on which was entered the number
of letters, rate of postage. amount, ana
whether paid or unpaid-prepayment be-
ing optional. Then all must be wrapped
and tied up with posteffice address on
outside. Transcripts of the way bills.
forwarded and received. must be sent the
pOstoffice department quarterly. together
with the dead letters. Accounts were
kept with all who had boxes both for let
ter. newspaper and magazine postage.
and with other persons on the latter.
Subscribers instead of publishers paid
the postage. (There were few magazines
them All letters, except those placed in
boxes, were listed. and the list was kept
hanging in the lobby. If ell these manip-
ulations had to be gone through with to-
day it would require three times 50 clerks
to transact the business of the Augusta
pOstoffice.
''The hours were the same then as now,
Z A. M. to P. NJ, though We closed the
delivery window while asserting the
Western mail. We had to assort all
matter except that for Bangor and points
east of there-all that work being done
now on the postal cars.
LAS l recollect the business men of Au-
gusta, Hutchins was then landlord of the
Augusta house. Barker of the Mansion
house, Henry johnson of the Cushnoc
Joselyn of the Kennebec. Philbrook of
the Franklin and Piper had a small hotel
near the upper end of Water street. The
druggists were Eben Fuller and ]. F.
Ladd; hardware w. A.. Brooks and Kit
tredge; tailors. Hawes. Chisam, O'Riley,
Dealey, and for time s. A. Hudson from
Worcester. Mass. in whose place the fire
started Unought to be incendiary) which
drove us out of the postoffice; hatters,
Alden and Anthony Bros. bookstores. d.
C. Stanwood. afterwards r. D. Rice. and
a small concern by VIM. Hastings, print
er; jewelers., NJ. Swan & Son. Rowse and
Wingate; dry goods. M. A. Chandler and
Mason & Hamiin; banks. Augusta, Danl
Williams Pres; Geo. w. Allen, cashier:
Granite. VIM. Woart, Jr., Pres; S. Leon
ard. cashier: Freemans, Benz. Davis,
Pres; Danl Pike, Cash.; lawyers, Reuel
Daniel and Jos. H. Williams. J. w. Brad
bury. Jas. l.. Child, John Potter, H. w.
Fuller. Richard H. Vose. S. Lancaster. j.
T. McCobb, r. d. Rice. JOS. Baker Daniel
c. Weston. And now of all these men
but two survive. Hon. J. w. Bradbury
and Rav Dr Dania1 WaStop