Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1898-03-05
POSTAL FACILITIES.


1t was an English writer who pointed
out that an excellent method of meas
uring the civilization of community
was by no means of the number of
letters sent annually by each of Its
citizens. Measured by this standard
the United States not alone leads the
world, but 1t has practically no second
so far as the other competitors in the
race are concerned OF the postal bust
ness done by the United States that
of New York exceeds and excels all the
rest. The per capita figures are SO
large rs to seem almost incredible.
The pieces carried are far past the
billion mark and the total amount of
the money orders exceeds the entire
value of many of the smaller powers
of the Old World. The consolidation
which went into effect on New Years
day doubled the size of the postal sys-
TEN of the city. Before that time 1t
was larger than Paris, and almost as
large as London. Now, It is in ad-
vance of even the British capital.
II consists of two magnificent main
buildings, the one on Broadway, Man
haitian. and the other on Washington
street, Brooklyn. Each is a vast stone
structure, fire proof, storm-proof, and
almost time-proof, and each contains
within its walls court rooms, Judges
chambers. and the other accommoda-
lions demanded In Manhattan by the
of the Southern district of New York.
and in Brooklyn of the Eastern district
of New York.
In each of these main buildings is n
financial department, where money or
ders and postal notes are issued and
where millions Of dollars are received
and disbursed. In each there is an Of
flee for the reception of blind letters,
the place which is q humorous COM
ment upon human infrmitles. There
appears to be some mental law where
by one person out of a million in adj
dressing letter will put on the name
of the recipient but not the address.
There Is another person in a million
| who will write nothing at all upon the
envelope, but will drop 1t, nevertheless.
into the postoflice. There is n third
person who will put the name and the
street but not the city or the state.
There are two persons In a million
who will put the name and the city, but
not the state. There Is one person
whose writing is so bad as to require
an expert to decipher 1t. There Is an
other whose spelling Is 30 extraordi-
nary as to require an expert to make
out what Is meant.
These men are always busy, the
number Of letters they receive being
Just as constant as the change from
day to night. In each OF these two
headquarters there is ample provision
fiiuuc lot tne economy or time IN
the handling and dispatch of mail
matter There are swift-footed boys
| and younv men who deliver letters on
which there are special delivery
stamps; there are quaint little chart
| OTIS. opened In the rear, with which
collectors drive from lamppost box to
lamppost box, gathering the letters
which have been dropped into them by
| the public: there are powerful express
| wagons, drawn by strong horses. which,
| loaded with mail bags and sacks, are
| driven like the wind from main Office
| to branch. from office to steamer pier
and railroad depot
III Brooklyn there are special post
office trolley cars. and in New York
post office cable cars. fitted up as min
! inture railway offices, In which mai,
| matter Is sorted and distributed as the
car rolls uptown or out of town in the
| country.
The saving on time which this means
may be inferred from the fact that
fifty years ago the average mailing
time for the sender In New York to the
recipient in Brooklyn, Queens or Rich
mond was twenty-four hours, while
today 1t is often cut down to three
| is about TO be still further reduced by
pneumatic tubes running the length Of
| Manhattan Island and extending
through the main thoroughfares of the
/ Bronx Queens. Brooklyn and Rich
mond, down to the very boundary lines
| of the huge new city.
| Formerly the hours for collection
were those of the business day, but the
| Increasing pressure of this demand has
heightened this period at both ends. so
| that the first collector starts out at the