Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-11-28
The City Post Office Occupies It'
Permanent Home.
ZONE INTERESTING INCIDENTS
The Tower Clock Stopped to
Celebrate the Event.
FIREPROOF CONSTR CTION

Postmaster James p. WilIett sat behind
his old Union building desk in his new
quarters in the city post office this morning
attending to business with his customary
vigor and pausing between lines to receive
the congratulations from his numerous
friends. He generally withstood the inter-
rogatories of observant callers as to why "a
fire proof building had wooden wainscoting
and interior trimmings In its working
rooms and referred them complaisantly to
the authorities responsible for this kind Of
fire-proof construction The very pretty
Wilton carpet that rested the wooden
floor was pressed by many feet during the
day. and there was general rejoicing that
the city postmaster had been the first to
occupy the permanent home Of the Wash
ington city post office.
Cobweb. and DiscoloratIon.
Assistant Postmaster Wilson also receiv-
ed many callers and was equally urbans in
understanding the remarks about the num-
erous cobwebs that decorated the lofty
ceiling OF his apartment and the numerous
discoiorations that made the white plaster
an arabesque of rust. Mr.. Willett was
high in his praises of the manner In which
the contractors for the removal of the Xix
lures and appurtenances of the office had
performed their duties.
The blizzard Saturday night made the
work difficult" he remarked when a Star
reporter saw him this morning, but in the
middle of it Littletieid & Alvord and Man.
ager Wallace of the Peoples Dispatch Com
pany projected the rough-shod hoofs of
their horses in such a way that they could
safely work on the slippery streets.
Everything was progressing smoothly, so
far as the unusual circumstances could
permit at O'Clock yesterday morning" he
continued and while the delay of the
lie tl
fortunate, 1t was no fault, of course, of the
city post office authorities. We had yerJ
severe weather for the removal of the office
from the Union building, but in spite of
1t everything has been accomplished in a
most satisfactory manner. and We are very
much pleased with the result.
Mr. Wilett stated that he was of the
opinion that the new furniture for the city
post office would be unpacked and in place
within Il very short time.
The Clock stopped.
The occupancy of the new building was
marked yesterday morning by the sudden
stoppage of that wonderful clock in the
tower of the building at s:31 o'clock. There
We're many causes assigned for this event.
but the material fact remained that the in
dyidual who was supposed to wind 1t up had
inadvertently forgotten to do his duty last
Saturday. Shortly after 10 o'clock this
morning the clock was started going again,
and until somebody forgets to wind 1t again
it will probably keep going. The numer-
Gus visitors to the new office today were
rather undecided about finding out where
they desired to transact their business
There are no signs over the windows to
the various public departments, such as
the stamp, general delivery divisions and SO
forth, but there are promises that these
discrepancies will he shortly remedied.
There is probably going to be considerable
rivalry over the individuality of the first
person who mailed a letter package in
the new city post Office, well as over
who received similar mail therefrom, but
so ia as the registry division is concerned
the first letter recorded therein was regis
tered yesterday by r. s. and A. B. Lacey.
It was numbered 2,9S4, and accompanied by
package numbered 2,,s4, both addressed
to F. W. Bond Eagle block Canton, Ohio.
Mr.. John F. Graham of the registry di-
vision enjoys the honor of recording the
first evidences of registry business in the
new building Late this afternoon Post
master Willett said everything was moving
as smooth as silk in the new quarters and
that he was confident that such conditions
would continue.