The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-12-14
Holiday RUSH BEGINNING.
BUSINESS UNUSUALLY HEAVY.
Feopls ssnaine Prsssnts e other
Parts - tAs country should start
TAen EARLY to Insurs Prompt
De1ivery-stery Of = monkey
WAo Created Confusion In .
CAristnAs shipment--Good Year.

UenveEy-Stofy Oh ASAASS
WAo Created Confusion In .
CAristnAs sAipneat-Good Year.
OF course It IL an old story how the gen.
t1eman from foreign land went into the
express office and wanted to know II there
Was = package there for him. and when
asked his name said: IVY. cts on da pack
age." But this has actually happened In
i local express office within the last week
and great many more curious things OF
ike nature may bo expected. For this ID
the busy time preceding the holiday sea-
ron. and any person who has not package
% express to some friend or relative east
west. north or south. u an anomaly ana
figure that nine-tenths OF the population.
Of Seattle receive at least one package
from outside and send one away. Tho
rush over the local counters can be readily
imagined.
u r. harlow, Of the Northern Pacific
express, said yesterday that warming to
the Christmas present sending people OF
this city to hurry up with their packages
would be very timely and Agent I. War
ine, OF the Great Northern express. reiter-
ates the same caution. -
q There ID bound to be great blockade
Of express matter In the east" said MI.
Harlow. Imagine nine-tenths Of the peo-
pie Of New York city looking for pack
ages from outside parties Christmas morn
Ing. AZ the holiday cores on Monday and
there win be no delivery Of express on
Sunday, there win be an unusual crush at
the last minute and people should start
their stun so It will reach its destination
Friday or Saturday in order to insure
prompt delivery. All this month We have
been working until midnight getting the
office in shape to handle the holiday SUR
plus Of business. What have W. been do
ing? Why, cleaning out old parcels and
making room for the new; checking up the
office and getting everything straight 20
as to minimize the confusion.
Small packages, by the way. will be
packed In large dry goods boxes to insure
their getting through safely. They will be
shipped IN this shape to Spokane. Helena.
st. Paul. Chicago and other distributing
points''
The same warning to Christmas purchas-
en- not to delay expressing their packages
was voiced by Mr.. Waring. 1T Is very
difficult to handle the packages when they
come in all at once at the last minute"
He said yesterday: And people should
remember this and take time by the fore
lock"
The run on the express counters prac-
tcally commenced yesterday and from
now on until day or so before Christmas
win steadily increase. There are the usual
number OF obstinate requests for immed-
ate delivery and by a strange freak Of cir
cumstances the number Of those who wish
their parcels surely delivered on time seems
to grow larger and more importunate as
the holiday season sAdrtenE Invariably
some woman rushes N the day before
Christmas and throws down a number OF
the homogeneous looking bundles contain
ing her selections as presents and says.
laying portentous index finger on the
pile: These must be delivered Christmas
Z morning.
The clerk looks at one address and
|sees It is Chicago. Then he laughs hys-
tericalIy.
Many funny stories are locked In the
memories OF express agents, and as the
holiday time comes on they tell them to
gone another during the lulls in business.
1t was during one OF these reposeful In
TERMS that observation-disclosures reporter
yesterday visited a local ONCE. One clerk
was trying to check over a long list OF
names while another was saying:
do you remember that monkey we
shipped East last Year,"
The listing clerk grunted an assent and
started back three names to where he
had lost his place.
what monkey" asked a new employee.
This was the story teller's opportunity
and he proceeded to tell with some em-
sbellishment of how q sailor from for
eiGn bark had entered the office one day
with very active looking monkey at
tached to a long chain. The sailor had
billed It through to some town in New
England and the animal had been put in
car with number of other Christmas
packages. At the first stopping place
where that car was opened a scene OF
devastation greeted the eye, The mon
key had amused himself eating all the
tags Off the inanimate bundles about,
and when this pleasant recreation had
failed--because of a shortness of tags
he had found further amusement scat
tering candles, dolls camping jacks and
other usefai articles all over the floor.
Many an anxious man, woman and child
had the sailors monkey to thank for go
ing presentless on Christmas, 1893, and
the man who received the animal itself
probably wished he had himself been
among the disappointed ones. But the
monkey got there all right, full of ex-
press tags and devilment.
Then the clerk, encouraged by the re-
ception of his first story. told others.
chiefly Of incidents of transactions over
the counter. He recalled a colored gen.
tleman who had deposited a mangy-1ook-
ing dog on the counter about December
49, a year or SO ago. and said: dis pup
goes to Miss Snowflake Pearline. Spo-
kane, for krismus."
II nearly got fred" added the clerk,
.'for a mistake in making out the tag.
BY some slip i got It Miss Dewdrop Sa-
polio, and the customer took It as an in
suit"
1t is expected that the rush will be on
in earnest by Thursday and will continue
from that time up to January without