Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-05-09
The Ottumwa Postoffice.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
From the Saturday Herald.

postmaster Lee haasey'ndly given
The Herald some facts AM figures
which shows that the office has
grown marvelously during the last
three years, both in the matter of rev.
enues and in conveniences for the ben
eft of the public. The revenues have
steadily increased, and for the past
three years have been as follows:
Year ending April /, 1899. .$37, 92002
Year ending April 1, 1900. 43,191.60
Year ending April IL, 1901. 46,S90.91
On July /, 1900, the Office passed
| from the second to the first class
grade. The increase in revenues since
1899 is $S,97Os9.
| Two additional letter carriers have
been added to the force, one of them
being an additional mounted carrier
on the south side of the river.
The limits of the carrier district
have been extended, and large por-
ton of the resident district given two
daily deliveries.
The Office force has been increased
by two additional clerks, and another
will be added July LIST, next.
| A night service has been establish
| ed, the general delivery window being
kept open until Ii o'clock D. m. At
this window letters are registered and
money orders sold and paid from 8
to II o'clock p. m. This night SER
vice has proven of the greatest conve-
nience to the working men and the
travelling public. Travelling men COM
ing in on incoming trains especially
appreciate the opportunity to get their
and cash their money orders, the
same evening. These facilities have
Il ia 6oro hi I'M }bo
receipts of the Office A mailing clerk
is on duty all night and mails are dis.
patched by all night trains. thus Civ
| ing the public the best possible ser.
vice in the dispatch of the mail
The street car collection service is
another very desirable postal facility
| Ottumwa was the third office in the
United States to Obtain this service.
Mail boxes are attached to all street
cars, and the cars will stop at any far
Their street crossing for the purpose
of receiving mail. This system ena
bles people living at and near the lin
its of the car lines to dispatch mail on
the first trains and with no more
trouble than simply to hail passing
street car and deposit their mail in
the U. S. letter box on the same. The
last collection from the boxes on the
street cars is made after the cars &C
to the barn at night-11 o'clock. The
people of the South Side and of the
extreme East and West ends are espe
cially benefited by this street car col
lection system, which is becoming
daily more popular.
1 Three rural mail routes have beer
established running from this city, and
! petitions are now on file with the de
partment asking for three more
The one invariable rule of the OF
tumwa postoffice is 'the best possible
service for the public"
II No suggestion or complaint is too
4 trivial not to be given the most care
full consideration and investigation BY
Postmaster Lee and his assistants. A
4 system of checks has been adopted 81
that errors in distribution and delive
: ry of mail are reduced to minimum
and so that they can in almost every
instance be traced directly to the per
sons responsible for the same. Post
master Lee has had printed and pu
up at the depots and hotels a placart
announcing the night service at tn,
Ottumwa postoffice and asking that er
rors or delays be at once reported
either personally or by phone to the
postoffice, or the postmaster's resi-
dence.
The excellent service enjoyed by
the Ottumwa public and the absencs
of complaints speak volumes not onl,
for the thorough system introduced
by Mr.. Lee but for ability and efficien
cy Of the force of postoffice employee.
who handle the mall The roster o
the postoffice employees is as follows
Postmaster, A. w. Lee.
: Assistant postmaster, Fred w. viii
son.
Money Order Clerk, E. w. Lowen
berg.
Mailing clerk, VIM. w. Burgess.
. Mailing clerk, M. G. Consodine.
Mailing clerk. Geo. H. Elliott.
Separator and assorter, D. B.Houke
General delivery and stamp clerk
Miss Carrie Caughlan.
Clerk in charge of South Side sta
ton, E. H. Thomas.
Letter Carriers.
No. III. E. Swenson.
No &c. w. Parsons.
No. 3-True Giltner.
r No. ed. A. Schworm.
!. No. sc. G. Keyhoe.
!, No 6-Jno. w. Hughes.
No. TN. Schwarzenbach.
No. SD. E. Hines.
No. ED. A. Ellis.
Substitute Carrier No. 1-Orville E
Linton.
I Substitute carrier No. q H. E
Bishop.
Rural carrier No. 10. L. Webb.
Rural carrier Nc. 2-Roy Foust.
!. Rural carrier No. SC. M. Carr.
Recommended for appointment a!
substitute rural carriers-Charles T
Beagle, David Burton and J. w. TEN
pleton.
Mr.. Lee has been postmaster sine,
February, 1898, and has made an ex
cellent record. He has been enter
prising, energetic and painstaking AN,
r has at all times had the convenienc,
! of the public and the best interest O
: Ottumwa in his mind. He has had in
, fluence with the department, and hal
been able to get many concession
for the benefit of the Ottumwa public
The highest compliment that can b,
passed upon Mr.. Lees administration
and those under him, is that there ar,
rarely complaints made.