The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-12-25
Unprecedented Prosperity in
Worcester Homes Reflected in
the Trade at Stores and Heavy
Mail Business
CHRISTMAS RECEIPTS
FOR STAMPS HEAVY
Express Companies Pass All Pre-
viouS Records in Amount of
Business Handled and the De-
livery of Gifts Must Be Kept Up
All Day

If business records count for any
thing this ought to- be the happiest
Christmas in the history of Worcester.
The unprecedented prosperity that mas
marked every line of industry during
the past few years has given every
body plenty of money, and this tact Is
shown by the unusual amount of pur-
chasing and shipping of Christmas
presents. Every line of business that
has had to do with the sale and ship
ment of holiday goods reported yester-
day and last night that all previous
records in their lines had been broken,
and there will be comparatively few
people in the city and county of Wor-
cester without something IN their
stockings this morning.
One of the big department stores re-
ports a $4,000 volume of business for
Monday and judging from the i'm
mense crowds that filled the store up to
the time Of closing last night, yester-
days business exceeded that of Mon
day. Other stores reported that all
their former Christmas records have
been broken, and the tremendous
crowds that thronged the streets ard
cars last night, all laden with bundles,
indicates that more presents will be
given this year than ever before.
Good places to judge Of the amount
of giving that Is being done are the ex-
press Offices and the posICtiice. Like
the big department sto'eg. these shiE-
pers of presents have broken all rec
OTIS 1>e sales at the stamp win
t1cs offthe postoffica Monday amount
ed to S1468 and of this amount $1348 was
for stamps alone. Yesterday the crowds
that were lined up in front Of the win
dows numbered thousands, and they
kept the stamp clerks on the hustle.
Inside the mailing department, the
clerks were falling over the packages
that were dropped in 20 be sent out of
Worcester, and fou" men were keLt
in the crib nearly all day sorting the
packages for their proper pouches
Last year the sale of stamps for the
day corresponding with Monday
amounted to $1100, so, judging from
Mondays sale, this years record is 50
per cent larger than any previous
mark. The business in the other de-
partments of the postoffice was CORE
spondingly large, and there was not an
employe who was not glad when his
work was done In order to keep pace
with the amount of matter that was
sent through the office, most of the
clerks had to work overtime and some
of them worked IA and 10 hours Mon
day and yesterday. The carriers are
glad that Christmas comes but once
year. as they had all kinds of trouble
Yesterday In addition to their unusual
loads. the walking was bad on account
of the rain, which made the sidewalks
slippery, and the men who made so
many hearts glad by ringing the door
bells all over Worcester with their
messages of good cheer earned every
cent that was coming to them.
The regulation carriers will make
only one delivery this morning, but
Postmaster Greene will keep the subs
on the road as long as there is any
mail to be delivered.
In the express offices, the receiving
clerks and the drivers had all the work
that they could do. and the managers
had to bring in extra help to get near
the bottoms of the immense piles OF
packages that came through the offices.
The Adams Express Company and the
American Express Company report
they had more men at work since Mon
day morning than ever before in the
history of the Worcester offices. The
people who had presents to send did
not care to send them Saturday and
waited until Monday before leaving
their stuff. The delay crowded all the
business into yesterday and Monday,
and the express messen gers were near
" swamped by the great amount Of
mater thew had to handle. The Offices
we're piled to the ceilings with stuff to
be delivered to Worcester people, and
extra receiving Clerks were on duty
until late last ut taking in pack
ages that will b - .uped and delivered
some time TO-DAY. - possible.
Fortunately for the express compa-
MES there will be no shops running and
no stores doing business TODAY and
they expect to clear out the offices by
tonight The wagons usually used in
making collections from the stores ana
shops viii be put on delivery work and
kept at it until the last parcel is de-
iivered There viii be no holiday for
the express messengers this year.