New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-28

the steamer wharves, which they usually reach
at the last moment
In order to appreciate the work done by the
clerks in this office must have the privilege
of going into the working rooms, where the
clerks, under Alexander Half. the superintend-
ent of the office, assert the mail and make
ready for its voyage. The addresses
would drive an ordinary man to distraction.
But the clerks seem to know the photographic
peculiarites of the writer's, and Italian, Bohe-
milan, Russian and Scandinavian as we'll IS
Chinese and japanese letters are placed in the
proper boxes with much dispatch though
they parts of the ordinary domestic mail.
The records of the office show that the aver
age weekly shipment of mail amounts to about
five thousand bags. This may convey soma
idea of the amount of mail matter handled at
the office but better information is given ~
Mr.. Half in his last annual report, which show
that the number of pieces which went throu7a
the office last year amounted to 91,OS3,GJ9 This
included:
First class matter -
Papers and periodicals N
There is one man in the foreign branch Wh1
has seen the business grow from an unImpor'
tant part of the postal system to its preseA,
StupendOuS dimensions de IS <Ailuy n.y.,
one of the clerks in the package departme-t.
He has been a postal clerk since 49,, and, a.
though he will celebrate his SEVENTEEN birthday
on December Is, he is hale and vigorous and
does the work to which he is assigned IN u
highly satisfactory manner. He was born at
No. 5 Doyers-st. when" as he says, "th.l
street was a fashionable one. started IL i
letter carrier II 1871. The Postothce W"s
then at Liberty and Nassau SITS, and my route
was from East Twenty seventh-st. to East
Forty second-st, up Third-ave. and over 10
Sccond-aVe. Sometimes I'd ride up in a st>1e
or a sleigh Twenty-seventh-s and the-i
twas hard wo.k through lots, barns and
orchards For each letter delivered in those
days the carrier got two cents from the person
receiving the letter. and one cent for each new
paper l made more money then than l 30
now There were thirty carriers III all New
York at that time"
In 1882 Postmaster William E. Brady ap-
pointed Mr. Hyde clerk. and he has been IN
the service ever since that time. When the
foreign branch opened, about a year ago,
Andy" was assigned to duty there, and he Is
considered one of the features of the place.
In the early days of my service he said.
the foreign mail for a week could be carried
in an ordinary packing case. There was Il,
wireless biography TO give notice that sh
was coming in When one was about TO land
the foot OF Liberty-st. the people on the boat
would fire two guns to give notice to the POST
office officials that they had mail matter 10 de-
liver The load was usually about five or six bags
Sometimes men would go out in roWboat for
the bags and then carry the whole lot to the
Postoltice in a wheelbarrow. In those days
steamers mail could be made ready for delivery
in hour
one OF "Andy's" associates said There are
men working in the General POStoffce who are
as old and some older than Andy, but they
are in the Label room. which some of the boys
call the 'hospitar or the old ladies home. But
that's place for Andy He IS still one OF the
boys and is 4 good story teller.
The veteran clerk has a happy home. His
wife is three years younger than he and Of their
eleven children eight four boys and four girls
alive.