The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-12-21
POSTOFF|cE SHOWS
GREATEST BUSINESS
IN ENTIRE HISTORY
Stamp Sales for Year Already
Exceed Those of Preceding
Twelve Months. Passing
100000 Mark.
Money Order Department Bust
ness Averages $4,000 Daily.
Santa Claus Works Big
Invisible Force in Basement
of Building.

In addition to the record breaking
christmas rush now on In full swing,
big business lis being done In the
money order department at the Rich
mond postoftice. During the last sew
eral days an average of more than
$40, 600 have been paid out by the
! office in cashing money orders.
A year ago at Christmas time there
was q great thrush OF money In the
postal money order form, but the
F amount of the orders received in
. Richmond this year tops 1t by several
thousands OF dollars.
Stamp saias and other postal re-
ceipts during the month Will make
Decembers total receipts more than
e10e.o00
Much Other Business.
In spite OF the large number OF
orders presented at the windows OF
the money order department at the
Richmond office. which keep the
clerks In that department continually
on the go, there Is other money ordeE
business being done A good many
orders are being bought here and sent
70 other Offices. many suca senders
getting money to former homes or
| homes distant from the city that II
may be received In time for Christ
mas
postosflce Open Today.
The rush OF mailing out thousands
OF Christmas packages daily has been
70 great that a large number OF extra
clerks have been put on at the Rich
mond Office. These are kept busy.
In order to accommodate those who
have packages TO mail and who yes
tArday did not have the opportunity,
and who wish 10 get their mailing
doEe a. early as possible, the parcel
nest and stamp divisions VIII be open
/ from o'clack la the morning till 3
O'Clock in the evening.
While much Of the rush that 10 now
On In dead earnest y to 20 seen On
che gsrxt feor OF the offsce-an the
hobby and behind the windows. where
there In n big additional force en-
xnxed in the usual business OF the
nossoffIce and the handling Ut incom-
ing and outgoing malfa--ft ss but a
portion of what work is being done.
A great big new department. that
D. invisible to the average visitor at
. the postofIice has been added within
1he last few days. This - the local
delivery work rooms, established In
| the Railways and rooms In the front
OF the basement Here, down below
the ground floor Of the building. Ia a
~critable human hive some thirty
extra mail clerks hustltng out the
packages that have been received Tor
delivery In the city and It's suburbs.
Every Hour In the Day.
Twenty-fuur hours in the day these
III incoming mail are being dumped
daily into this branch OF the post
ctfice. added to meet the demands OF
holiday mailing and holiday giving,
fhree shifts a day Of eight hours
zach, the men are being worked.
As fast as they are dumped from
|(he sacks In which they reach the
Richmond cstice. the packages are
sAworked" out for the routes OF tho
delivery wagons. nearly twenty OF
which are In service.
Bins and racks have been erected
Nm the basement corridors. On these
are hung tho sacks into which the
sorted packages are placed. Each
man takes care of some thirty sacks.
which are opened up on the hooks
over which the bags are looptd There
4 = a rack to each city block.
Mall Ia handled by one worker be-
fore each rack. into the sacks of each
Of which bears the label. showing
street and block to which is contents
10. Nine Of these large rackg are al
ready in service, and others Will DO
placed during the next few days. IL
the demand makes them necessary.
Other men will be put to work II they
Means Rapid Delivery.
when the sack Is filled with all the
pieces that so to the block cores
bonding with the sack label, 1t Is
closed and .s ready 10 so out on the
wagon. On each wagon goes three
men. one to pen the sack and divide
che mail by sides OF the street. and tbs
others, one TO deliver on each side
The wagon ts loaded at the ONCE
BY placing sacks going to the extreme
cnd "a the route, on the wagon first.
The first sacks from which delivery
f n r. be made are the last to be placed
an. Az the corner beginning the block
on which deliveries arc to bH made -
rpachad the wagon sorter goes through
the contents Of the sack for that block
and places all odd-numbcr address
par kages in one hamper and the even
number in another. Ine nam YES
then are placed In the deifvertrS hands
ma both sides Of the street are
+ covered al the same time
A. the carriers leave the wagon. 1t
Ia driven to the next corner, where
kfhe eorter rcreats the performance,
and nv the time the carriers nave
completed tho first block. the hampers
are filled for the next By following
this system the deliveries are rapiaiy
Meeting All Emergencies
while great care las heen exercised
~ vrnrkfur at tine delivery system
enus1 attention h4s been given the
rshrI~furas work I'm the other depart
nseg,tx Extra men are 1t work In all
diytstuns and there Is little -lkelihooe
81 the local once betting lied I'd Pro
vision has been made for every con .
tinrercy that could be forxeen and
- - 80 =. ~N~rurr MI fyysA f-ficN and