The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-18

y, C. A. Br1f1, '. W. burney, VIII office was on October g. 1SS9 when the five mail carriers of the office walked out in a body. Folio wing the installation of MT. Houston as postmaster, the department ordered that colored mail carriers be ap- pointed to the service. The five car riers, who were Thad Weatherly, foreman Phil Harris. Jack Curran, J. M Sims and Alex Osborne, gave notice that if colored carriers were put on, they would walk out In a body. The postmaster stood firm and the men retired from the serV ice. None of them ever returned J. K Thomson, Henry Boyd ana Matt L. Fowler, colored, were ap- pointed by Postmaster Houston to take the places of the white carriers, who had voluntarily retired. The two first named colored carriers failed to meet the requirements and George s. Martin and O. Henry White were appointed in thelr places.
 William E. Douglass, who was for many years one of the best-known mail carriers of the city and for years an employe of the First Ma tional bank of this city, declined 10 , enter the walk-out, and renamed Tn | the service for several years. Phll Harris, one of the carriers who ieft
 the service and is now with the land l department of the Sloss Sheffield Iron and Steel company, states that 1 during the boom days the carriers | and clerks would often put in rom l six to eight hours a day overtime 10 | relieve the congestion. MT. Harris ! states that the route to which he was assigned embraced the territory 1 from First avenue to Ninth avenue
 north, and from Twentieth street tc | Twenty sixth street.
 Copeland's T>erln
 William B. Copeland, now a mem
 her of the Jefferson county board O. | revenue was appointed postmaster
 by President Cleveland in July 1893 He selected John Towers as his as
 sistant shortly after takingA charge
 of the post office. George M. Cruik
 shank, former editor of the Birming ham Ledger, became assistant post
 master in October, 1893 and served
 four years.
 The tenth postmaster was Jame
 w. Hughes, republican, who was Ap
 pointed in 1897 by President McK!n
 ley. John Towers served as assis
 tant. postmaster under Dr. Hughe
 -during the seven years of his in
 cunbency.
 J. Rivers Carter succeeded DI
 Hughes, and became the eleventl
 rostn aster, who served in this posi- tion for five years.
 Judge Joseph H. Montgomery sue
 ceeded MT. Carter as the twelft I postmaster. He was appointed Oc tober II, 1910, and died suddenly o August 2, 1911. Following Judg : Montgomery's death, George .. Oli : yer a local insurance man, was SC lected to serve for the bonding com : pany pending the appointment of ? postmaster. Prof. J. T. Blakemor served as assistant postmaster Ln :. der MT. Carter, Judge Montgomer and Mir. Oliver.
 On peccn Der ', 1s11, Col. Truma HI. Aldrich was appointed as tn thirteenth postmaster. He serve e his full term of years, and was sue : ceeded by R. B.. Smyer, the presei n postmaster. on January [, 1916. '. 1920, at the expiration of his fir' , term, he was reappointed for set s ond term. MT Smyer's second con mission expires on February l92 Eighteenth Street Office Twenty-ei years ago. or September, 1893, the post office wa
 removed from the Woolworth builS s inc to the post office building ( Sc cond avenue and Eighteen' : street. The office force consisted = that time of 16 mail carriers and '- clerks. The new office appeared
 large to this small crew and the
 l was so much empty space in U j. main work room. that the mig a clerks improvised bicycle ra e track to- amuse themselves whi n waiting for late trains to bring le the mails The post office now h Il 800 en ployes, of which 16 are clerl n anL 1855 carriers. Of this numbS " 9 are employed in the motor vel m c1e service. The postal employ le who moved into the Second avan l. building, and who will also goe in In the Fifth avenue building al K Thomas M. Edwards and E. G. Woe