Evening star., 1923-11-04

swine were banned from the thor
oughfares after a hog had killed a
man who was leaving the post office.
Mr. Bartlett. as representative of
the postal system. told Of the great
growth of the system, from it's total
| force of seven clerks in 1900 to its
present personnel of more than
100000 employees.
Tells of First Building.
Mr.. Davis gave personal recollec-
tions Of the old build ng which ac-
tually housed the first Post ONCE
Department here. declaring that 1t
was a blueish-gray structure. part OF
the old David Burns holding, and
before the close Of the civil war. the
present building being on the site for
the past sixty years.
Mr.. Proctor traced the early days
of the rostal service, its removal here
from Philadelphia, when the entire
personnel consisted of seven clerks
and the Postmaster General and the
first assistant postmaster general.
He paid tribute to Abraham Brad
ley, the assistant, declaring that he
proved to be IAN alert. aggressive
official" Mr. Proctor continued:
ID. C. Population 3.21O.
There were then in Washington
3.2l0 persons and 372 buildings-109
of brick and 263 of wood-or about
nine persons to the building. So 1t
can be seen the newcomers did not
have an easy time finding desirable
the already overcrowded city, small
as 1t was then. Mr.. Bradley upon
his arrival in the city on May 80 found
the quarters previously selected by
him not ready for occupancy, and, be-
sides. inconveniently situated. Thus
he was forced to secure quarters else
where.
There are very little data to be
found. written at the time. regarding
the removal of the government to
Washington. but fortunately two let
ters written by Mr.. Bradley give
some interesting information in this
connection. especially as to the To-
eating of the Post Office Department.
On June 2, 1900. he writes:
We arrived here on Friday last.
having had a pleasant journey as far
as we travelled by daylight. Capt.
Stevenson, with whom / agreed for
a house before my arrival. was not
ready to give possession. and the
house was not convenient for us. I
have therefore taken a large three
story house within a few rods of
Blodgett's Hotel, which will accom-
the postmasser's office. 1t is about
equidistant from the President's
house and the Capitol
Praises City's situation.
| Nine days later in another letter
he says:
Office and commence business until
/ this day. ] left Philadelphia Wednes-
| day, May q, and arrived on Friday
evening, the 29th. The President left
Philadelphia the 26th and arrived at
Georgetown June 1. The situation of
F. the city is extremely pleasant. and 1t
will probably become the greatest
4
! We have taken DR.. Crocker's house
for this office (close by the Great
HoteD and for my family at $500 a
| year. The apportionment of the rent
5000 a year is as much as 1 ought to
pay for a house. Our office is kept on
| the second floor, which contains one
| largo room and two small ones. The
largest room is 27 by II feet. and
] tie smallest rooms are each 15 by IA
| feet. The front room on the first floor
was prepared for Mr.. Monroe's office.
| with an apartment for blanks Only
! half the floors were laid when we
| took the house, and only four rooms
| US to expend $500 Of the rent to make
| it tenantable. The carpenters are
now at work, and we shall complete,
as far as our money shall permit, by
the last of next week, at which time
Mr.. Monroe will move his Office here. y
Traces Other Movings.
Mr.. Proctor then traced the subse-
quent movings of the department., un-
, til it's final quarters at 11th street
! and Pennsylvania avenue were occu-
pied. He contrasted the postal rates
! of that day and this. and the speed
| of transmissal of letters, the size OF
4, the postal establishments Of the re-
! spective eras, and declared:
| Looking around today at the hus-
] tie and hustle of business right here
I in the heart Of Washington, now COW
| cred with its massive buildings, and
| viewing it's congested thoroughfares
| one can easily see that 1t would re-
quire a most active and alert imag-
! ination to conjure UP an impression
of Washington in embryo-the Wash
ington of most magnificent distances
One traveller who passed through here
over a century ago said it was then
too young for a brewery. If he could
return now I have no doubt but that
he would change his opinion, much to
the qualification of large number
of persons.
when Cattle Ran Free.
To-day 1T is the practice to dodge
| the automobile-those of us who are
given a chance. Then the: people