The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1934-01-01

nina Lnem IN which they saw the
Indianapolis pOstoffice grow from
a modest service to a So, 550000 bust
ness, sixteen men and one woman
had their names placed on the re-
tired list yesterday.
A total OF els years of service lies
behind these retiring employees Mil
lions of letters and hundreds of
thousands Of packages have passed
through their hands in that time.
All have worked for the postoffice
at least thirty years, and one man
has nearly haf-century Of service
to his record.
Two superintendent on List
Five Of the employees are foremen
Of different postal divisions Will
liam c. Barr, 317 North Dearborn
street, Of the registry section; Ed
ward Carskadon, .1101 West Thirty
second street, Oflor foreman; George
Deming, 1545 Barth avenue, carrier
foreman; Oscar Hittle, 81 South
Hawthorne lane, of general delivery
and directory sections; Louis J. Do
chez, 5446 Hibben avenue, pouch
rack foreman, and Thomas Kelly,
6i08 College avenue, foreman at the
Illinois street station.
Two of the men are superintend-
ents, Arthur c. Hiatt, 1885 Pleasant
street, of the Fountain Square sta
ton, and jeremiah T. Hurlburt, ITO
LavrOck road, Of the Broad Ripple
station
Special clerks in the postoffice are
John E. Clinton, $50 North Ran
dolph street, claims section; Lewis
E. Frazeur, POOP Sugar Grove ave-
nue., of the East Michigan street
station; Miss Halle Aurelia Joyce,
2306 North Talbot street, money or
der section; Christian Rudolph, 300
Lesley avenue, finance division, and
Charles A. Sammis, 256 South En-
erson avenue, stamp section.
Organizations Compared
Carriers retiring are Harry j.
Boaz, 1917 University court; Will
liam H. Gerdts, 1883 Laurel street,
and James A McMath, 2419 East
Eleventh street.
Frank J. Richmann, &c South
Arlington avenue, held the position
OF station examiner in the executive
division at the time of retirement.
During the tenure of these en-
ployes, the Indianapolis postOffce
has grown from a service whose
total business in one year was I'M
der $175,O00 to the present day vol
ume of $3,55OOOO yearly
Louis j. DoChez, the oldest en-
ploye in the pOstOffice at the time
of his retirement yesterday, COM
pared the postal system Of forty
seven years ago, when he started to
work at the age of 10, to the Or
ganizatiOn of today
When I started to work in April
of 1885, the postOfflce was at the
corner of Market and Pennsylvania
streets. where the Fletcher Amer
lean Bank building now stands,
Mr.. Dochez said.
No SubstatiOnS Then
AS there were no substationS at
that time, all the mail was handled
out of one office. We had an in
side crew of only sixteen men to
handle all the work as compared
with the $40 people that now work
at the main postofdce alone.
President Cleveland was serving
his first term in office when Mr.
Dochez went to work as substitute
clerk. Isaac p. Gray was Governor
of Indiana at the time Indian
apolis was rambling town of mud
dy streets and horse cars.
Mr.. Dochez was appointed by
Aouilla Jones, the postmaster at the
time. Postmaster Jones had long
record behind him in Democratic
politics. Years before Andrew Jack
son had rewarded him with a job
as postmaster in the east for his po-
litical service in the old Democratic
party.
The growth of the pOStOffiCe
parallels the growth OF indianapolis.
In 1886. IrvingtOn was a separate
corporate unit from indianapolis.
Mr.. Dochez from the pOuching sec /
ton made up the mail which was
sent to IrVingtOn by train.
North Side Was Country
What We now know as the north
side was then out in the country,
the veteran employe said. All mail
beyond Thirtieth street was sent by
train and delivered from there by
horse route"
Social conditions have changed
greatly since these retiring employees
went to work for the government.
When Miss Halle Aureha Joyce OBJ
tanned a job at the postoffiCe there
was only one other woman employee
there. she said.
When I think of the thousands
of women of my sex holding down
jobs in indianapolis today, I can
hardly believe that I caused such a
sensation among my friends by 60
ing to work" she said.
Miss Joyce intends to live with
her mother at 1906 North Talbot
street. now that she is retired.
i intend to catch up with my
houSewOrk and then devote my time
TO some useful pursuit" she said