Year: 1875

ridor are made of an alloy resembling brass Six thou
sand of these boxes and several hundred
to be found in the the southwest, the
Park row and the southern end OF the Broadway
fronts The domestic letter drops also the
Broadway 'front.' there being for every the
Union and for all the principal cities, each labelled
with the name of the State city it represents On
the Park row side and on the Broadway front are
placed


WINDOWS FOR THE SALE STAMPS
by retail Three sections for general delivery, taking
up the space of ten windows, ladies' window, the
newspaper drops and those for foreign mails are also
the Park side


THE DEPARTMENT
is lighted by the windows the middle floor and by a
skylight 100 feet square in the ceiling which is
thirty feet in height Above this skylght is 'light
court" open to the sky which affords light and ventla
ton to the inner of the building above the first
story In this room Is the Office OF the General
superintendent the box the city newspaper the for
eign the letter carriers the distributing weighing and
despatch departments The furniture Of the room in
cludes ten distributing tables each containing 15O
pigeon holes and to each a large receiving table is
attached There are also ten large bulletin boards and
all along the tables for stamping letters
received. One of these tables is 100 feet in
length. The other fittings include desks chests OF
drawers chairs nc. All the working furniture in the
Post Office is made OF cherry from the West and the
workmanship Is excellent large annuncator, twelve
feet square, placed in the centre of the for the
purpose of announcing the time Of arriving and depart
ing mails II Is said TO be tho largest made The
mails are received at the northern side of the en-
trance floor facing the City Hall Park At this side
there is a private driveway for the accommodation
of mail wagons Descending to


THE BASEMENT


the large working room OF the Post Office Is reached
1t is here the mails are opened and packed, news
papers assorted and all other work OF that nature
Is performed number of semi circular frames
called ovens filled with pigeon holes from 200 to $50
being in each "oven are among the principal fca
lures OF this portion of the building The
pigeon holes are made unusually large, 80 that
letters and packages be thrown with the greatest
possible rapidy. Twenty large tables are also placed
here for the purpose Of emptyng the mails upon them
Each clerk will carry the key of his wardrobe of
which there 600 In the basement each having DIFF
lerent key On the southwest side of the basement q
large storeroom has been constructed of heavy iron
screws extending from hoor TO ceiling and strengthened
by iron pillars, for the purpose OF holding all the mail
bags in the United States not in use The object OF this
precaution is 10 provide against theft


THE sUB-cELLAR


which extends under the entire building one of the
most useful and important portions the structure as
u y there the comfort OF those employed and those who
have business TO transact in the Post Ofcc Is provided
for by heating and ventilation. II contains eight
boilers for heating purposes and power boilers each
fifteen feet IN length and six feet In diameter II also
contains the main pipes for steam heating the coil
chambers for the hot air to be distributed through the
building the ventilatng shafts for the basement and
entrance floor the sewer the engines for the hosting
elevators and the pumps for the hydraulic elevators H
has sufficiently storage room for ], 500 tons of coal


THE MIDDLE FLOOR.


The entrance floor and the basement are connected bv
vc stairways and ten hydraulic elevators This floor
twenty feet wide. The Park row front is occu
pied by the cashier and auditor and the sorerooms for
their accommodation formed by iron screens
Postage stamps, stamped envelopes, stationery &c
kept Ia these rooms, II being usual to keep
about million dollars worth always on hand The