THE LEVEE.
   The Burlington levee has been gradually extended until now it embraces one-half a mile, the most of which is well paved to low water-mark, being a gradual slope, making the river landing easy of access, and is well adapted to the general business of the river commerce. The Keokuk & Northern Packet Company has a substantial warehouse on the levee. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company have a large brick freight-house on the levee, built in 1877, 40 feet wide and 500 feet long. The Burlington & Cedar Rapids Company also have a freight-house on the upper levee. A large coalhouse is erected near the Packet Company's warehouse for the convenience of the river business. The arrangements for conjunction of river and railroad business are ample and well adapted for transferring from railroad to river, or vice versa.

STOCK-YARDS.
   The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company built extensive stockyards at East Burlington in 1867, which were largely increased in 1876. There are 150 pens, which are so arranged that some eighteen cars can be loaded and unloaded at the same time. These yards cover about eight acres of ground, which has been filled about eight feet to bring it above high-water mark. The capacity of the yards is 200 cars per day. Connected with the yards is also a rendering establishment, for rendering dead hogs and animals. During the past six months, several improvements have been made. A water-tank, with a capacity of 60,000, an icehouse, corn cribs have been added, also a new engine-house built and a new engine put in. These are the most extensive yards west of Chicago. They are under the supervision of R. S. Hosford, from whose books we give below a comparative statement of the business transacted for the month of January, 1878 and 1879.

EXPRESS COMPANIES.
   Ever since the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad reached Burlington the American Express, with M. C. McArthur for agent, has been one of its institutions. Its history has been one of uninterrupted prosperity. Its routes now extend over all the lines of railway entering and departing from Burlington, except the T., P. & W. road, on which the United States Express carries packages and freights. At present, the two Express Companies occupy the same premises and are jointly managed by M. C. McArthur.

THE TELEGRAPH.
   The Western Union Telegraph Company's Burlington office is located at the corner of Second and Washington streets.
   The Atlantic and Pacific Telegraph Company have their office in the Gorham House Block.

POST OFFICE.
   The delivery of mail matter within the original limits of the city of Burlington, was first effected in 1834, by the private enterprise of Dr. William R. Ross, who afterward became first Postmaster—in 1835.
   In the spring of 1834, Mr. Ross wrote to Hon. William T. Barry, Postmaster General, asking that a post office be established at Burlington (Flint Hills). The request was granted, and Mr. Ross was commissioned Postmaster and mail-carrier, with a route from "Flint Hills, Ill., to Sho-ko-kon Post Office, seven miles southeast of Burlington, once a week." The mails were to be carried on horse-back, and the compensation was the proceeds of the office, until a regular route was established. Mr. Ross carried the mails for six months, at his own expense. He relates the following: "When I called for the blanks, saddle-bags, etc., that pertained to the office, Col. Redmon, Postmaster at Sho-ko-kon, would not deliver them up, as it would be 'malfeasance in office to send the mail out of the United States,' he said. I offered him a bond of $3,000 and agreed to turn over the proceeds of the office to him, but he would not deliver up the articles until the Postmaster General threatened to remove him from office unless he complied."
   Dr. Ross succeeded in getting all letters and papers addressed to the residents of "Flint Hills" (which at that time comprised only two or three families), intrusted to his care by the mail agent at "Reddings," Ill. (in the vicinity of the Curts farm), distance some seven or eight miles east from this point, at which place the mail arrived once a week from Rock Island. It was his habit to keep the matter so received about his person until the parties for whom it was intended came across him, and the saying became popular that "Dr. Ross carried the post office in his pocket."
   After Dr. Ross was appointed Postmaster, the post office was kept in the store of S. S. Ross, on the corner of Water and Court streets, and was afterward removed to a small log house on the same lot, fronting on Water street. At this time the business of the post office did not amount to much, and the office was contained in a large dry goods box, on the top of which was a plain desk on which the letters could be directed. The mails were small at this period and for quite a long time there were no boxes for the letters, though subsequently the Postmaster made some small partitions in the old dry goods box, in which the letters were arranged alphabetically. At this time, the mails arrived at Burlington by way of Peoria and Sho-ko-kon, being brought from the latter place in skiffs.
   In a short time, the mail-route was changed direct to East Burlington. There was a mail-route to the south established soon after this, and Burlington was put in direct communication with St. Louis, the route at this end of the line extending from Burlington to St. Francisville, Mo., a small town on the Des Moines River, a few miles west of where Keokuk is now located. There were no envelopes used in those days, but the letters were folded up and sealed with wafers, the direction being on the blank side. The postage being 25 cents for each piece of paper, made the letters fewer than at present, and may have been one of the reasons why envelopes were not used, as they would have made it necessary to pay an extra quarter. Some of those old letters were marked prepaid, showing that it was optional with the sender whether to pay postage in advance or require the Postmaster to collect the amount from the person to whom it was addressed.
   The second Postmaster of Burlington was Dr. E. Lowe, who was a prominent citizen of the Territory, and who was afterward President of the Constitutional Convention which framed the Constitution that was adopted before Iowa was admitted as a State. The post office was in a small building on Main street, where the Burlington Furniture Company's store-room now stands. Dr. Lowe held the post office during Van Buren's administration, until he was appointed Register of the United States Land Office, when he resigned and was succeeded by Maj. George Temple.
   Maj. Temple, who was the third Postmaster, removed the office to the east side of Main street, in a small frame building on the lot where the furniture store of Franken & Gnahn now standes, in Coolbaugh's building, and afterward to a room where Kriechbaum's stove store now is. He held the office until Tyler's administration, when Levi Hager was appointed. Mr. Hager's office was in a frame building at the southeast corner of Jefferson and Third streets, where Wesley Jones' book store is now situated.
   The fifth Postmaster was Oliver Cock, who was appointed during Taylor's administration, and who removed the office to the Barret House corner, where Gall's tobacco store now stands. By this time the population and business of the city had made considerable increase, and the business of the post office increased in proportion. The office contained a sufficient number of boxes for all customers and was well fitted up for the purpose for which it was intended. The rates of postage had been reduced in the mean time, and the post office was an important one. Mr. Cock held the office until Pierce's administration, when James Tizzard was appointed.
   Mr. Tizzard had been editor of the Gazette, and was appointed as a compromise between two applicants for the position. In the year 1856, Mr. Tizzard removed the office to the Northwest corner of Washington and Third streets, where Woelhaf & Mason's merchant tailoring establishment is now situated. It only remained in this room a short time, and was then removed to the east side of the street where the Central Meat Market now stands. During the time Mr. Tizzard was Postmaster, the business increased rapidly. The C., B. & Q. road was finished to East Burlington, and the B. & M. road was commenced, extending westward through Iowa. The mails were received by rail, and the daily line of steamers on the Mississippi River also gave us communication with the north and south. The old-fashioned stage-coach was not looked upon as of much importance, although the mail was sent by stages to some of the points in the vicinity for several years later. The old stage-coaches were used to carry the mails to Wapello until the Cedar Rapids road was built, and to Fort Madison, until the Keokuk branch of the C., B. & Q. was completed. Now the only mail that is sent from Burlington by horse-power is the mail to Augusta and Denmark, but on this line a new style of hack is used, and the old stage-coach is entirely a thing of the past.
   While the post office remained at the corner of Washington and Third streets, and at the beginning of Lincoln's administration, J. Fox Abrahams was appointed Postmaster, succeeding Mr. Tizzard. He held the office until Andrew Johnson became President, when Thomas French was appointed. He was not confirmed by the Senate, and Clark Dunham was appointed to the position. In 1868, while Mr. Dunham was Postmaster, the office was removed to Barhydt's Building, at the southeast corner of Main and Valley streets. Mr. Dunham held the office until 1870, when President Grant appointed the present Postmaster, N. P. Sunderland. This year the office was removed to Bodeman's Block. Mr. Sunderland is now serving a third term, and under his administration various improvements have been made in the office and the efficiency of the service. One of the oldest employees of the Burlington post office is W. D. Morton, who has charge of the general delivery. For twenty years he has held the position.
   The different departments in the Burlington office of to-day are, the registering, the mailing and distributing, the money-order and stamp, and the letter-carrier department, introduced by act of Congress, October 1, 1873, giving carriers to all cities of 20,000 or more inhabitants. The names of the first carriers are C. W. Lemberger, J. S. Abercrombie, M. T. Ischoepe, B. F. Ayers, G. B. Pierson, C. H. Gardner. The annual Board of Trade report gives a full account of the business done at this office.
   The following interesting reminiscences were recently furnished the Hawk-Eye by the gentleman who was the clerk referred to in the sketch. The writer is now a resident of Jackson, Tenn.
   "If you will pardon the free use of the personal pronoun, I will tell you something of the Burlington post office from 1851 to 1853, 'all of which I saw and part of which I was.' July 1, 1851, Oliver Cock was Postmaster and A. H. Burhans was the only clerk. 'Gus,' about that time, contemplated stepping out and going into the 'match business;' in fact, he had one very fortunate 'match' already arranged, which was shortly after consummated. An application for the place resulted favorably. The post office then occupied the large and spacious room (12x16) where the cigar store now is in the Barrett House, it having been removed the previous year from a one-story frame building on the diagonal corner. The same building is now located just across the alley, in the rear of the Hawk-Eye, and within easy range of editorial vision. The salary for a clerk was not extravagant, and the new incumbent found that to make both ends meet it would be necessary to sleep in the office on the soft side of a plank, where for two years he found literally bed and board.
   "The Eastern mail arrived daily, about noon, from Peoria, by Frink, Walker & Company's stages. Of letter mail, it brought one through and one way pouch, and generally a paper sack. Keokuk and the South came in at 6 in the evening, with about the same number of sacks, but less in quantity. The West, from Fairfield, was due at the same time, bringing one through and one way sack. From Muscatine it came at midnight, with one sack, looking as though an elephant had stopped on it. These comprised the daily mails from all directions, and would aggregate, in numbers, seven pouches and two paper bags, all of which could have been put into two leather pouches. In addition, was a tri-weekly to Rushville, and a weekly to Keosauqua, via Lowell, and a horse-back weekly to Toolsboro, via Bluff Dale, now Kingston. Augusta and Denmark were supplied by a 'saddle-bag,' made up in the Burlington office, and sent on the Keokuk stage to Walker's Ferry. Occasionally this would be forgotten, and then the good people of Denmark would ------; they were not pleased. The entire mail received in a day would probably weigh 300 pounds, the only exception being when our worthy Senators, Messrs. Dodge and Jones, and Representatives Clark, Henn, Leffler, and Uncle Daniel Miller, remembered their constituents with 'Pub. Docs.' These bags, being a little heavy, would sometimes provoke remarks, but the profanity was always confined to the stage-drivers.
   "The outgoing mails were lighter, except on publication days of the weekly Hawk-Eye, Telegraph and Gazette. The mail edition of the daily Telegraph probably reached a hundred papers, and the boys at the office had a leather strap, about like a 'throat-latch' for a bridle, that they fastened round the bundle and would hang it on the knob of the post office door, from which it would be taken in the morning, in time for the outgoing mails. If the post office clerk happened to be down at the printing office on the night before, he would carry the package up, as they went to press with the 'morning' paper about 9 o'clock the evening previous. The tri-weekly Hawk-Eye was a trifle larger edition, but not much; the Gazette was only weekly.
   "Some years before, there had been a contest between Keokuk and Burlington as to which should be designated a 'distributing post office.' (This was before the United States Court contest.) As usual, Keokuk won, being the 'Gate City.' The stupidity of the arrangement will be apparent when it is remembered that the bulk of the Eastern mail for Keokuk, local, passed through the Burlington office, and very often the Keokuk 'D. P. O.' package would burst open, and in it invariably would be found letters for Burlington merchants, which had to go to Keokuk to be distributed, and returned next day. In accordance with a regulation at that time, we had to keep a register of all newspapers coming to regular subscribers, giving name, place of publication and number of subscribers, and, if my memory is not at fault, there was but one daily paper taken at Burlington (outside of the newspaper exchanges) a copy of the New York Herald to Gen. Dodge. The leading paper with the 'Whigs' was the St. Louis tri-weekly Republican. The Democrats scattered their patronage.
   "My recollection of the gross receipts of the office is that they amounted to about $500 per quarter.
   "The telegraph, as source for news, was not very reliable. The old 'Atlantic & Mississippi' had a sickly single wire from Davenport to Keokuk, and when it worked, our worthy townsman, A. T. Hay, slung the lightning. He was succeeded, in the fall of 1851, by J. J. S. Wilson, the present able and efficient General Manager of the Western Union lines in Chicago, who, in his deserved promotion, does not forget the pleasant winter spent in Burlington. In the spring of 1852, the line 'petered out,' and Hay rolled up the wire.
   "The Presidential election of 1852 came off, and, having no telegraphic communication, we had to wait for two days for news. Peoria being in connection with the outside world, I arranged with Harry King, whose father was Postmaster there, to send me the latest news. The election occurred on Tuesday, and we got the result Thursday noon. When the stage arrived, a large crowd had gathered about the post office steps. The brass-lock sack was opened at once, and on the outside of the Peoria package was written: 'Dear P------: The Whig Party's gone to h---l. Old Scott only got four States—Tennessee, Kentucky, Massachusetts and Vermont. Good by post office. Pack up your duds and come to Peoria.'
   "I read the laconic message at the door and the crowd dispersed with a shout, and by 3 o'clock that afternoon a half-dozen petitions were in circulation for parties who wanted the post office. In due time, James Tizzard was appointed Postmaster, with William C. Saunder as clerk, and expressed a desire to retain, in addition, the former assistant. Gen. Dodge very kindly (which will ever be remembered with gratitude) interested himself in the matter, and tried to get an allowance from the Department for additional help, but word came back from Washington that the 'magnitude of the business at the Burlington Post Office did not seem to warrant two clerks.'
   "A quarter of a century has brought a wonderful change. Then, the total arrivals by public conveyance, of all kinds, would not reach fifty people a day; now, it is probably forty times that. From a single telegraph wire, it has increased to the present perfect system; the daily papers, from a small bundle, to cart-loads; and mail matters, from two or three hundred pounds daily, until now it is reckoned by tons and car-loads."

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