EVOLUTION OF THE VICTORIA POST-OFFICE.
[Portrait: Henry Wootton.]
I have before me at the present moment the envelope of an old letter.
It was received from England in 1863 by my father. The three stamps
on it show a value of 34 cents--one shilling, one fourpence and one
penny. It is only a single letter, and a small one at that. In fact,
if it were any larger it would have had more postage on it. Just
think of the difference between now and then. The first postmaster I
remember in Victoria was J. D'ewes. Something went wrong with the
finances during his incumbency and he suddenly disappeared with a
large sum for a more congenial clime (Australia, I think). D'ewes had
one clerk to assist him in the work of the post-office, by name J. M.
Morrison. He was succeeded by Mr. Henry Wootton, father of Stephen
Wootton, registrar-general, and Edward Wootton, the barrister. Mrs.
Wootton, senior, is still with us, hale and hearty, I am glad to say.
The late J. M. Sparrow was also connected with the early Victoria
post-office with Mr. Wootton. I well remember when the post-office
was on Government Street, opposite the C. P. R. telegraph office, in
a small wooden structure with a verandah in front, as was the fashion
in those days for all business places. I also remember it when it was
on Wharf Street, north of the Hudson's Bay Company's store, occupying
the lower floor, while Edward B. Marvin's sail-loft occupied the
upper. The staff then consisted of Mr. Wootton and J. M. Sparrow, as
before stated, with occasional extra assistants, say on the arrival
of an English mail, which came then via the Isthmus of Panama and San
Francisco. The "whole staff" had to work hard then, and long hours,
even into the morning. I have seen a line of letter hunters reaching
from the post-office up Wharf Street nearly to Yates, waiting for
the mail to be sorted and the wicket to open. I especially remember
one evening in 1865. The San Francisco steamer had arrived in the
afternoon at Esquimalt, and at eight o'clock there had not been a
letter delivered, although the staff had worked like beavers to get
the mails sorted. The mails from Europe arrived about twice a month,
and not regularly at that. The _Colonist_ would state that "there
was no mail again," but that it might be expected to-morrow. It was
a day of importance when it did arrive, and people naturally were
anxious to get their letters, even if it necessitated their standing
in the street in line, maybe at ten o'clock at night. Many a time a
dollar has been paid for a favorable place in line near the wicket by
someone whose time was considered too valuable to spend in waiting
for his turn.
A good deal of banter was indulged in by those in line. The
anticipation of their hearing from friends at home made them
good-natured, and brought out the best that was in them. And, oh!
when the wicket was at last opened, distribution commenced and the
line moved on and up, there was a shout of joy and satisfaction.
Those were memorable days in Victoria's history, the good old days of
long ago.
[Illustration: Drawing of Government St. with old Bastion.]
I remember again when the post-office was on Government Street again,
this time where Weiler Brothers' building now stands, still in
wood, and in no more pretentious a building than the former ones.
From there it was moved again up Government Street to the old site,
opposite the C. P. R. telegraph office, until that place got too
small, and a final move was made to its present location, and a large
addition is soon to be made to keep pace with the rapid growth of
the city. Letters were an expensive luxury in the early days, as
this table of rates will show: To send a half ounce letter to Great
Britain cost 34c., British North American provinces 20c., France
50c., Germany 40c., Holland 57c., Norway 56c., Portugal 68c., Sweden
52c., and San Francisco 15c. Most of the letters from the latter
place were received by Wells Fargo's express, and cost, I think, 3c.,
and special charge of 25c. on each letter. I have already described
the receipt of Wells Fargo's express from Esquimalt in the early
times, and how John Parker, now of Metchosin, used to meet the
steamer at Esquimalt. When she was expected their messenger, whose
name was Miller, and a colored man, used to watch from Church Hill,
and on her being sighted at Race Rocks the express flag was hoisted
in front of their office on Yates Street to let the citizens know the
fact. Before the steamer made a landing the letter-bags were thrown
ashore to John Parker, and fastened on his horse, then off he
galloped to Victoria, the horse being covered with sweat on arrival
at the express office, where the letters were called off by Colonel
Pendergast, or Major Gillingham, to a crowded audience.
On the death of Mr. Wootton, I believe Mr. Robert Wallace was the
next to fill the position, which he did for some years. When he
retired he went to his former home in Scotland. On his retirement the
position was offered to the present incumbent, Mr. Noah Shakespeare,
who so ably fills it. I might say, to show the growth of the
post-office in this city since Mr. Wootton's time, when he with two
assistants carried on the work, that to-day the staff, including
letter-carriers, numbers forty-eight.
The registered parcels and letters for last year were just twice the
year before, with a large increase in money orders, and to show the
large increase in letters in one evening at Christmas, twelve
thousand were received and cancelled in the post-office.
In conclusion I would ask, were not letters which cost 34c. postage
in those days more appreciated than a lot of letters now at 2c. each?
It is the old story over again, that a thing easy to get is thought
little of.
I might say this article was written in May, 1908, and at the present
writing, December, 1911, the volume of business of the Victoria
post-office has increased nearly fifty per cent.--that is, in three
years. It might be interesting to note that of the present staff Mr.
Thomas Chadwick, in charge of the money order office, is senior in
years of service, having joined the staff in 1880. Next comes Mr.
Charles Finlaison, 1882, and Mr. James Smith, 1887. The deputy
postmaster, Mr. T. A. Cairns, joined the staff in Winnipeg in 1880,
and the Victoria staff in 1882. Mr. Shakespeare, postmaster, has been
head of the department here since 1888.