Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-10-16


the property they may contain And here is TO be
the admirable working of SYSTEM in great part perfect
ed by the present able and ndeatgable Postmaster Ge
neral OF whose share in this great work OF public beneh
we shall again speak
Valuable letters are divided into two casses-money
and minor. The former are those containing money,
either conor bank notes the latter those covering al
other articles Of whatever nature that may be either n
trinsicay Of worth presumed TO be So TO their
ers In the money-etter department are three clerks,
whose duty is to attend solely this subdivision The
letters are opened read stamped with the stamp Of the
d. H. Bureau and entered, by number under the letter
in the alphabet corresponding with the initial Of the
name OF the addressed For this purpose large books
are kept and, TO illustrate better meaning will
follow the supposittousy letter is received
addressed TO William Smith, Philadelphia, containing
two dollar note of the Chemical Bank, New York, and
written at Boston by Henry Jones Turning 49,, the
initial of Smith, the clerk finds the number to be
lO46 which is accordingly marked upon the letter. with
In the circle of the stamp OF the bureau the date is also
Inscribed and the bank note is marked in particular
ink, with the same number that the book, the
letter, and on the bill appear the identifying figures
l046 The clerk then enters his book first the word
Philadelphia, the place where the letter adj
dressed" then "Smith, William the ''party adj
dressed !" then Henry jones', g the writer" then
two dollars, Chemical Bank, New York, the descrp-
ton of the and then he looks carefully through
the letter to gather if possible where it should be sent
with most prospect of reaching the proper party PHI
ladepha has been already tried for the letter has lain
there three months and been advertised il there be
any better place. it should 60 there again Boston
suggests ITSELF the writer's probable place of
sdence and in most this would be the but
our Mr. Jones says, 81 shall return home Saturday
Please acknowledge the receipt of this me- Bellows
Falls" All so he resides at Bellows Falls, and,
cordingy in the next column the clerk enters Bellows
Falls as the place where sent the date follows, and
the entry is, for the time complete The letter is then
enveoped in printed blank containing brefnstructions
to posmasters to their duty in regard dead letters
and having also blank receipt which filled up by the
clerk with transfer of the entries on the book and is
/ For pnrfu thal Aav
The whole is then addressed to s1P NJ Bellows Falls,
and dispatched In due time if the investigations Of the
shall lead him to the conclusions the receipt
back, signed by the party whom the letter has
been delivered by the postmaster and dated with the day
OF its delivery This is filed away and kept for future rec
ference if called for 1t is also entered in the last column
on the page of the book, which finishes No. 046 S. for
ever
But it may be that owing to Jones having moved,
other he found and at the end of thirty
days the letter is returned with the receipt unsigned
then turning again 1910 s. the clerk enters RETURN
3D. such date In the last coumn and either sends the
letter out again, inserting its then destination the
previous Bellows Falls" files it away, his judy
ment, formed upon its contents, shall direct him.
This general outline Of the process will show how much
pains IS taken to restore to enrustng their pro-
perty to the mails any portion of it which, either from
their own fault other cause goes astray and finds its
way into the dead letter office OF the thousand and
accidental and everyaryng circumstances tending to
dify the mode of procedure in minor points, have not
the room to make mention. We omitted above to state
that the amount OF postage due upon the letter and the
cost OF advertising is always noted for the postmaster to
collect and this the only expense incurred by the party
in obtaining his money nothing being charged for its
transmission from the dead letter Office BY clause in
the law regulating postage and post Offices, letters
which endorsed to be preserved the seal side
preserved, and forwarded whenever subsequent
letters Of inquiry may direct In that the postage from
Washington to the point designated is charged.
OF such entries we have described the gentlemen in
the bureau WILL such is the experiences given by practice
ms "a in flee
nine 10 three-dispatching of corresponding
number of letters And of these letters about in ten
perhaps not more than that proportion, fails to find
| claimant
Letters which have been returned are we have said
filed, and after the lapse of certain time, the contents
taken out and sold. The owners then credited,
by and number with the proceeds of the SALE de-
Quoting Of course there be any the discount paid and
the nett amount is then deposited in that mysterious and
terror striking vault cavern the Treasury, there
main until called for This final resduum is small
will be understood from glance at the statistics again
The number of deadmoney letters sent out during the
last fiscal year G,453 containing aggregate Of
S40,33678. OF these 5,347, containing $50 6 were
delivered and recepted for leaving t06 letters
tanning 81 II for the number and value of the
claimed. OF these small portion have since been re-
stored from the deadetter Office, where the de-
posted for future disposition.
The next which enter, and the last, is that
devoted the /" Minor" Letter Department, and here
generally arises what little Of there is be
derived from this dusty research among the corpses and
collins Of defunct correspondence Not that the money
letters do not afford remarkable and curious
atons, occasionally do not show human nature under
many varying phases but il is in the minor that
found all those nondescript and mutform objects Of
value dispatched through ignorance Of the laws which,
after long drifting about in pursuit Of proprietor at
last find haven of rest point OF fresh departure in
this asylum for the destitute Compared with the great
mass Of the minor letters however there few, the
major portion of them covering bills Of exchange bunch
drafts checks certificates Of stock &c. We need not
follow the process Of sending out this variety Of dead
letters the plan is the that pursued in the
have just left. 1t was here, however, in this
branch Of the department. that the progressive mind Of
its head found room for the improvement
Previous his assuming the duties Of the post but little
attention had been given to the delivery Of minor
dead letters and the system crude best in voful
confusion. Aided by the efficient practical intellect Of
Mr. John Maroon the much respected and beloved Third
Assistant Postmaster General in whose bureau this
ton is included, Judge Hall commenced the work of
renovation and refrigeration, and the system perfected
by the combined ingenuity Of these two able public off,
will long continue without material modification,
/ the best interests of all concerned regarded.
Many publications have found their way to the Preside
and the reading purportng to describe the details
Of this interesting subdivision Of the great central heart
that controls the workings Of postal system but none
believe, have gone beyond attempts at cataloguing
with less accuracy, the socaed curiostes Of
the minor letter Far and wide these statements
have been scattered by the Barean Of the press
and the natural result has been send clouds Of sight
to the General Post Office in quest Of the museum
No day passes without Of these visits, and during
times of great public excitement when Washington IS
| filed with strangers the influx Of curiosity hunters
is great to almost parayze the working OF this sec
ton At the inauguration Of Cen Taylor than
hundred visters day. for several days received
and entertained with sight Of these marvels and like
tide Of wonder humanity ebbed and flowed during