The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-08-20
The Dead Letter oflce-Its Curiosities.

PERHAPS no division of any department
under the Federal Government Is engaged
in more important and responsible duties
bearing directly upon the interests OF the
public at large than the Dead Letter
branch of the General Postof8ce Depart
ment Here are collected all manner of
letters, coming from the wealthy and re-
fined aristocrat and the humblest and OBJ
scure citizen. The Office is under the i'm
mediate supervision of Charles Lyman,
Esq, coming under the jurisdiction Of the
| Third Assistant Postmaster General, Gen.
William Fl. H. Terrill There are en-
ployed in opening and recording letters re-
ceived ninety clerks, male and female.
The amount of matter received daily
in this division is immense 1t is sent to
the upper story, upon which floor the
Dead Letter Office is situated, by means of
dumb waiter
There are opened daily 10000 letters,
each clerk engaged on this particular bust
ness being required to open from 1000 to
| 1900 letters. All letters containing
valuables are recorded, and the writers in
formed that they are held subject to their
disposal To give an estimate of the
amount of matter that accumulates month
| ly in this branch of the Postofice Depart
ment, we extract some items of interest in
the last annual report of Mr.. Lyman.
Whole number of letters received, 333, 1855;
whole number of letters and circulars de-
stroyed, 157, 1886; total delivered to owners,
1896 total money letters received, in
value, $7,333.31. The prominent cause of
the non-delivery of letters is the unmail-
able character of many of them. The
largest receipts were during the war, when
thousands of letters failed to reach the
soldiers to whom they were addressed.
| Many foreign letters are not delivered
on account of insufficient addresses The
| geographical extent of the United States
and Territories being as yet unsettled, and
the constant arrival of emigrants in search
of homes in remote regions, and the con-
tinual changing of places of abode in q
thinly settled country operate to increase
the difficulty in the delivery of foreign let
tiers, many bearing only the name, and ad-
dressed UNITED States" Many are ad-
dressed without any destination being at
tached, others are not stamped, and great
many are stamped with United States in
ternal revenue stamps. From a pile of
letters are selected the following addresses,
some of which betray ignorance, but the
majority gross carelessness: mister Ma
karti, Rare of Mister Muldoon, forninst
the Protestant Church, New York
flames Prince, ESQ.,, California" Harry
G. EverZer, treasurer of the Excelsior
base ball club, Illinois," IN. Favie, Rue
} de Fremont, Vile de Casiliano, Des Etats
Unis, Nord Amerique." For Bill Glen
ents at the Cross Roads, Burbun Kounti
Kintuky" "Heinrich Van Schappen, siti
mil arkpensil" Secretary of the Insur
ance Company, Philadelphia" "Mikul
, Kelly, hods man, Sinsiatin "Rev. Edward
Cartwright, England >" Mr.. Edgar Smith
, (no city or State given). "To the mem
, beers of Congress from Ohio" Many
/ others might be given, but the above are fail
specimens In small room adjoining thu
main Office is contained large collection o.
valuables of all kinds, which have beer
l accommodating for some time During the
t war large number of soldiers photo
, graphs were received through the mails
2 all of which have been preserved in port
7 folio form. Among the large number OF
t hand, nearly every day some are recog
e nized and returned to those having claim!
!. upon them.
: Among the list of valuables is package
, of cocoons and raw silk, which was mailed
Z from San Francisco to Paris, and sent t.
i the Dead Letter Office on account of tn,
u HoH-pdy nhcue VI pOoIiSC, eHC pcIoOH u
: whom the package was addressed refusing
, to pay the same. A great variety of othel
articles are also to be seen, consisting o
T ambrotypes, pictures, teas, coffee, soap
r apparel of all kinds, dolls, jewelry, and
in fact, almost every thing for which thu
D mails are considered safe means of trans
: mission. Every year or two sale of mis-
i cellaneous articles of value, for which NJ
/ owners can be found, is advertised in tn,
public prints, and the announcements in
r variably attract large throngs of purchas
t ers, some of whom hope to make goot
= bargains, while others desire to secure
only curiosities. The prices received are
generally fair, and in some instances the
bidding is brisk Oh certain articles which
are valuable only as curiosities or relics
, Many of the articles, especially of clothing
S stationery, perfumery, jewelry, &c, are
really valuable and useful Washington
| Chronicle.