Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-08-12
The cail.Letter Objects CmriOsities.

| FROM the Washington Chronicle
Perhaps no division Of any department
! under tho federal government is engaged in
moro important aud responsible duties,
bearing directly upon the. interests; OF the
! public at large, than the tlead-lettcr branch
of the General Postoiice Department.
Hero are collected all manner Of letters,
coming from the wealthy and refined aris-
tocrnt and the humblest anu obscure citi-
zen The office is under the immediate su-
pervision of Charles Lyman, Esq, coming
under tho jurisdiction Of the Third Assist
ant Postmaster General, Gen. William H.
H. Torrill. There AFRO employed in OPEN
ing and recording letters received nine
hundred clerks, male and female The
| large amount Of matter received daily in
| this division is immense. It is sent to the
upper stary, upon which floor the Dead
Letter Office is situated, by means of a
| dumb waiter. There are opened daily
10, 900 letters. each clerk engaged in this
particular business being required to open
from 1900 to- 1900 letters. Ar letters
containing valqables are recorded, and
the writer's informed that they are held
subject to their disposal. TO give an esti-
mate of the amount of matter that accu-
mulates monthly in this branch Of the
Postoffice Department, we extract some
items of interest in the last annual report
of Mr.. Lyman. Whole number of letters
received, $3.50, 1865; whole number of let
ters and circulars destroyed, PSI, 1886; total
letters received, in value, $7,333,31. The
prominent cause of the non delivery of let
ters is the unavailable character of many of
them. The largest receipts were during
the war, when thousands Of letters failed to
| reach tho soldiers to whom they were ad-
dressed. Many foreign letters are not de-
ltvered on account Of insufficient addresses.
The geographical extent of the United
States aud Territories being as yet unset
tied, aud the constant arrival of immigrants
in search of new homes in remote regions.
and the constant changing Of
abode, in thinly settled country
operate to increase the difficulty in the de-
livery Of foreign letters, many bearing only
| the name and addressed Omitted States.
Many are addressed without any destina-
ton being attached; others are not stamped;
and great many are stamped with United
States internal revenue stamps From a
pile of letters are selected the following ad.
dresses, some Of which betray ignorance,
but the majority gross carelessncss: ''Mister
Makarti, Kare of Mister Muldoon. forninst
the Protestant Church, New York" flames
Prince, Esq, California ':Harry G.
Everzer, treasurer. of the Excelsior base
ball club, Illinois," I'M. Guillame Favie.
Rue de Fremont, Vile de Casiliano, Des
Etats Unis, Nord Amorique." "For Bin
Clements, ut tho Cross roads, Burbun
Kounti, Kintuky." Heinrich Won Schap-
pen. sitimllarkpensil." ''aecFetary Of tie
Insurance Company, PHILADELPHIA" Mi
kul Kelly, hods man. Sinsiati." rev
4 x,o~l Ttn~k,r,v;o,1,k Er>rOn~l gtNE, E1
gar Smith," mo city or State given). ITO
Many others might be given, but the
above are iair specimens. In small
room adjoining the main ofsice is contained
large collection of valuables of all kinds,
which have been accommodating for some
time. During tho war large number of
soldiers photographs wero received
through tho mails, all of which have been
preserved in portfolio form. Among the
large number on bend, nearly every day
some are recognized and returned to those
having claims upon them. Among the
list Of other valuables is q package CT
cocoons and raw silk, which was mailed
from Sun Francisco to Paris and sent to
tho Dead Letter Office on account of non.
payment OF postage, the person to whom
the package vas addressed refusing to
pay the same. 4 greet variety of other
articles are also to be seen; ccnsisting Of
ambrotypes, pictures, teas, coffee, soap, apr
parel OF all kinds, dolls, jewalry, and, in
fact, everything for which the mails are con-
sidered safe means of transmission. Ev-
cry year or two sale of miscellaneous ar
ticles of valve, for which no owners can be
found, is advertised in the public prints,
and the announcements invariably attract
large throngs of purchasers, some Of whom
hope to make good bargains, while others
desire only to secure cnriosities. The
prices received are generally fair, and in
some instances the bidding is brisk ON GER
tain articles which are valuable as curiosi-
ties or relies. Many of the articles, espe-
cially Of clothing, stationery, pertumerY.
jewelry, etc, ore really valuable aud psefui.
A Strange incident.
s.Truth is stranger than fiction" it has
oitsp been said, and the following Incl
don't, for the truth of which we can voncll,
is another illustration st tho truth OF the
saying:
Yesterday as our newly appointed Regis
ter of the Land Office here, Mr.. Maxwell,
Colonel OF the First Michigan Cavalry,