Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-11-27
THE DRAD-LETTER OFFICE.


THE Dead Letter ONCE at Washington
is situated on the second floor In the gen
eral Post Office building magnificent
structure Of creamy-white marble, which
is Justly considered as one Of the hand.
sOmcst cdi6ces in the national capital. 1t
fronts north on Fstreet, facing the Patent
Office opposite. Entering through one Of
the doors on this street, we ascend, armed
with pass and a letter Of Introduction
from the Third Assistant Postmaster
General, to the second floor, and present
our pass to messenger on guard in the
antc-roOm Of the Dead Letter Office. With
q courteous bow we are at once admitted,
through an iron wicket, into the sanctum,
large, oblong. well-lighted room, with a
daylight in the roof, and a broad gallery
running round the -four walls, supported
upon slender iron pillars. This room is
plainly but substantially furnished, and
looks not unlike first class banking es-
adjustment, with Its numerous desks and
tables. all occupied by clerks, who are
counting, separating, asserting, opening,
registering and mailing multitudes OF let
ters. Going toward the center OF the
room, we observe large table In the mid
die Of the floor, at which are seated about
twenty clerks, each with knife In his
hand, which he employs in opening a
pile Of letters before him. This work Is
performed with a marvellous degree of
precision and rapidity. In less time than
Il takes to tell it, huge pile Of letters has
disappeared. and in It's place are waste
basket halffull Of opened envelopes, on
one side, and, on the other, q box full
Of neatly folded and arranged letters,
minus the envelopes. AT another table,
facing the window, we find half dozen
clerks busily engaged in asserting the
letters which are coming In every moment
in bags, large and small, of black Oilskin,
painted in white letters, "DEAD LETTER
DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON These are
the hcarses which convey the dead letters
to this great mausoleum, Ito be given In
charge Of the force Of clerical undertakers
chat we see around us. In comes huge
sack--say from Philadelphia--and is
emptied out upon the table, forming a
small mountain in the center of it. A
dozen hands Immediately grapple with 1t
and gradually it sinks down uatil, after a
few minutes, there Is nothing left appar-
emily, and a fresh sack Ia opened, emptied,
and disposed Of in like manner. We step
nearer, and, before they have yet disap.
pcarcd, examine the contents Of this sec
ond bag as they lie before us in the center
OF the table, surrounded by the busy
clerks, eager to tackle" their prey. The
pile comprises letters of all sizes, weights,
shapes, colors, "cut" of envelope, and
degree Of cleanliness There Is the large
official letter, In its foolscap envelope;
the heavy, fat bankers letter, inclosing
bonds or other papers of value; the ordi-
nary oblong "5-size" buff business letter,
with card printed In the corner Of the
envelope; the modern, "coldpressed,"
rough and square envelope, with an intri-
cate monogram In colors on the flap; the
dainty little lilac or rose-tinged copoers,
directed in timid lady's hand; the black.
edged envelope (alasl much more numer-
ously represented than one would think
and last, though not least, letters without
numbers from the kitchen regions, In
thin, greasy envelopes OF uncertain col
ors, with the direction written, In yellow
ink, diagonally from the upper left corner
TO the lower right one, and with blotches
and corrections innumerable. While we
look on the rapidly diminishing pile, one
Of the clerks hands us a letter, frankcd
with Queen Victoria's head, and bearing
an address which l thought sufficiently
curious to copy in my notebook, and here
h 10, serbatim.: