Nebraska advertiser., 1880-12-23
NEW YORK'S POST OFFICE
A Peep Behind the scenes---some
Queer Addresses-The "Rlind Cierk'st
Extraordinary Vision.

Peep Behind the scenes---some
Queer Addresses-The "Blind Cierk,s''
Extraordinary Vision.
Correspondence Boston Heralc.
OF all the vast quantity of mail mat
ter deposited in the New York postof-
flee, only per cent. fails of delivery
In one year there have been as
many as $4,000 inquiries received for
missing letters, and 143, $50 other pack
ages have come in during the same time
without inquiry. OF these, 10,000wer
sent back to the addresses of the writer.
In the same length of time as manv as
250, 900 letters have been sent from New
York to the dead letter Office. The de-
partment having charge of this branch
of the service Is called the searchers'
bureau. The business of the clerks here
employed is TO hunt up lost letters, and
make out queer addresses which the or
binary clerks fail to decipher. Thu lat
ter duty is confined to subdivision of
the searchers' bureau, called the blind
department And it is most remark
able paradox that the gentleman who is
known as the "blind clerk" all over the
building, is, in reality, the sharpest-
eyed man in the service. He has a
knowledge of the geography of the
country which is simply marvellous, and
can tell you the name of almost every
street in the United States. Addresses
that would defy the keenest scrutiny of
common eyes are as easily read by him
as though they were copper-plate. On
his desk yesterday found some lettets
which will serve as fair samples of tie
sort of thing he has to interpret wed /
in and week out. Here is copy of Of
of these puzzlers:
A mademoiselle
Sidonie Goud
Corof monsieur de
sibOur franc cOnsulla
a rihehO mon virg ME
etat unis amerique.
The ''blind clerk had no hesitation
whatever in forwarding it at once to
Mile Sidonie Cloud, care of M. De ST.
hour, French consul, Richmond, Va
another letter, written in hand that
wOuld drive a map maker wild, was adj
Il essed thus:
AndraS Mats
Braioud beunoisoil
Kontri Mort Amerika,
My friend of the alleged blind eyes
PROMPTLY READDRESSED IT
to Andras MATHS, Braidwood, viii coun-
ty, ILL., With the third one, | am done.
1t read:
TzandyOnin Swernikantzy Joseph
Dan Mort .Ameryka.
Now, respectfully aver that any per-
son who would bring order out of that
chaos would make great presidential
candidate, because all the power in the
world couldn't get him into a place
which he couldn't squeeze out of. The
''blind clerk" unraveled this skein with
out half-trying. This is what he made
of it. Joseph Dan, Sandy Run, Lu-
zerne county, Pa" Many letters mail
| ed in New York are addressed to the
wrong towns. These are returned to
the ''blind clerk" and nine times in ten
he sends them to the proper addresses
without bOthering the writer at all. Sup
posing a letter sent to John Pillbaker,
! 1901 Polk street, Boston, is returned to
the New York office with the announce
ment that there is no such person, the
! WIN hliONo 10 hO
| Polk street in Boston, while there is such
thoroughfare in Chicago. He imme-
diately sends the letter along, and his
| guesses almost always prove to be cor
rect. be is, taken all in all, the most
interesting man IN the postal service.
a pOstmaster's lot is not always a
happy one. Very few people cOmpre-
hend the nature and extent of his duties
and there are many who look upon him
as kind of hack errand runner who
has nothing to do but attend to their
most trivial desires. The following is a
verbatim copy of letter received by
Mr.. James Yesterday afternoon:
Oct. 10 A. D. 1880 P o. Kerrville,
Shelby Co. Tenn Mr.. Post master.
Dear Sir l Drop you those few Lines
hoping they may be of benatite to me.
| want to No of you whather there Is
any Young Lady in the city of New Yark
wants to marry | have travelled Hun
dreds of Miles and cant find No wife if
YOU can find Lady that-wants to mar
nv tell her of me if you please tell her
of me tell her to write soon Address all
letters to w. H. Cross am 1913 years of
ace Please find enclose d send me her
Address & send her Picture by mail q
| will do the same. Yours Truly Very
kindly address w. H. Cross Kerrville
Shelby Co Tenn Wanting Lady for
wife Kerrville Shelby Co Tenn.
A postal card received a day or two
prior to the above bears this mysterious
request:
Town HOUSE SMYTHE COUNTY
Va Oct 4th $50
Poaste Master New Yorke City Pleas
send me Bisnes Drickcrt of the City as
| wish to know of sum Parties sende the
| Director as sumo as this comes to. hand IL
obligie Yours Kespectfun
JAS. +. DAVIS.
But for genuine,
OLD-FASHIONED gall"
commend men to the inhabitants of Ba-