The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1882-07-29
TREASURES IN MAILS.

The articles that are thrown out of the
mail bays have a value, but it is incOnse-
quential in comparison with that of the
broken letters and packages that fire.
quently come to light when a registered
pouch is dumped ont upon the sorting
table That much Of the money shipped
in registered letters reaches its destina-
ton is due rather to the care cX 'rclsed
by the employees of The Post Office De-
partment than to that shown by shippers.
Gold aud silver coin, often in large guam
titles, is carelessly inclosed in no safer
wrapper than a common business en-
yelupc. Unless these envelopes are han
died with the utmost care. they are liable
to be torn on broken open by the weight
of the coin striking against the thin,
creased edges of the envelopes, even be-
fore they are ready to be started toward
their destination. Sometimes dozen or
more envelopes containing coin are placed
together in one of the special envelopes
provided by the department for this pur-
pose, and by the time these have made
the trip, say from San Francisco to New
York, the coin has worked its way
through both the original envelope and
that furnished by the Government, and
is found. on arrival at its destination,
loose in the bottom of the pouch.
Hardly day passes but there is dump
ed upon the sorting table of the New
York Post Office. from registered pouch
a shower of gold and silver coin which has
in this way cut through packages in which
it was inclosed and lodged in the bottom
of the pouch. 1t is not coin alone that
finds its way out of insecure packages
into the mass of matter contained i'll the
pouch, \ few days ago, when the con-
tents of one Of these pouches were dump
ed, there fell out without Enclosure, and
with no protection but small rubber
band, Il package of coupons destined for
one of the large banking houses in New
York. whose aggregate value was thirty
thous and dollars. In the poorly-made
envelope that had originally contained
the coupons, and which had been broken
open while in process of transmission,
were also found ten thousand dollars in
greenbacks. AS the coupons were nego-
table, it speaks we'll for the honesty of
the registry department clerks that, when
the count OF the coupons was completed,
it tailed exactly with the forwarded in
voice to he firm. A singular thing about
this carelessly- shipped package was that
when the firm to whom it had been for
warded was notified of the arrival and
breakage of the package, it only asked
the post office authorities to account for
the thirty thousand dolla r. in coupons,
and knew nothing whate ~ of the ten
thousand dollars in greenbacks which
came with them.
1t was but 4 short time ago that a
pouch, when emptied on the sorting table
brought to light several million dollars
worth of bonds that had been shipped
from the other side of the water in such
an insecure package that it was broken
open. One pouch that was emptied in
the Office a short time ago let fall on the
sorting table three million dollars worth
of the bonds of the New York Central
Railroad Company, which were in pro
cess OF shipment, aud had been placed in
An insecure wrapper. Almost innumera-
BILE instances may be cited where the coin
and greenhaoks. or negotiable bills,
checks, aud drafts that are dumped with
out wrappers upon the tables. aggregate
thousands of dollars. The average num-
Der of broken packages received in New
York daily in the registry department OF
the Postoffice is sixty, and the value III
money contained in them is from two dol
lars upward. \ singular fact in relation
to these broken envelopes is, that many
of them contained remittances of daily
balances from pnstmasters to the Assist.
ant United States Treasurer-the last
persons. one would naturally think, who
would be careless in the manner of inclos-
ins money through the mails.