St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1883-09-14
The Dead Letter Office in
Washington.


Dead Letter office, | recognized at
work lady whom | knew, and by her
WAS introduced to Mr.. Thompson, a
gentleman whose business it is to con-
duct visitors to the different tables,
and explain in detail all points of inter
est. Information is given cheerfully,
and the only compensation demanded
is the undivided attention of the visi
tor while the old, old story is being re-
peated. This demand is rot made
with words, but with withering look
from over the spectacles of the guide,
and a sudden halt in the information,
speaks louder than language, and one
is quite willing to accord to him the
attention his kindness merits In the
left-h hand corner of the room stands Il
long table to which is brought the
mails from over ~ 900 pOst-offices in
the United States The total number
of letters received last year was 200,
900, making an average of 10000 for
each working day.
Letters are sent to this office for vari-
Gus reasons, the principal of which are,
not having been called for at the Office
to which directed, insufficient postage
for mailing, that they contain articles
forbidden to he sent by mail, that they
are illegibly addressed, and over H.
900 bear no address ut all.
A great deal of unnecessary work
arises from the ignorance of pOstmas-
ters. Letters are plainly addressed,
bearing upon the envelope the business
card of the sender, with the usual re-
quest to return to same if not called
for. These are sometimes held for Il
month, and then sent here as dead
letters, instead of being returned to
the writer. A letter which was ad-
dressed to Il town in the Province of
Quebec, having the same name us one
in the States, was held month ut Il
country pOst-Otfice, and then sent to
this office. Upon examination it was
found to be properly addressed, and
was returned to the office from which
it came, with "reprimand" to the p.
NJ, asking him what he supposed F..
Q. meant and he coOlly replied, ''pretty
quick"
Letters with revenue stamps from
match and cigar boxes, and stamps cut
from postal cards, are received fire.
quently, the sender having Il intuition
that it takes something to make letter
90, but ignorant of the requirements
of postal laws.
A package of sealed letters is put
into your hand for inspection, and to
one unaccustomcd to office work the
superscription is us Greek, yet there
are ladies employed there to whom
this miserable writing has become 81
familiar, that almost at glance they
can decipher the most complicated ad-
dress. These letters, unopened, are en-
closed in an envelope properly address
ed, and forwarded to the person nam
ed, with the request that if received
the envelope be returned to the office,
not SO much as curiosity, as to learn
| the result of their effort to make this
branch of work a success. They sell
dom fail to reach their destination, and
upon being returned, the envelopes
are trimmed, the proper address is
stamped i'll the lower right hand
corner, and they are arranged in Il
scrap book for the amusement of visi-
tors. Twenty thousand letters last
year contained money in cash amount
ing to over $44 900, the largest amount
ever received in single letter being
six one hundred dollar bills; 24,0W
contained checks, drafts, etc, amount
ing to 81 $1,000. Every letter con
value, is recorded and can be claimed
any time within four years, at the eX-
piration of which time it goes into the
Treasury of the United States. Their,
is no uniformity in size and weight o
parcels addressed to foreign counties
Twelve ounces is the maximum weigh
and the size is limited to I2XSX4, fol
samples of merchandise to Belgium
France, Great Britain and Switzerland
To countries of the Postal Union til,
size is 6x4x2, weight 81. Some of tn,
most valuable parcels received are ad
dressed to foreign countries, and de
tanned here because the contents ar
dutiable, OF exceed the limit of weigh
and size. No coin or jewelry is allow
ed to be sent by mail to foreign count
ries, in compliance with rule whicl
became effective five years ago. |
was my pleasure to stand beside tabl
where sat gentleman whose busines
it was to open letters containing en-
closures to foreign countries. Their
was variety of jewelry, and coin o
every denomination, inserted in cards
securely fastened, and all alike wer
detained. In some cases the none
was the har;i earnings of parents an
children, sent cover the sea-" to bea
back to them the loved ones left he
hind, expecting "the joys of meetin
to pay the pangs of absence" but thei
hopes were not realized, unless ther
was a stronger clue than the signature
which too often was nothing more tina
J father or ''brother." Then ther
were locks of golden hair, and in til
same envelope pictures of brigh
happy faced children, just sent at
show how delicate soil the gOlde
harvest grows in."
The number of visitors per mont
frequently exceed five hundred, whic
hindered work to such an extent til;
all curiOsities received through I'll
., mails, and unclaimed, have been co
lected, and a museum tastefully a
ranged for the entertainment of visi
,e ors, and beyond which room none a
es allowed to go nor do they have nee
Sc to do so, as all information one can d,
N sire is intelligently given by Mrs. +
" the lady in charge. 1t may be iDte
,d esting to enumerate IA few of the art
~ cles sent by mail. Washboards, safe
Sc els, umbrellas, iron hitching posts, ii
re pans, false teeth, boots, fans, hat
bonnets, cheese, sausage, rattlesnake
alhgators, horned frogs (alive in pc
- forated tin cans), dress goods, and phi
tographs Gd iRfHitum. After every ,
fort to restore articles to their own Ii
failed, they are put up in packag
y and sold at public auction once in t'
or three years. Among the many
teresting articles in the museum is
book containing a record of letters I
ceived from I777 to l7SS, and one fin