Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1883-11-14
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.
A Very Curious and Interesting
Institution.

Institution.
The Accumulation OF Year
Millions Of Money that Go Astray
How the Mass OF STUFF II Treat.
ed-A Museum OF the Ssrangest
Odds and Ends.
The whole number Of letters received at
the Dead Letter Office ct Washington dur
ing last year was 1907. 496 or an average
Of $4,000 for each working day. OF these
s,049. 952 we're not called for ct the Post
offices to which they were directed; S3,1S9
were returned to Postofices by hotel
keepers and thence sent to the Dead Let
ter Office, because the departed guests for
whom they were intended failed to leave q
new address; 275, $40 we're sent there be-
cause they we're insuficiently prepaid for
mailing; 954 because they contained arti-
cles forbidden to be transported in the
mails; 274,7l because they were errone-
ously or illegibly addressed; while It'll
bore no superscription whatever. The
number of parcels Of merchandise. books.
clothing, needle-work, jewelry, etc., re-
ceived during the year was 60,576. The
total number Of dead letters which were
mailed abroad was $50, 287. These are all
returned to their respective countries of
origin unopened.
OF the domestic letters opened 10, 989
contained money amounting to $44,326 IS;
24,575 contained drafts, checks, money
orders, etc., to the amour of 81, $685.
413 IS; 52,463 contained postage stamps;
A, 731 contained receipts, paid notes, and
cancelled obligations Of all sorts; and
IS, 242 contained photographs. Every
letter and package is delivered to the
owner II possible. Misdirected letters are
sent unopened to the persons addressed,
If practicable.
The articles received in parcels which
can neither be delivered to the person ad-
dressed nor returned to the sender are
finally sold at auction and the proceeds
deposited in the United States Treasury.
Letters are only read to ascertain the
name and address Of the writer, to see if
anything which was originally inclosed is
missing. Information obtained from let
tiers in the course Of their official treatment
in the Dead Letter Office is never divulged.
Two large store-rooms in the basement
Of the Postofice Department Building are
almost packed full Of articles that have
come into the Office and remained I'M
claimed. Every package and article 10
labelled and numbered, and is also
recorded upon . catalogue list that is kept.
The articles are filed away systematically,
80 that when any particular number is
called for it can be found without any
trouble or loss Of time.
To the general visitor the most interest
ing feature of the Office is its museum, COM
posed OF an almost endless variety Of
articles, many of them rare and curious,
that have, under the operations of the law.
been collected from the mails and re-
manned unclaimed. These articles are
very tastefully arranged in large cabinets,
which are placed around three sides of the
reception room. 1t is almost incredible
that people in this country, where intelli-
gence is the rule, would attempt to employ
the mails for transmitting many of the
things in this museum. 1t is only to be
accounted for on the theory that some OBJ
tain an idea that a postage stamp will
carry any package, whether it be q live
animal or q letter. In one cabinet, for
instance, is q fine collection of fireworks,
no doubt intended for some patriotic oc-
casion; q specimen of lava from the Cali
fornia lava beds, neatly put up in .
small case; the inside works Of q clock,
and several varieties Of pipes. embracing
the common corncob and the Indian pipe
of peace. Adjoining the pipes are tam
bourines enough to supply the end men OF
Q modern minstrel show, and alongside is
. sample card Of horn combs. Above
these is . complete outfit for q cavalier,
provided he supplies his wi horse. There
is a saddle, bride. currycomb and brush.
tenders, riding gloves, saddle blanket,
halter. and even a hitching post, with 8
set Of sleigh bells for good measure. The
rig is q handsome one, and the party who
entrusted it to the mails probably con-
siders Uncle Sam grossly remiss in his
duty for not having delivered it.