The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-01-03
Valuables by Mail.

The sending of q registered package
containing bonds valued &C 81 200 900
from Baltimore for transmission to Eu-
rope; which has been q subject of COM
ment in the Baltimore newspapers, is
not regarded by the postal authorities
here as transaction of unusual magni-
tude. The post-office officials are in
clined to be reticent as to the value of
the money packages received and de-
hvered through the registry depart
ment, and, In fact, the amounts are only
known when the packages become
broken and have to be repacked and
sealed. Bonds sent between this coun-
try and Europe are now transmitted
almost sentirely by mail, because that
method Is the cheapest and quickest.
There is no delay of packages for ex-
animation at the custom house, and the
cost is only 10 cents on each package,
besides the postage. The bonds are
insured by the marine insurance compa-
mics in the same way as other merchan-
disc, and the Government is not legally
responsible for their safe delivery. If
post-office authorities may refuse to take
the risk of delivery. The transmission
of property worth several hundred thous-
and dollars is thus secured at the cost of
few dollars. The sending of gold by
mail is also very common, especially be-
tween San Francisco and this city. The
gold sent by the Government from Cali
fornia is packed in heavy iron safes and
is delivered under the usual Govern
ment frank. The safes are taken from
the post-office to the Sub Treasury, and
the contents carefully counted, the seals
not being touched from the time of de-
parture to that of arrival. Gold sent
by private persons is packed for mailing
in bags, 81, 900 being sent in each bag.
The Nevada Bank receives the largest
part of the gold thus sent from Cali
fornia. The value of the gold sent
through the mails is often many millions
of dollars in q year, and that of the
bonds is larger. 1t is said that when
the bonds of the Erie railway were be-
ing sent to this country for a special
purpose, there were securities valued at
$4,000, 900 within the walls of the post
Office at one time.
Great precautions are taken by the
post-office authorities to guard against
loss of the valuable matter committed
to their charge. In the Registry De-
partment, as far as possible, every
transaction is witnessed by two clerks,
and no article is at any time out of the
charge of some person responsible for
its safety. Receipts are given for the
delivery Of each package by one clerk
to another. II any package falls open,
the fact has to be at once reported to
the superintendent, who sees that its
contents are safe, and that it is securely
refastened. When the registered let
ters and packages are distributed for
mailing they are put into canvas bags,
which are different from those used for
common mails, and are fastened with
padlocks of peculiar construction. The
padlocks are numbered on one side, and
have an opening through which can be
seen a rotating number which changes
every time the lock is opened. The
number of the paddock and rotary num-
Der are registered at each place, and
the lock can not be disturbed between
the stations without the fact appearing
in change of the number.
Beside valuable articles there are also
sent by registered mail some that are
remarkable in other ways. A firm in
one of the Northwestern Territories has
q habit of sending registered otter skins
| to the city, and their odor is fruitful
source of complaint among the clerks.
The same fault is found with packages
of compressed mushrooms that are sent
to this country from Italy. Two trade
dollars were sent the other day by an
economical person, who did not seal
them in envelopes, but tied around them
a piece of paper containing the address,
so that the coins might go as fourth
class matter. Occasionally q bag of
mail matter on being opened will dis
play loose coins and paper money from
packages carelessly fastened. The
letters that are sent with the packages
usually contain enough particulars to
enable the clerks to replace the right
amounts.-N. p Tribune.