The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-03-08
DEAD LETTERS.


openers" at WOrh-An Hour with
the Experts-The Returning Depart
ment-SOme Odd Notions.
In my last letter we stood for half an
hour at the sorting table of the Dead
Letter Office and listened to our guide
as he told us of the different classes of
letters that are sent here from all the
post-otIlces in the country. We will
continue our stroll and note what is
done with these fugitive letters.
THE OPENERS.
Here is where the opening is DONE
says our courteous attendant as we APP
proach long table around which are
seated eight men. Each has pile of
letters before him and is armed with a
thin, sharp knife. With arapidity ac-
quired by long practice, he slips his
knife through the fold of the envelope
and takes out the letter. A glance
shows whether it contains an inclosare
of any kind. If it has money or any
thing of value it is laid aside and passed
into the hands of a clerk whose duty it
is to take charge of such letters. Those
which contain nothing, or only photo
graphs-as 10000 every year do-locks
of hair and such articles, are carried,
each with its own envelope, to the re
turn department. which we viii visit
before we get through.
1T keeps the boys pretty busy" says
the guide, 'to open letters as fast as
they are carried in. In fact we are
running behind in spite of all we can
do. Each man opens from 1000 to
1900 letters q day. That man
pointing to one who seemed to handle
knife and letters with singular adroit-
ness -''has opened 5000 in day, but
there are not many who can do that
A VETERAN.
''You see that old gentleman at the
head Of the table? His name is F. S.
Evans. He is nearly eighty-three years
old, but he is just as spry as any of
them in opening letters. He was APP
pointed to the Post-ollice Department.
by Andrew jackson in 1929, and with
the exception Of two or three years that
he published the Baltimore Patriot, he
has been here ever since. He has served
this department for more than fifty
years. He was editor of the Patriot
when the war broke out. He was strongly
OPpOoCN w 7AttN u tttLNt OltLlll8 IlC tN.
element, early in 1861, a mob com
pletelv destroyed his press, types, etc,
and he very narrowly escaped with his
life. Mr. Evans has seen some changes
since he first came into the post-oflice' =
Eyes" remarks the pleasant-faced
patriarch, laying down his knife for a
moment, 81 was here when two men
did all the business that now keeps two
hundred busy"
may remark in passing that the en-
ployes are not permitted to converse
with visitors. One of the clerks did
speak to me and | replied briefly, or
rather started to do so, when the at
tendant gently took me by the ear, fig
uratively speaking, and politely in
formed me Of the existence of this rule.
l begged his pardon, remarking that l
was but answering question by the
clerk to me. "Of course it's all right
as far as you are concerned" said he,
'but that clerk knows what the rules
are"
AT THE DESK OF A ''GUEsSER."
''All the letters opened at this table"
he resumes, "are dead. They have
been advertised according to law at the
various offices where received and re-
turned here as uncalled for. Now |
will introduce you to one of our eX-
perts, who | am sure will be able to
interest you. She is the most skillful
of those who correct, as far as it is pos
sible to do it, the misdirected letters,
and deciphers the awful penmanship
that has iloored the postmasters from
Maine to Texas. will leave you with
her for little time. Ali | see what
you are going to ask. You may talk
with her as much as you please we
make an exception to the rule in such a
case"
The sacredness of the mails is duly
regarded in the highest degree possible,
in all departments of the Dead Letter
Office, No letter is opened if it can be
delivered without it, to either the writer
or the person addressed. In the case
OF dead letters there is no alternative;
they can only be opened and returned
to the senders. But those bearing in
complete or. erroneous addresses, or so
badly written as to almost set human
skill at defiance, call for different treat
ment. Many of the errors are easily
corrected and thes letters Immediately
forwarded to their destination. Others
tax to the utmost the ingenuity of the
experts. Sometimes "guess" is made
and the letter is sent off to try that adj
dress. If this fails it comes back and
another is tried There have been cases
of letters sent out four or five times,
the result of as many different guesses,
and finally, after months of wandering
about the country, being delivered to
the right persons. Clerks are forbid