The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-04-22
THE DEAD LErrnR orrrcE.


It is stated that the official count placer
HE letters received and disposed of by the
office as numbering over 1900, 900 for the
past year, or an average of 14,172 letters
for each working day. And yet so perfect
is the system by which the work is handled,
that after the mail has been arranged for
distribution at the first table 1t reaches in
the office, a single letter slipping from a
package can be missed as the package is
passed on to the second table. OF the letters
thus received many contain money, checks,
drafts and other valuables. The amount
thus coming into the Office last year from
domestic letters alone was largely over ST.
600, 600. Other letters contain articles of
value only to the sender and receiver-a
picture, perhaps, or lock of hair; q rib
bon from Mabel to Maud - some trifing
trinklet from John to Joan y bit of o
wedding dress, or even, 1t may be, strip
Of baby's shroud. Many pathetic stories
these poor letters contain and many life
has been saddened by the loss of letter
that was looked for, but never came There
are letters of all kinds, from men who are
srudite, and from brilliant and distinguish
ed women, letters in q child's wavering
hand, letters from wretched outcasts, letters
from palaces, from dungeons, from AIM
houses and hospitals. The most of these
letters are returned to the writers or for
warded to the persons to whom they were
addressed.
Those letters that are sent to the Office on
account Of being misdirected 90 to lady
clerks who are SO expert in their work that
they are able not only to correct apparent
errors, but often supply deficiencies in the
address, that would be more than puzzling
to others less skilled. These " blind read.
srs straighten out many written mysteries
An envelope that might to ordinary eyes APP
pear rs bearing only line after line of unin-
telligible characters, under their eyes and
hands becomes plainly written address
Many times the letters that come in as
"misdirected" come from intelligent
writer's, people who, from carelessness or
haste, have made an error in some part of
the address. The name, post office, county
and State may oil be plainly written; but
there may be no such office in the county.
Then the Office may be all right, and the
county wrong; or both office and county
right, when the State has been incorrectly
given. For instance, letter may come adj
dressed to "Mr James Smith, Urbanna,
Middlesex county, Mass, but as there ia
no Urbanna" in Middlesex county, Mass,
and there Is an Office of that name in Mid
dlesex county, Va, o pen is drawn through
the word Massachusetts, and the word Vir-
ginia written in its place, and the missive
starts out on its second journey, unopened.
Then another address may read, miss febe
Maxim Tyre, INDIA, bracil, co clay" Thii
will be written clearly, Miss Phoebe McIn.
Tyre, Brazil, Clay county, Ind, and for
warded to its correct address. The number
Of letters coming in as blanks is surprising
Many of these letters bear valuable enolos
ures, but the writers have written hurried,
aud posted in great haste, only TO have thei
work waRtad by thu letter ending, its eut
ward career as "blank /" in the Dead Let
ter Office. Such letters are opened and re
turned to the writers in oil possible cases
In fact, in every subdivision of the office
ali letters that can be returned aro forward
cd to the writer's.
There are 80 many busy people in these
United States--so many people whe are too
hurried to sign their full names to their let
tiers that the dead letter work is likely to go
on at lively rate. Many intelligent, low
Ing letters are simply written from I" Home
and sighed Mother" or Mary" or with
some other name that gives no clew. These
letters rarely see the light again. A small
proportion of dead letters are fictitious
They also go to swell tho destroyed list.
Add to this vast amount of letters which are
disposed Of, the receipt, handling and dis
tribution of $1,000 packages of mcrchan-
disc, books, &C., and the annual amount Of
clerical work required foots up largely.