Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-12-27
UNAVAILABLE NATTER.
THINGS UNCLE SAM REFUSES 70
RECEIVE FOR TRANSPORTATION.
Rules Regarding tho Form in which
Dangerous Articles May he Taken
Reasons Why Certain Matter Can
Not lie Received.
lChicaxo Tribunal

Not lie Received.
| TChicazo Tribunal
~One Of my duties" said relail stamp
clerk Of the postof1cs, rs the weighing oil
parcels; and ono of tine m1st interesting
subjscts that have to deal with is called.
in tne phraseology OF the postoffice regula-
tons. Destructive Unmailable.' Matter
may be unavailable for several reasons. such
IS the siz, or weight of ths parcel. inie-
cency. connection with lotteries or otaer
frauds. anl the fact that it is dutia bla
goods; but destructive unavailable consists
OF things that ara unma;iabie because Of
their liability to injare tn, other mail mat
ter. or to injure the clerks handling the
mail, or other people"
| DANGEROUS ARTICLES.
3Of what particular articles doe des-
tuctive unavailable consistf
Destructive unmaiIabls is divided into
| two ella Sc, Ole elias, O: thess objection
able articles can no. be mailsl at all; and
the other class can not bo ma;lel except
when inclossd in tin or wool. Those art.
icies that are unavailable under any cir
cumstancss ara liquids oils, ointment,,
fatty substances easily liqueiable, soft
plosives. inflammabls matter. animals alive
or dead, unless stuffed, fruits, vegetables
matter having a bad dior, razors, an / fire.
| ARM, except in detached pieces. These
articles are not admitted to the rails know
ing!y under any conceivab circums stances.
Then candy, oaks. confectionery, pastes
glass, AM shnrp-pointst instruments. in
GLIDING fishhooSs AMI needles, arc not a J.
mittei unlesi inclosei In tin or wool This
rule is just rs indexibls as the other. Peo-
PIE kick about both Of them, but they kick
In VAIN
"What harm do such things do in ths
mailsf"
"Two things nut lie bsrns in mind to W.
derstand this: First, with reference to
mailing clerk that they work 1T night, By
an imperfect light. with great rap.dits, ami
have TO seizs NAL mater by tho armful be-
fore they have inspected X; secoadiy with
reference to Othe- mail matter, that Letter.
AMI T!srchandise parcels often go together
in tie same pouch. Ia large oili,e separate
pouches are provided, but waers on, pouch
will hold all the letters AMI plrceIs. oniy
one Is used; and in process OF transpcrta-
ton these pouches are rollel and shaken in
ce-santly, and often subjected to consider.
able heat
keeping those two facts i'm mini ths
danger OF mailing these articls, may be
seen. though some people can't see it, even
then A razor is a peculiar thing The
blade can easily be pushed through the
handle. When in a mail pouch il Web
ster's Dictionary falls on it. the blade cuts
through any wood or tin box it Is likely to
be inclo,ed in. and then remains exposed
for the rest Of the Journey. By tho inces-
I.ft ~ . H.
make rats'-nssts OF a hunirsi letters, aud
on its arrival at its destination cut Off a
finger or two Tor q po,tofflc, clerk. Long
experiences and numerous accidents have
led the department, therefore, 70 prohibit
the mailing OF them altogether. Firearms
are unavailable for the simple reason that so
many fools insist on mailing them loaded
They can not To mailed except in detached
pieces
HOW THEY MAKE TROUBLE.
~It ought to be plain enough why explo-
sives are unmailable: and yet thoughtlsss
persons are all the while sending metallic
cartridges through the mails Articles with
q disagreeable oior, such as that OF kero.
sene. carboiic acid. or musk, are forbidden,
because the ordor nay be communicated 10
q ton Of other mail matter. Strong sn,li-
ing edibles, like cheese. are ruled out partly
for this reason, and partly because they
cause rats to eat through the pouches.
Vegetables and fruits decay, and not only
produce bad o doris but soil the other mail;
and SO with living or dead animals. Liquids
are forbidden tecau o experience shows that
they can not be confinei to any receptacle
they can be put into A woman can't see
to save her life, why we shout refuse to
mail q bottle Of hanikerchlef-extracti in a
giass bottle inclosei in a pasteboari box.
But II one liquid is admitted other, must be
admitted, and soon the most revolting and
the most destructive liquid, like sulphurio
acid. would follow. They almost al
ways break their recsptaclei and de-
de or corrode everything they touch
Even canned articles, containing liquid.
are forbidden, though Theoretically seaisi
in tin, because some one el-e may mail in
the same pouch pair OF scissors which will
puncture the can and lot on. tho liquid
contents on the other mail matter. All
poisons ars prohibited, because il one fool
mails poison AMI another fool som, sort
Of edible, they are very apt to get mixsi
and kill dox.n people at once; AMI also be-
cause the mailing clerks may be killed
OILS and all fatty substances are forbidden.
becauSs. in spite OF everything. they leak
OF other pieces Of mail matter. Ali sorss OF
fat meat and ointmsnts are just as bad be-
cause as soon as tse mail pouch containing
them Is put into very warm room, or laid
in hot sun. they arc converted into oil AMI
sscapA'
ALMOST AS BAD.
3why must the second class Of articles be
confined in wood o. tinP
Fer similar reasons all articles composed
altogether or partly Of glass, such as ,pecta-
Giles AMI watches. are very dangerous In
numerous instances the glass breaks and fine
pieces OF is are Distributed through the
pouch, defacing the other mail matter All
wouniing the hands OF the clerks. Needles
are a terror to postotfice employee When
one paper Of needles gets loose there Is no
telling when the evil will end They may
loaf around pouch for year. distributing
lockjaw among all the po.toffi,es in the
country. Fish-hooks are almost as bsi In
fact, any sharppointsd instrument like
forks or sciSorA or even caSe-knivss. LAGER
ate the hands OF thu clerks In q tsrribls
manner. ualess properly protected.
Candy Of all sorts breaks into find pieces
gets distributed all through pouch. AMI
smears and CLUES together all the rest of ths
matter Some kinds Of candy viii melt ami
run, and other kinds are hollow and contain
kirups which leak olt and soil everything
they touch. Cakes AMI pastry seem to be
the least Objectionable OF all tbs things
have nsm-d. and yet they are mailed so
frequently that they give more trouble
than all the rest put together. They not
only crumbls up. get scattered arouni, and
produce grease spts on everything they
touch but the rats smell them and Su.W