Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1885-12-17
UNAVAILABLE MATTER.
Some Articles Which Uncle Sam
viii Not Transport.
rolsons and Explosives, Living and Dead
Animals, Rasors AMI Needles, Ilsii-
hooks, GLASS, Etc., Considered
slightly Objectionable

hooks. Glass. Etc., Considered
Slightly Objectionable
"0nc of my duties" said retail
s,amp-clcrk of the rost-oilicc, ais the
weighing of parcels; and one of the
most interesting subject, | have 10 deal
with is called, in the pliraseology of the
Post.onicc regulations, Destructive I'm.
mailablc.' Matter may be nnmailable
for several reasons, such as the size or
weight Of the parcel, inteccncy. con-
nccton with lotteries or other frauds,
and the fact that il is dutiable goods;
but destructive unmailable' consists Of
things that are unmalablc because Of
their liability TO injurc the other mall
matter, or to injurc the clerks handling
the mail. or other people. The Amcri-
can poSt-Oilicc seems to me TO be rap
idly taking on the character Of Ma
tional express for light freight. The
number and character of thcparccls that
are mailed every DAY ut Chicago would.
II generally known, create gra,
astonishmcnt. They are limited TO four
pounds. but within that limit people
seem To be crazy TO mail everything
they can lay their hands ON. Hats,
shoes. bcd-clo,hcs, and all sorts Of har,l-
ware and icwclry are handed in all the
while. The rule is that these articles
must be wrapped up and directed before
they can be weighed, but am often so-
licited To weigh them be.ayo they are
wrapped; and one day laboring man
whipped oil his coat and threw II
through the window at me, with the
earnest request that / would weigh
that. The people seem TO think they
can send anything they choose through
the mails, including matter that IL liable
To destroy the Post-oilicc. or kill dozen
people before il reaches its destination.
Hence destructive uumailablc' has to bc
very closely watched. The inncNibc
rule in my division i. that no parcel is
to he weighed unless the person present.
ing il will tell ohat it contains. This
cNci,cs II good deal of Indignation some
times among the applicants Us they may
have To un'ic their parcels to find out
what they contain, or take them away
without mailing them at all. Not one
i'm ten persons who mail u package APP
plies to have IL weighed; but IL is nj! the
more impOrt@ht that those who do APP
ply should bc educated concerning what
Is mailable and what j. unmailablc.'
"Of wha, particular articles does de
structivc unmalGblc' cOnsist?'
obstructive unmailable is divided
into two classes One class Of these OBJ
jectionablc articles can not be mailed at
! all: and the other class can not bc
mailed except when incloScd in tin or
wood. Those articles that are unmail-
able under any circumstances are
LIQUIDS, oils, ointmcnts, fatty substances
easy liquciiablc. soft soap, powdered red
pepper. poisons, explosives. inllam-
mablc matter. animals alive or dead,
unless stuffed, fruits, vegetables, matter
having bad odor, razors and firearms,
except In detached pieces. These arti-
cles are not admitted to the mails know
ingly under any conceivable circum-
stances Then candy. cake, confection-
cry. pastcs, glass and sharp-pointed in.
siruments. including iishllooks and
needles. are not admitted unless in-
closed In tin or wood. This rule is just
as inilcxiblc ~ the other. People kick
about both o. them, but they kick in
vain"
"what harm do such things do in the
mails?"
1.-Two things must be borne In mind
TO understand this: First, with refer
encc 10 mailing-clerks, that they work
at night. by an imperfect light, with
great rapility, and have to seize mail
matter by the armful before they have
inspected it; secondly, with reference to
other mail matter, that let
tcrs and merchandise parcels
often 90 together in the
same pouch. In large offices separate
pouches are provided, but where one
pouch will hold all the letters and par
GELS, only one Is used; and in process Of
transportation these pouches ure rolled
and shaken inccssantly, and often sub
jected to considerable heat. Keeping
these two facts in mind the danger of
mailing these articles may be seen.
| tnouEh sohV pcoPAV N"h wv W. .'o'h
then. A razor is peculiar thing. The
blade can easily be pushed through the
handle. When in mail.pouch : u
Webster's dictionary falls on 1t, the blade
cuts through and wool or tin box it. 10
likely to be inclosed in, and, then re-
mains exposed for the rest OF the Jour-
ney. By the incessant jolting OF rail-
road train II will then make ,rats'-nests
of a hundred letters, and on its arrival
mt its destination cut of finger or two
or post-oilicc clerk. Long experience
and numerous accidents have led the de-
partmcnt, therefore. toprohibit the mall
ing of them altogether. Firearms are
unmailable for the simple reason that so
many fools insist ON mailing them load
ed. They can not be mailed except in
detached pieces. ,,i.sat 80
"It ought to be plain enough why ex-
plosivcs are unmailable; andyet thought
less persons are all the while sending
metallic cartridges through the mails.
Articles with disagreeablc o,lor, such
rs that ofskerosene, carbolic acid, or
musk, are forbidden because the odorm
be- communicated TO ton Of other mail
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