The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-05
UNCLE SANS MAIL MAUsoLEUM.
How Dead Letters are Treated and
What Comes in the Mails.
From the Neto York Graphic.

erected into an independent bureau. Dur
ing the last fiscal year there was an increase
OF over ii per cent. in the number OF pieces
handled. Few people have any idea OF the
immense amount OF work done in the Dead
Letter Office, or the number Of letters,
packages, magazines, etc, which, from one
cause CT another, fail to reach their destlna-
ton. They pour into the Office at the rate
OF ID, 2S5 day, or 5,51S, $50 a year. TO
properly dispose OF this immense amount OF
matter a large number of clerks are re-
quired, many of whom are women. The
postal service of this country is undoubtedly
more extensive and better administered
than that of any other country on the sur
face Of the globe.
If letters 20 astray and fail to reach the
persons for whom they were intended, it Is
rarely the fault of the postal officials.
| Nearly 10000 letters year are received
| which have not bee addressed. Those
INSTRUCTED or only partially addressed
amount to nearly 400, 900 yen The I'M
claimed letters which pour into the Dead
Letter Office amount to nearly 100000 a
year. The hotels of the country alone send
In llS,0OO letters every year which remain
In the plgeon-holeS of their offices uncalled
for. The simple job of opening all of these
letters Is immense and tedious.
the ends are cut by hand with pair of
shears and the contents Of each has to be
carefully examined. Last year over IL, 00O
| letters containing money to the value of
81, 639 were restored to their owners. The
number of letters containing drafts, checks,
etc, was nearly $1,000, and the value of
| the enclosures was 81 800 900 1t will be
seen that the Dead Letter Office has a great
work to do and keeps constantly employed
a number of clerks for counting, passing,
checking, cancelling and answering letters.
| The waste paper prepared from old en-
ri nIaF~ nt.. af Off T1TrC
in an income of s., 900 year.
LOST MERCHANDISE
The Lost Merchandise Department has
grown to be very large since the custom of
shopping by mail has come into vogue
Clerks make registry of the parcels OF
third and fourth class matter which have
gone astray. These amounted last year &c
6T ,523. And very many queer things are
sent through the mailS-skulls, jars OF
snakes in alcohol, vases, bottles of cologne
music boxes, pounds of tobacco, old razors
all the garments worn by men and women
toys, rosaries, jewelry, silverware, kitchen
utensils, etc silk handkerchiefs and
Christmas cards proverbially 90 astray
also gloves, babies shoes, pocketknives and
silver spoons. Nearly 1000 volumes OF
books and pamphlets come to the Dead
Letter Office
Among those who got lost in the mails
were Shakespeare, Robinson Crusoe, John
Halifax, Wanda, DavidaCopperfield, James
g. Blaine, Vicar of Wakefield, Griffith
Gaunt, the Wandering Jew and a host OF
other notable literary people. One clerk is
employed to look after the foreign and do
nestle registered letter, which have come
to the office, and number of colored women
act as messengers carrying from point
to point big baskets full of letters, wast5
paper, etc. There is great increase in misdi
rected Letters and letters without addresses
which indicates that the Americans are be-
coming absent minded or careless
OF foreign countries, 100, 900 dead letters
were returned to Great Britain; 81 900 t.
Canada; 20, 600 to Germany; 81, 600 to Italy
1900 to Russia; 5000 tolerance, and clever
only to China.
Mr.. John B. Baird is the Superintendent
of the Dead Letter Office. He finds that hi
clerical force is worked to its full capacity
and that, like almost all the other depart
ments i'll Washington which have failed Il
keep pace with the growth of the country
he needs additional help to give to the worl
that exact, systematic and thorough dis
position to which it is fairly entitled"
THE DEAD LETTER MILL.
The Graphic gives a description of wha
Superintendent Baird terms 1.-THE dead let
ter mill.n The explanation of it is as fol
lows:
All unbelievable matter Except tina
which hears the name and address of the
sender, or request to return to a specific,
place. is poured into the Dead Letter Offic
bv postnlasters That which originates il
foreign countries (Which is returned un
opened, and that likewise returned by for
eign countries is treated in the "FOreigl
Division" which thus conducts the ex
changes between the United States and tn,
rest of the world.
.le 10, al, ,Jo@
or unclaimed, go direct to the Property
Division"
The two primary classes of unbelievable
matter are "Unmailabe" and "Unclaimed
Unavailable matter is accompanied with
list, and at the Checking Taole" it is veri
fed. The addresses of "Misdirectedn mat
ter, both foreign and domestic when posi-
Bile, are corrected and Forwarded to p
M and if practicable, delivered to Ad
dressee;n otherwise it becomes "Wast,
Paper All other unavailable matter i
opened at the "Unmaiable Opening Table
If Immoral it goes into the fire; if de
structive" to other mail it goes either to tn,
fire or "y Express to the owner. Matte
in Excess of Weight" is likewise returned
by express" or by mail. Held for Post
age" matter is returned to sender or be
comes IVA Paper.n "Hote and Ficti
tious" matter passes through the same CRANE
discharge pipe back to the sender. LOTTERY
matter, after being opened at the 'Unmail
able Opening Table is sent to.the Return
ing Division for disposition. So will
"Mutilatedn matter. Witch may be eithe
unavailable or unclaimed "Coin and jew
elry" are delivered to the money Division.
Such is the treatment of unavailable matter
Matter both "Unmailaben and "Un
claimed" is often received through an I'm
spector."
unclaimed" letters regularly received
go to the Passing Table," where they ar,
divided into packages of 100 each for con
venience of account and treatment Tina
on which there is Postage Due" is specially
treated for the allowance OF proper credit
to postmasters. Card letters aud others
which ought not to reach the Dead Letter
Office at all, are sent back with "Repri
mandn to the postmaster and restored to thu
Live Mail" for delivery; but the bull
passes on to the "Opening Division" where
1t is opened and disposed of according t,
the character of the enclosures To tn,
Opening Division and the Unavailable Di
vision also come the mikes" thrown out a!
unbelievable by the postal clerks in tn
Railway Mail Service
Merchandise, both UNLISTED Parcels anC
that received in proper form, is sent to tn
Property Division whence, either b.
Express" OF by MAIL according TO il