Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-14
WANDERINGLETTERS.
Writers Generally to Blame for the
Loss OF Them Nowadays.
AN EXCESS OF PITTSBURG CITIES.
You Must Not Talk and Direct Letters at
the Same Time.
CURIOSITIES In THE MIKE BOXES

OF village postofhce, though he would
probably find the trouble of making out his
quarterly report worth more than his sal
airy, if time were an element in the caleula-
tion. But in large city, the first thing he
would find necessary would be study of
geography, even though he be fresh from
school. The next thing would be the study
OF photographic, or sound waves, angles,
curves, shades of letters, or, as billiard
players would say, the effect of putting the
English thereon, many addresses furnish
ing curious studies in chirography. In
talk with Mr.. T. NJ. Ulam, of the Pitts
burg Office, some of the preplexities of man.
agement were conceived, of which the
readers shall be told as plainly as the writer
can make it out without active experience.
For instance, some of the most trouble
some things encountered are stray letters,
sort of wandering epistolary stars, that get
out of their orbit and swing through space
until the authorities exert as much trouble
for cent, in getting them located, as would
IN many avocations suffice to early the daily
bread of a family. OF these 20 to 40 come
to the Pittsburg postofice daily, and they
do not equal in number the packages and
papers that also go wrong for want of
proper direction. If all efforts fail for two
weeks to find the persons addressed, letters,
postal cards and foreign papers are sent to
the dead letter office.
LOTS OF TROUBLE ABOUT IT.
When a letter, postal card, paper or
package is received and is not addressed to
street or number, and has run the gauntlet
of the general delivery, and the name
cannot be found In tine city directory, the
100 carriers or more are required to inspect,
and if they cannot locate the owner, it is
thrown into the mike" boxes, and at the
expiration of the fixed time, if not called for
after advertising, sent to the dead letter
office at Washington, unless the card of the
sender is on the letter or package. In that
case an elaborate card is sent to him and he
is asked for particulars. From this may be
Faen the advantage to be derived even by
private individuals from having their ad-
dress printed on cards and envelopes.
Only about one-third of these misdirected
missives are really sent to this city, as there
are not only considerable number OF Pitts
burgs in the United States, but almost any
thing directed to a town the first syllable of
which is the same is liable in the hurry of
making up mails to be sent to this place.
But writers are so absent-minded that they
are liable if wishing to direct to Skowhegan
to write ii Pittsburg or almost anything else
they may have in their minds at the time.
But few people can write and carry on a
conversation at the same time, and that is
evidently what many people attempt to do
in business. They are very apt, If anyone
speaks of town when they are writing, to
write the name of that town.
The carriers inspect the ''nixie"
boxes daily and directories of the
chief cities are kept on hand and frequently
the mans name, where his business is given,
can be located in some of those cities. Not
withstanding all research and the utmost
vigilance, about $50 letters go each week
from this city to the Dead Letter Office.
SMART MEMS ERRORS.
Another feature that controverts the idea
that trained business men are not liable to
make mistakes, is that the great bulk of
these mistakes are make by business men,
and BY the supposed sharpest of all business
men-those of New York City. Buckle
saws statistics prove that a certain proper
tion of people put letters into the mail with
out direction each year, and that the
proportion never varies materially. 1t
might be that if the statistieian would assort
his work he would find the bulk of the
"nixies" to come from business men. A
countrvman who only writes once or twice
quarter NAV occasion a smile by his direc-
tions, but he is almost certain to get them
all on in some shape or other. For instance,
the writer once saw a letter directed Estate
of Pennsylvania, Cambria county, Johns
town City, United States of North America,
Mary Sickenbarger. Mary got her letter
on time.
1t is quite frequently the case that when
letter fails to reach its destination the
Office is blamed, but inspection shows that
in a large majority of instances the sender
is to blame. An institution that has been
in existence since established by the Ro-
mans for state use and has fourished more
or less in Europe for more than six centuries
since the Hanseatic League put it in mo-
tion, marvels in the matter of reducing cost
of transmission from 25 cents to cent, but
has reached high state of perfection and
is the one Socialists never fail to cite when
arguing for communism.
PITTsBURG's LITTLE DOUBLES.
1t is barely possible that Pittsburg suf.
fers more from miSdirection in this respect
than any other city in the country, as there
are Is postoffices of that name in the
United States, and in looking over the list
by inquiry or trace cards, it would seem
that Coraopolis is about the only
place in the United States that
hasn't been absent-mindedly substituted at
some time or other for this city. That name
doesn't seem to have gotten into the way
yet. There are Pittsburgs in Darke
county, Ohio: Hendricks county, Iowa;
one in Mississippi, one in North
Carolina, in Gunnison county, Col
orado; Peninah, Dakota; Carroll county,
Indiana; Van Buren county, Iowa; Crawford
county, Kansas; Laurel county, Ky.; one
in Michigan, one in Missouri, one in
Nevada, one in Coos county, New Hamp-
shire, Pittsburg Courthouse in Texas, and
Pittsburg Landing in Tennessee. Then
there are two Pitts, Pitts-C Crossroads, nine
Pitts6elds, three Pittsfords, four Pitts
towns, and SO on almost ad infnitum.
Among the large accumulation of misdi-
rects on hand it was found that the National
c. g. NJ. Co. of New York was hunting the
Plumb Hardware Company of Pittsburg,
and when told it wasn't here recollected
that it was in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Gels & Co. thought the Newton Coal Com
pany was in Pittsburg, but finally found it
in Pittston, Pa. Sheppard. Knapp & Co.,
of New York, want c. A. Perry, but he
can't be found here, and the firm says if he
isn't here it doesn't know where to look for
him.
sTRAYED Oh STOLEN, SURELY.
John A. McCluskey and Wesley S.
Allen seem to be lost also, even the fa-
nous seven cities of Greece refusing to
claim them. The Kankakee Paper Com
many wants to talk to the Fitch Paper Com
pany, and is hunting for it in Pittsburg in
stead of Chicago, where it is. Instead of
looking for Charles Leonard in Petersburg
Va, and C. Davis at the Gibson House.
Cincinnati. they were sought by mail in
Pittsburg. though the writers confessed, on