The Hawaiian gazette., 1889-08-13
QUEER THINGS IN THE MAIL.



The Dead-Letter Office in Wash
inrton Is. in one sense, the greatest
museum in the world. for here are
daily received the queerest things I'M
aginable. Everything that goes astray
in Uncle Sans mail goes to that
Office. and in the course of year
every conceivable kind of an article,
from a paper OF pins or a box ofsoap
to a corset and an ak handle is re-
ceived. Once each year the depart
ment has a clearance sale Of the mis-
cellaneous articles which have ac-
cumulated during the twelve months,
and about 12,O00 are disposed Of at
each sale.
1t Is estimated that every day in
the year about $4,000 letters, parcels
and packages go astray in the mails,
nearly all of which find their way to
the Dead-Letter Office. As fast as re-
ceived this great mass of mail mat
Ter Is assorted, opened and classified.
The Dead-Letter Office is not very
large. but is one of the busiest places
in the national capital at any hour
of the day. The operatives en-
ployed are nearly all women, as
they are more accurate and skillful
than men in opening, asserting, cor
recting and returning the stray mail
matter.
All about the room are tables
piled high with letters, parcels and
packages. About twenty-five men
and women are engaged here. In
the gallery above, seated at tables,
are sixty women, who do nothing
but read the letters received, in order
to determine if they are of sufficient
Importance to be returned to the
writers. All kinds Of letters are sub
ject to their perusal, from the daint-
lily perfumed billet-doux filled
with love and endearing terms, to
the brief and prosaic business letter
Of the hurried commercial man.
Many are the ardent messages breath
ing the hearts sweetest emotions
that are perused by these unsenti-
mental women and then consigned |
to the flames, for all letters that are
not returned to the writer are bur |
ned. II these women We're given to |
gossip, many are the mysteries they |
could unravel, the tales they could |
tell, and in many cases perhaps ex-
plain the reason that the letter
that he l6nged for never came"
INSTRUCTED and only partially ad-
dressed letters are turned over to
woman who from long experience
has acquired great skill in studying
out addresses, and who knows every
city, town, village and hamlet in the
country. She also knows the names
of the streets in the different cities
and Is, in fact, a yeritable United
States Gazetteer. From her almost
infinite knowledge Of names and
places, the faculty of deciphering all
kinds of illegibIe chirography and
her familiarity with English, French,
German, Italian, Spanish and Rus
sian, she Is enabled to send to the
rightful claimants, unopened, about
so per cent of the misdirected and
partially addressed letters received.
As a rule, English, German and
French are the prevailing languages
used in addressing letters, although
those inscribed in Italian. Hebrew.
Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Russian,
and, in fact, every other tongue,
reach New York from sea voyage,
and many of them are sent to the
Dead-LetteT Office TO be deciphered
and re-addressed in English, so that
the postmasters whose linguistic &C
are limited may de-
liver them in the good old Anglo
Saxon.
All letters which cannot be de-
eiphered by the expert are turned
over to force Of clerks who open
Them and remove all valuables They
are then put up in packages of 100
Zach and sent to the sixty readers.
Money, checks, drafts and all valu-
lbles taken from the letters are re- e
5urned to the sender, unless the party
or whom they are intended can be
ound. Last year nearly S10,000,000
vas taken from letters, all of which
vas returned except $4,000, the own
RS of which could not be found. N
Connected with the department of
he Dead Letter Office is a museum |"
where the many curious articles that tt
ONE in the mails and cannot be re- H
tored are placed on exhibition. Ali
bout the room are upright cabinets
q which the articles are displayed.
Tere can be seen toys, jewelry and
ictures of every description. One ID
f the rarest curiosities ever received, in
nd now on exhibition, is a sheet of :
archment on which is penned the ~
lords prayer in fifty-four different
1t came to New York in
$40 in the mail from England, and A
S no trace Of the owner could be dis
Overed it was sent to the Dead
Ietter Office. 1t is said to be w
uplicate of parchment which y"
angs in st. Peters, at Rome. A
aautiful crucifx Of solid gold rests
a case in one cabinet. 1t reached
le Office marked unclaimed" from
Southern postofice, and no trace
the owner could ever be discov- lo'
ed A lady's fan, made of stork ne
the plumes being richer and
rer than the finast ostrich Dlnmes