The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-02-09

sary feature OF the assignment OF them lie,
that they are In pairs at desks. so ARRANGED
that they face each other; this IL for the pur-
pose Of acting as check on the mutual errors
OF each other.
Here in one apartment to q large force OF
clerks is assigned the duty Of opening and
stripping the letters received by every mail,
one set opens them, another Get verifles the
contents with the letter, another set assorts
them according to the nature and value Of the
enclosure; to another set 10 conhded the care
OF such letters "a call for some special mum.
bers, or enclose money for some future as
we'll as present drawing, which must be laid
aside for the present To be taken MP and
no outside methods" has had attention. An
other set all orders for the tickets, which are
verified and 30. X. ID" by another set. Another
Get records alphabetically the name and ad
dress OF every sender of letter land II an
ordinary currency enclosure. registered let
ter. money order, postal note, express pack
corresponding remittance. with date. month,
etc. Another get addresses the envelopes to
verines these directed envelopes with the
recorded list referred to above. Yet another
set sees that the order 10 properly Oiled as re
CURED by the letter OF request, and that the
ticket or tickets paid for are with the return
letter OF acknowledgement before being
placed In the err eloPe for mailing. In fact, TO
unopened pa sses through some nfteen or SIX
teen different sets OF clerks-each paired. TO
verify each others work. before the letter of
acknowledgment containing the ticket IL
finally placed in the envelope and mailed.
IL appears to be n complex system At nrst
sight, In reality IL is simple. but thorough and
perfect In its working. There Is no possible
chance, apparently, for error Of any kind.
Another department that presents busy
appearance he the mailing and folding depart
ment of the prize list. Here force of clerks
Is engaged addressing envelopes, from the
recorded list OF CORES pondents. for before the
sun sets on the day after the drawing TO every
patron ~ mailed list of the prize numbers.
system. thorough system, IN every detail -
the shibboleth of the management, and were
it not 90 10 would be utterly impossible TO
manage the enormous business that must be
transacted day by day in the building To
facilitate the work. and prevent any loss of
time. as we'll rs to maintain discipline and
secure the employees from possible outside
pense, furnish a nrst.cIass lunch to ALI their
clerks At stated intervals during the day
one half only At time repairing To the res
taurant or dinin room lifted up In the rear of
the main sfice On the nrst floor. They are
allow Ell from twenty minutes To half an hour,
when they return TO their several stations,
aud the other half repair TO the lunch room.
Thus the work ever goes on during the day,
and a perfect and systematic control of IL Is
maintained by the CHIEFS OF the several de-
partments.
while going through the receiving depart
ment or Office where the mail 10 nrst opened,
the manager called my attention TO the fact
that even in writing for lottery tickets, whore
one would naturally suppose every CORES
pondent would be very careful to give all
needful Information, that very often letters
reached them with no signature or adj
dress, or may he the name scrawled very
state, and In many cases neither can be deci.
phered from the blur or blotch that Uncle
Sans postmasters use in some country ofices
s q postmArk.
These letters containing money, what dis.
position do you make of themr' asked.
termed the ..old horse" vault, and sending for
q clerk who brought bunch of keys with him,
opened long cofiin-like case, and therein DIS
closed 10 me thousand of such letters, with
the original remittance pinned to each. In
this vault are two such boxes, which at the
present time contain perhaps from $4,000 to
$l0,O0O-the accumulation from careless cor
respondents W no fail to give name and address.
hat course do you pursue" asked, lin
cases like thesel surely these parties make
''Oh, yes" he answered., "and often the let
ter of inquiry gives little clue TO the writer
we term a tracing department. which will
Going thither. your correspondent WAS
shown the Inquiry Record"-whIch 10 in
printed form, and fashioned after the form in
use by the post-ofhce department. For in
stance: letter Of inquiry ss to 2 remittance
and placed IN the hands Of tste tracers. IL is
found that such q letter was received, the
TO the mailing department., where, on such
date, Acknow led cement and ticket was mailed.
This 10 recorded and the inquirer notified, and
then the matter Is traced through the post
Office department should the record prove,
after tracing, that NO such letter was origi.
nally received, the same result is entered1 in
more specific information. Very often IL
occurs that the letter Of inquiry, as stated.
refers TO some letter that has neither sigma
ture nor address. Then, after exhausting all
known methods Of tracing it through the reg
ular books of record. visit lie made TO the
'old horse" vault, and perhaps it 10 then, by
special and prolonged examination, and a
comparison Of chirography, that the company
Is enabled to determine the writer OF the origf
nal letter containing the remittance. The
question solved TO their own satisfaction,
they so advise the writer. and al his order