Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-09-26
Post Office Department.
DEAD LETTER OFFICE.

w AShANO AO~'f D' O'3 OCpes L.
Over six million pieces of mail mat
ter are sent annually to the Dead
Letter Office By reason of incorrect,
lllegible, or deficient address, Iu-
sufficient postage, insecure inclos-
ing, whereby matter mailed be-
comes separated from the envelope
or wrapper, or the failure to be
called for or delivered to the per.
son addressed. This is a daily
average of over twenty Thousand
pieces.
OF these the greater portion
either are not called for at the post
Office to which they are directed,
or, in case of tree-delivery offices,
the addresses cannot be found, not
withstanding every known means
is resorted to on the part OF the pos
tai officials to effect delivery.
Matter sent to the Dead Letter
Office, which cannot he delivered
to the person addressed, is required
to be opened in its treatment for
the purpose OF return to tue sender,
and If the name and a ldress of the
sender be no: shown or cannot be
ascertained from The contents, and
it contains no valuable inclosure, 1t
must be destroyed.
Letters opened and found to con-
tain any lnclosure of obvioas value
are entered upon proper records,
and, of such, those which do no.
disclose sufficient informs ton
to enable them to be returned
are filed. subject to reclamation
upon proper application and identl-
hcatiOn.
Letters which contain no inclos-
ure of obvious value are not re-
corded.
Packages and parcels are record
ed, aud where they do not disclose
the name and address of the owner
are fled; if not called for or claim
ed within two years they are dis
posed of at public a1ctiOn and the
proceeds covered into thu United
Stated Treasury.
A large proportion of the pack
ages and parcels sent to the Dead
Letter Office fail to be restored to
the owners because of the absence
on the wrappers or Enclosures OF
ANYTHING to Indicate ownership
thereof.
Information as tc the character
and nature of the matter thus re
ceived at the Dead Letter Office,
aud the conditions and influences
which occasion its failurc to reach
the pelsons to whom tie senders
designed 1t TO 60 may be of interest,
and the mere statement OF it carry
with it suggestions which may
serve the public IN its exercise Of
postal privileges.
OF the unclaimed aud undeliYer'
ed mail matter received at the
Dead Letter Office during the past
fiscal year, four hundred and nifty
one thousand we're letters mlSul
rected, or only partially addressed
that is. not addressed to a posi-
office, or, addressed to post oflce
without the State being given, or,
addressed to a post office not 10
the State named, etc, etc.-whil'
twenty four thousand we're ent're'J
blank, bearing no address wnat
ever. Among the latter were ire
onently found the correspondence
of business men, of which a large
portion contained enclosures o
money, drafts, checks, etc.
NInety-eight thousand were 49,
ters to domestic addresses, "hel'
for postage" together with letters
etc. addressed to Canada an'
Mexico, matter to these conntrle
being unmaiIabIe except upon lul
prepayment of postage.
J One hundred and sIxty'nV
5 thousand we're letters mainly az
: dressed to persons in care Oh no'o'
: The guests to whom the letters o'
|, s longed having departed wl'no'
o leaving their address, or forward
, ing orders for their mall tney Wei
returned to the post Office by IL
hotels and thence sent to the OeS
Letter Office.
Forty-two thousand were lette
|. to fictitious addresses, and p'in'
: paIIy correspondence relating
: what is known as screen gooou
or "saw dust" swind! s, ETC.. mai
|. of them containing money Win
: ders for the purchase OF Tue
: fraudulent goods. Parties eng"g
in these fraudulent aud unia"'
enterprises invariably DO so un'l
. an assumed name, aud when I
character and business OF sneh p'
1..u.,orad hv the pOSl