Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-12
CURlOSITIES OF THE DEAD.
LETTER OFFICE.

ago to ascertain why SO muCn
mail matter continually comes to
the Dead Letter Office. The evil
dences are convincing that the
miscarriage and non-receipt of
such letters and parcels as reach
that office are due in the main to
carelessness and omissions on the
part of the public, and in very
small measure only to any fault
either in the system or in the work
of the employees.
OF the more than six million and
half Of pieces of mail matter re-
ceived annually at that office, near
| ly five millions and a half contain
ed nothing of value, and it is al
most inconceivable, but none the
less true, that about one-half of
this number contained no signature
which would enable the depart
ment to return them to the writer's.
They consist in the main Of letters
from one member of a family to
another, or letters passing between
intimate friends; and the signature
may be, for example, "Mother,'
lack" Your afectionate sister"
or some equally indefinite appella-
ton.
About SIX per cent. of the whole
number, or, in round numbers,
$4,000, Of all letters opened con-
tanned valuable Enclosures, either
Of money, negotiable paper, post
age-stamps, or miscellaneous pa
pes and articles. The money
enclosures alone amount to over
| $4,000, and those representing
negotiable paper to over 81 ,4oO,-
900. There were nearly 1I,cco
letters which contained lottery
tickets, and nearly 100000 con-
tanned pictures and papers of a
character unfit for circulation.
These were all destroyed.
Of the more than six AMI a half
million pieces received, about one
half million were offoreign origin
and were returned to the countries
whence they came. One-hfth of
million were restored unopened to
the owners; a million and a half
were restored to the respective
owners after they had been opened,
the information necessary to such
restoration having been ascertained
from the contents. Nearly 100000
which contained Enclosures were
returned to the owners, and about
three and three-quarters million
pieces, on failure after every effort
had been made to reach the own
ers, were destroyed. Parcels Of
merchandise unclaimed for two
years are annually disposed of at
auction. Last year there we're
offered nearly $4,000 such parcels,
the proceeds amounting to
S2,766.53.
If people who use the mails
would only be careful to observe a
few simple requirements, trihes in
themselves, but IN the aggregate
of vast account, the force of the
Dead Letter Office could soon be
reduced one-thlrd. All writer's Of
letters may not care to place their
names and addresses upon the
corner of the envelope, but if they
would do SO there could be few
undelivered letters. Cultivation Of
the habit of scanning the address
of letter after it has been written
would prevent nine-tenths of the
mistakes due to deficient or erron-
eous addresses. 1t is purely a
matter of business habit, and the
remedy is the simplest. There is
no law or regulation which can
require an aHectionate sister to
place her full name and address in
a letter to her absent brother, but
if mothers and sisters and brothers
would in some corner Of the paper
do this, there would be a million
and half more letters restored to
their owners every year.
That the mails are not used
solely for the transmission Of in
telligence is proved by the curious
collection of articles deposited in
the museum Of the Dead Letter
7 Office. Ingots of gold, specimens
Of valuable ores, kid gloves from
the wreck Of the Oregon, imported
colognes wrapped in dried herbs
to conceal them from the custom
officers, Indian pipes and toma-
hawks and birch bark canoe,
: lava from the Modoc beds. cocoons
; of the sill<-worm, agate from Lake
f Superior, reading cards for the
blind, birds eggs, cakes, fruits,
medicines, knives pistols, rings and
watches, live bees, serpents. horned
frogs, and centipedes are few o
; the articles representing the varied
assortment rapidly accumulating
here.
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