The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-03-16

STUMP uTcuuy 0lllScu, III WINCH OH
velope tho answer may be enclosed.
Tho messenger will receive this. cancel
the stamps, and deliver tho answer to
tho original sender taking his receipt.
This would be so great m Improvement
in the convenience and CELEBRITY OF tho
local special delivery that 1t ought to
do away with the demand for district
messengers, and discount the telephone.
THE LOTTERY BUSINESS.
Some idea Of tho magnitude of The
Louisiana Lottery Company's postal
business was giv6n by tho facts
shown ut this conference. Tho
revenues OF tho postoilice depart.
lnent lost last yoartho enormous sum OF
Sl,OO0, 600, on account OF tho shutting
out from tho mails OF lottery business.
In spite OF this loss, however,. the
grand total OF revenues increased
50 1000, 600 over those Of tho year before.
That Is, II tho lottery mail had con.
tinued as 1t was tho increase would
have been S0000,000.
At tho New Orleans Office the loss OF
revenue on account OF tho shutting out
OF lottery mail was 100000. OF this
large sum, however, II was estimated
that tho natural growth OF business
made up S4l 200. This subject came up
incidentally, and Mr.. Eaton, postmaster
at New Orleans, gave these figures. In
his office thirty clerks were discharged
on account OF the cessation OF tho lot
terry mail matter.
On tho second day OF tho conference
tho postmasters were invited to Post
master General Wanamaker's house for
lunch, and there they met President
Harrison, tho members OF tho cabinet
and other prominent officials, and u
very enjoyable time was spent. Alto
gother the whole session was memora-
bio as much for its enjoyable spirit OF
harmony and desire to advance the in
forests OF tho department us for the
good accomplished, which was. great.
Mr.. Cowden says politics was entirely
tabooed in the entire meeting, and it
was strictly business.
A WHEELING BOYS LUCK.
Throughout the entire session inven-
tors OF locks, inventors OF mail boxes,
inventors of mail bags and inventors OF
almost everything else but burglars
tools bcsicged the doors, trying TO get n
hearing for their cause, but they were
all ignored and refused, with one not
able exception, and that was Wheel
ing boy, Alfred Cushing.
The readers OF the fErELLlGENcER have
already been informed OF his good luck
with the mail box he invented for uso
on the doors OF private houses. Last
year the postmaster general appointed
commission TO select box for this
purpose. Cushings invention is 4 box
which opens on tho outside or inside OF
the door. The people in tho house
open the inside, and deposit their mail
III 1t. The carrier comes along, opens
the outer door, takes out the mail for
the office, and leaves that for the house
hold.
This was one Of six devices out OF
about 200 submitted, which the com.
mission approved. The inventors OF
thc'six were invited to make a test on o
designated route in Washington and
another in st. Louis. Very few re-
sponded. but Cushing was one OF the
few. Heis in Washington, and on motion
OF a friend of Mr.. Cowdcn's in the meet
ing, he was invited 10 show his box and
explain it. Tho gentlemen were all
very much interested in it, and the con-
ference wound up with its examination
and explanation by the inventor, who
answered numerous questions put by
the postmasters.
Mr.. Cowden says the assemblage was
made up Of as fine a body OF men as he
ever say. bright and distinguished men.
leaders in their own communities, and
the postmaster general did q wise thing
when he enlisted their interest in such
a conference.