Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1894-03-02
THE POSTAL GRAVEYARD.
THE WORKINGS OF THE DEAD LET.
TER OFFICE.
A System of the Postoffice Dcpart-
ment About Which There Is Al
ways Something New to be Told.


ways Something New to be Told.
'HE infinite pains taken by
this great Government of
ours with even the most
trifing interests of its co.
900, 900 of people is most forc1bly IL
lu strated in the workings of the Dead
Letter Office. The scrawl of the
illiterate receives as close attention as
the polished chirograpny 81 the uni
versity graduate, modest penny as
much care in the handling as preten-
tious 500. Six million pieces of un-
delivered mail matter are annually
received atthe Dead Letter Office, and
and not one, however insignificant, Is
overlooked or slighted, according to
writer in Harper's Young People.
EARLY each morning the great Gov
ernment wagons marked United States
Mail may be seen numbering through
the stone archway leading into the court
of the Postoffice Department Building.
Here they are speedily unloaded, and
the great leather pouches quickly dis
appear, being borne by the messen-
gers to the elevator, and then to the
Dead Letter Office. Each one OF the
20, 900 dead letters received daily
passes at least through the hands OF
three clerks, and should it chance to
contain anything of money value,
through at least three more.
A dead" letter, strictly speaking,
is one that bears correct address, is
fully prepaid, and has been duly de-
livered at the office of destination.
Remaining there unclaimed for one
week, such letters are advertised for
/ the period prescribed by law, and
then sent to the Dead Letter Office.
Here. first of all, each days dead
mail must be accurately counted, and
a correct record made of the number
of letters and packages. There are
usually four clerks employed on this
work. Should any ignorant or care
less postmaster send in with his
''deads" letter bearing written or
| printed card or request, a letter with no
address, one without stamp, or one
bearing foreign stamp, the counting
clerk must winnow them out and rec
tifv, as far as he can, these errors,
| Being counted, they are tied in bun
! dies of usually 100 each by the mes
sengers. They are now ready for the
second set of clerks, whose duty 1t Is
to 'violate the sanctity of the seal
with the long, keen knives with which
they are provided. 1t is curious to
watch these men. With one qulcB
stroke the envelope is split lengthwise
and in the next instant the contents
are deftly extracted and examined, ano
if of no money value quickly laid aside
and another taken up. Each opener
averages about 2500 letters per day
Should the letter chance to contalr
money, even n single cent, stamp,
postal note, money-order, green
backs, notes, drafts, checks or any lie
cal tender, he Immediately seizes
pencil, notes the kind and value o
the find on the envelope, and beneath
it places his own initials. Beside
this he has small blank book in whicl
he makes a duplicate entry, and IN al
dition adds the name and addres
found on the letter. This work h
usually does ut the close of the day
and then both letters and book are
given in charge to the chief OF tn
division.
Whenever it is possible the lette
with its contents is returned to tn
sender in care of the postmaster, VIII
is responsible for its safe delivery
and who must return receipt for
to the department. Every possibl
l Al npA IL
When the money cannot be thus re
turned, on account of the failurre O
the writer to sign his name or ad
dress, then ii is held i'll the office for
year, in the hope that 1t may bo NJ
piled for, Failing in this, the none
is turned into Uncle Sans alread
corpulent money bags.
The carelessness of the people !
sending money is almost incredible
About 1900 letters that bear no al
dress whatever are received eac
month, and, curiously enough, the
very often contain money or its equiv
alent. recall one that came unde
my own observation that revealed
when opened, drafts to the amount q
S2500.
Accurate records are kept of a
valuable letters and their final dispc
sition. In round numbers abou
$50, 600 are received in cash annually
and 81 400, 600 in drafts, notes, etc
The remaining dead letters, that hay
only their literary merit to commen
them, or want Of II 90 condemn then
are given one last chance before bein
consigned te the waste paper dealer
They are placed in the hands OF clerk
who do their utmost To return theI
10 their Writers-a thankloss task !
best. Each clerk il expected 10 a'
erage al least $50 per day, aud ,h
supply Is never exhausted.
la addition a. the "ieads' there
another class termed "unmallable,
that includes such a. are held for pos
age, seut from hotels, fictitious an
misdireeted The oldest class ~ ni
mailahlo lettera afe the misdireete,
Ihese form eurluns study, AMI a.
accorded eafstul speeial tFeatmen
rhoy number about 2oo0 daily. The
arr forwarded daily from the mailin
Offices. not being detained oF adNe
tlsei a. dead Letters are. fpai maste
are anablo T. deliver them on aeeon'
I'd some error II iaieleney ln the ~
dreas. "a heeaHae the writing 10 iilsa
hln fla clerks "a lhla H0rk hal