Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-08-19
DEAD LETTERS
* OFFICIALS SEEM TO M
lHO' ,,piu ABOUT THEM.

,s,sup Collecting Fiends.
The last fiscal year, ended
w issl, 5eo,6o2 letters from foreign
s,g,ed into the dead letter Office
r..s,nrton. The individuals ad-
nelnr not discovered, nearly all
| ,S,se missives had to be sent back
~. a Countries whence they came.
~ United states postofiice is vast
u. clever at finding people than
M authorities abroad. says the
3.,,,rtou star. Only few days
letter dispatched from New
!, Win the superscription, Levi p.
ron paris. France, was returned
| IVA oineonnu'-l. e.. unknown"
r,rtheless. the vice-president was
| A French capital at the time, at
a, the great hotels.
\. foreign authorities seem to be
IA about such things. Letters from
| United States addressed TO Walter
I'M or Algernon Swinburne, Eng
n are sent back marked '1nsufll-
\ address" one might suppose that
rIIsh people would know about their
famous literary men. 1t used to
ne same way with Charles keade
Robert Browning. An American
NJ letter TO santa Claus. Hartz
1atalns. Germany was returned
70. 81 q
sunicient address," stamped all over
I N seventeen postmasters.
In Christmas time every year chill
a write letters to Santa Claus and
N them, usually unstamped IL Il
rlm address is given, the missive
Hspaiched in the mails. the rules
the International postal union not
ialTing prepayment. Eventually 1t
4 It's way back to the foreign dl-
m Of the postoiiice department. II
nntains petition from some poor
ID for a small SIT the employees OF
Office will occasionally play Santa
bus making UP a purse to buy the
bic requested.
csmoaratively few of the foreign let
4 which reach the dead letter Of
here can be delivered to the per-
a addressed, because It Is not al
.ahle TO open them. If one OF them
,ren when received It is sealed with
iesclal stamp, which looks somewhat
an ordinary postage stamp. bear
he words, 'lostciilce department
felally sealed" The first stamp
tbs kind that was issued had the
RS post obltumn on il. meaning
lr DEATH A specimen is worth
i KY So The sealing stamps are
nj 10 get and are in demand by col
Tors
ne letters from abroad which have
Nd Of delivery on account Of badly
atten addresses are handled by eS-
,u who exhibit wonderful skill in
dthering them. Miss Clara Richter
eharge OF the foreign division. is a
aous hand at such work. The spell
on some OF the envelopes ls amaZ'
For example. "Susanmerl" is In
Nd for Sault st. Marie. That Is {
rnaratlvely easy one. "Schinea
IN. Toulocontus," is Chinese Camp
lHmne county. "Grym Pantewnia'
neant for Green Point avenue.
llmory is an important element ir
hid reading" as this work IS called
Richter got hold OF letter The
Ar day with a peculiar name, ant
tng else on It except America
remembered that twenty years
more ago person OF the SAINT
,ns had been found at Grand Rap
81 Mich, The letter was Forwarded
hat point and reached the Intend
Recipient. On one occasion the 10
postodicc Of Washington did no
Pow how to deliver a letter address
to "Tesercro General de melon
vas advertised as for "Gen. Ties
Na' Miss Richter perceived at one
1i Il was for the treasurer OF IN
ilid States. II was registered an
aiained considerable sum of money
All unbelievable foreign letters ar
~ up in bags or other parcels an
at back once week to the pin
~ European countries and TO can
J. = These returns" as they are cal
comprise all mail matter receive
The dead letter office here durln
II Eeek previous But TO the othe
'ians In the postal union the dea
3 returned only once mont
~ United States government el
Anges unclaimed matter with eighty
Ven countries and colonies. Nearl
= FAeV foreign pieces Of mail com
our dead letter office annually.
.at many Of these are printed pul
Auons, most Of which are throw
Ay and not returned
~ printed matter received at II
~ letter ONCE from Cana a, Grei
Hnnn Germany, Switzerland. Sout
ntrican countries and Australasia
TtIfItDf Ia ss1as "a
agreement. Most Of this stun col
OF newspapers and trade circular
countries mentioned do the san
w Similar matter that reaches the
IN The United States. But Franc
~ Russia, Spain. Portugal, No
EN sweden, Denmark and Belgiu
~ every bit Of their matter bac
y Is returned to them. Durir
as fiscal year 1885 parcels al
sa publications and circulars we
'1e Russia, for instance. All II
Asd matter from that country
S oaek TO the Russian postotiice d
',s,.Hsnt al 81. Petersburg every wee
uung printed stuff The materl
wv up In bags. If there Is reas
M mat a single parcel or lett
~ anything Of value, the bag co
e,s II is registered. Many Of 1
WA. returned 70 Russia come
N Hanslon from the postonlce at 3,
ns'a' WEIGH city there Is lar
fs,-s,ln colony. Returns for Ne
,,,.nd and small dependencies
,'us parts of the world are ma
=, envelopes. the bulk Of matt
~ 0finr small
r,,' same way We get our de
s,s eaek from foreign countries
~ n, nom some. monthly from OF
s returns" sent to US amou
ttle Year 10 241,77e pieces-only
NOE .,ofe 'han one-third as many
- on ,@afued to governments abro
M tofa is1son for this great difference
~ ~. ~ NE fact that addresses in !
lSiaIrssssl,a more certain and permane
& aate coming TO the Uni
ns.,, eve their FIRST addresses
ri a. ..-ffn and friaugl -. -. 49,. q.