New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-23
LOOTING NETWORK MAIL.
HEAVY LOSSES BY A BIG DRYGoODs FIRM


IN EIGHT MONTHS. BLooMlNGpALE bnos' ""'-
LOST 300 LETTERS CONTAINING MONEY Or
pERs-I.1rrIE SATISFACTION TO BE
GOT FROM THE AUTHORITIES.
raree business concerns newspapers and pub
fishing houses have had much trouble OF late %
cause letters and packages have gone astray IN 'e
mall The difficulty was confined 10 no o"e 'o."
ity and outgoing mail matter as well as incomns
has failed to reach its destination Comp'a'n'"
have been made at the Postoffce Out While inc
machinery there seems to be put III opefaeo"
whenever a complaint is lodged. II appears 10 40
No good and the losses continue and are increas-
ing II the reports from the business dis'rc' may
be relied upon. d..
A number of retail houses In this city nave ior
vears done n catalogue business. which MEANS
that they send throughout the country every 'e.
son an illustrated catalogue from which goods may
he ordered Through the catalogue ana the sam
ME system the women the frontier are kept Inc
formed as TO style and price. and orders come 70
tho large catalogue houses from the remoest parts
~ the United States and they come in great NUM-
hove The goods are usually sent by mail and the
ravnents are made by postofice order or by New
York exchange. One OF the largest concern
nrnts this notice in a conspicuous Pal' Vi ''
catalogue: Cheeks will not be received as Cash.
bu, will be sent to the banks they are drawn on
,,a,ures are known to US. Remit BY postai
ro,e nostoffice or express money orders cash OF
hostage stamps In a registered ietter cas-" w
ross or draft or New-Yovk II Is NOT saie u se"o
money or stamps without registering the letter
,,,ese concerns prefer TO have the customer send
s,oeics order because in the case or the ietter
loo, tho nostoffice has the letter OF advice ana
:, ,ha, is not called for within reasonable tme
,ho nos,ofce takes steps TO learn the reason ana
,h order has been lost has strayed or been sto'en'
orders that a duplicate be Issued
ONE FIRMS MISFORTUNE.
To illustrate how many letters are lost In trans"
u is interesting 20 note that Bloomingoaie i'fo'.'
have lost in eight months upward OF n'e NUM- "
,o,,ers IN which money -orders were inclosed. no"
80 letters containing checks drafts. postage
s,arons samples or simply orders have been Stolen
no one will ever know. IT
t,nhourne Tompkns who has charge OF the ma"-
order department in this concern. SAID: ne"
p.ople send money-order ana we se"u 800
no,b,np I'm return we are likely TO hear from tnem'
W. write and tell them that their order never
-oacbad us and presently receive a letter from
the postmaster here saying that pos'oihce o'"e.
navahle 10 US remains unclaimed. We are aS"eu
"a come and present the order, or 10 write " Jul
customer FOR a duplicate. This WORD We receive ~
,- rho letter OF advice has been In the postomcs
about six weeks In order to prove how many OK
these cases occur have received as many -
twenty Of these requests In our mall.
"ro appreciate fully the fact that the losses a's
no, because OF any fault on our part IL 10 ou'
necessary 10 say that all the mail that comes 10 '".
house is opened in the firms private oHice' a'u
losses OF letters containing money are In no case
attributable to negligence or dishonesty on 'ns
part of employee A.
Mr. Tompkins had on his desk notices from tne
Pos,ofnce at New-York that postofhce orders from
Garrney n c. China Grove. n. c. Lake CITY, no.
Thornasv!Ile Ala. made payable TO BloomnsoAie
Pros were uncalled for the New-fork ONCE
Postmaster Dayton. in each case, writes r'eaSe
sign consent for payment 10 remitter'
The loss by theft or negligence OF these many
valuable communications is not all the complaint
nh,ch merchants have 10 make against the system
which obtains In the Postoiice Department 10
show the sowness with which these mistakes ana
shortcomings are rectihed, Mr.. Tompkins look t'0"
his file the following letter:
New-YOrk, \. I,h March orch: ?; 1875 u O. B.
SIR; There IS on file in this office an advice OF an
unpaid orae Gn r c to hs e'T Tsme
Fernandina Fla ,the issuing office. in your favor
Please present the o 1F1 you nave not
received IT, communicate with and obtain It II prae.
;i S rV m yop probSbe os whether in transit BY
mail otherwise suggest TO your correspond;s1
through the postmaster at the office Of issue for
duplicate order Re:pe W. 'pyAYTSoN Postmaster.
The order which this referred 10 was dated Do
cember 10. and no notice was sent until March T.
COMPLAINT TO WASHINGTON
The losses Of the firm great and they fol-
lowed one another IN such close order tiat COM
pla int was made TO the Postotce Department AZ
Washington, through the inspector in charge OF the
New-York Office. After calling attention to their
losses three or four times. the following letter was
sen, by the firm:
New-York. February Is 1885,
Mr. John f. Ashe Inspector in Cnarss r o.; n; 4;
formally 10 the great loss OF mail matter WHICH
has occurred during the last fey months; 1913
have been lost but the number OF money GrH Mr
dred) would indicate that three or four times that
number would not be an excessive estimate OF our
Se OF dras and express money orders that have
met with same fate. and the receip, OF from I'VE
have lS s" sent US money or stamps in unregistered
letters would indicate that there is some serious
fault in connection with the delivery OF our mai
IL does not seem to be limited any one sec:
lion of the country. as complaints come from all
over Within few DAYS letter containing d!aft
from as nt a s ~ HAS Se been oand
our mail is opened in the private ONCE OF the nrm
under careful watch ana al e'ers n'nry
hitting are then and there given credit for their
respective amounts that the .o,ses do no, occur
@ our se TSS and nd the hs,
sS 2% RsoP we "so are NINA in IN the matter, and
hone you Will give such attention In the way OF
Ssns run, ,HS trouble as yGe pGlgSsdiPA BROS
The letter Is dated February %, but no answer
has been received 10 II.
At the Postoffice It was said that In the year end
ing July lse, there had been about $4,000 Inquiries
Tor lost eiters and packages The office hand ~
O daily, and IL - estimated that OF tne
aUDoUD pieces which through the hands OF inc
clerks about 10000 are letters. The statement ~
$50 made that the last i've years atout fory per
.. M of the inquiries have led Ia successu delivery
of tho matter OF the unsuccessful cases mere ato
never more than about my IN day, and they IN
cluie not only the incoming hui the outgoing msu.
The ONCE sent 10 the Dead Letter once last Yea.
600 pieces. ana the great batch was ae:ounSsd
Ior under The following head. "Mslirer'ca an.,.9
address Held for postage Lost Wrsppeh.
'Misaiiressed' VIOLATING postal rcEulaWonS.
"t.Acesri,o weight or dmcnsions 'efusea ana
Il Unclaimed Al General po,Ncty" ,.,
Tho methods employed 10y tho postal nuthor'uce
are iouhless thorough. but the 'ossrf continue ana
tho head. "Stolcn IN Transit does NOT appear
among the oausca for non delivery There can DO
no doubt tina, the lctters containing money orders
we're r,ocn. others being stolen daIly anu thv
courteous Inquiries Of merchants VINO .un.r tnr2uEn