The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-01
QUEER THINGS BY MAIL.
Many of Them Preserved in the
Postal Museum.

Within the next few days the museum
of curiosities in the postofice department
will again be thrown open to the public.
The entire exhibit was sent to the At
lanta exposition, and has been rearranged
since its return. Curator S. i. Slack is
proud OF the fact that the trip was &C
cOmplished without single breakage,
though some of the objects are extreme
~ delicate, and the utmost care had to be
observed in packing
Curios of every conceivable shape, in
any way connected with the postal SER
vice, are on exhibition, the latest addition
being an old bucket, which was started
from Atlanta in May, 1885, with the re-
quest that ii be sent around the old world
by mail, and returned to Atlanta in time
for the opening of the exposition. 1t did
not complete the trip, owing to the ig-
nOrance of some of the postal employees
as to where to forward it, but it went
from Atlanta to Charlotte, n. c., to
Washington, D. c., to St Louis, to Gin
cinnau, to Chicago, to Toronto, to New
York, to Liverpool, and several cities in
England, to New York again, and back
to Atlanta, whore it arrived Sept. 4, 1895.
The bucket is fairly smothered with
shipping tags, bearing all sorts OF in
scrptions penned by the various clerks
into whose hands it CHANGED to fall. Some
of them are clever, and others were sup
posed to be by those who wrote them.
the state the national treasury will be
in if free silver does not come to the
rescue. All gold bugs take notice, and
go to the Atlanta exposition with this
bucket" A British postal clerk was evil
IDENTIFY in bad humor when the bucket
reached his hands, for he attached this
sentiment: 81 sincerely hope that the fell
low who started this Internal bucket on
its trip has kicked 1t before now
The collection includes many interesting
models. Most conspicuous is that of a
mounted star route carrier, more famil-
iarly known as the pony express" A
papier mache cast of the horse was made
from life, and after the animal died his
skin was stretched over the cast, making
a most natural representation. The rider
is in full uniform consisting of blue shirt,
corduroy riding breaches, and boots.
A working model of the mail steamer
City of Paris cost $1,000 to construct. 1t
is twelve feet long and complete in every
detail. 1t was on exhibition at the worlds
fair. There is also a model of the first
American steamer that ever crossed the
Atlantic with United States mail-the
old side-wheeler, The Southerner. A heavy
dew, ii is said, will float the fiat bottom
river steamer Ocklawaha, which carries
mails on the river of that name, and of
which there is also a model. A complete
postoffice car, ten feet long, or one-SiXth
of the actual size, is also an object of in
terest.
Mr. Slack takes a great interest in his
models of carriers and postal clerks, at
tired in regulation uniform, because they
were so much trouble to dress. The spec
ial delivery boy, mounted on a bicycle,
was more trouble than all the others put
together, and 1T is a. good thing he sleeps
with his clothes on Very swell looking
fellows are the Swede letter carriers in
their complete uniforms The one whose
| route lies between Sweden and Norway,
carries sword, revolver, bugle, passport
book, and a lot of other paraphernaiia.
All the foreign uniforms, equipments and
photographs were donated to the depart
ment.
The method of transporting the mail in
winter between Sault Ste, St Marie and
| Mackinaw, Mich, is represented by three
| dogs harnessed to a sleigh, on which are
| strapped the mail bags. There is model
| of the attendant, a big Canadian Indian
The dogs, whose skins have been stuffed,
| were in actual service three years ago.
! one of them being three-fourths wolf
| Many interesting objects are included in
| the exhibit of articles which found their
| way into the dead letter ONCE. There is
| a big rattleSnake, mailed alive, which is
| about six feet long, two inches thick, and
| has nine rattles; centipede, which was
mailed alive, wrapped up in a. newspaper;
| human skull, sent to Prof. S. D. Gross
| of Philadelphia, eight years ago. and re-
fused by him because there was $40
| sealed against inspection; Big Brave Spot
/ ted VOLTS hat and anklets; an Indian
! scalp lock; an ordinary stick of wood four
feet long; a dynamite bomb IS inches long
| and four in diameter; a set of false
! teeth, a bladder full Of snuff; a genuine
| diamond ring and many other queer
| things
The collection of postage stamps is per-
! haps the finest in the world. They are
mounted in frames, with hand painted
| ornamentation. The museum has the first
| sheet of Columbian two-cent stamps ever
| printed, which fact is attested by the
!
| eral Hazen and the president of the Amer
| lean Bank Note Company. There is also
! a small frame of postmarks used by the
| Mexican government during the Maxi
| MILAN period in place of postage stamps
| the dies being in possession of the revolu-
| tiOnists. This collection is valued at $500
| The foreign exhibit is very large and
| complete, including uniforms, equipments
| models and photographs connected with
| the postal service of Mexico, Canada,
| Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, Belgium
| Austria, Switzerland Russia, Germany,
| Great Britain, and other countries In
| the miscellaneous department are many
! other interesting objects, including a sill
| yer dollar pasted over with paper and
mailed as if it had been postal card
! One one side is affixed the stamp and tho
address: ITO the Director of the u S.
| Geological Survey" On the other is the
simple request: Send copy of Topographic
| cal methods
| There is also a collection of tags and
medals taken from the collar of "OWney''
| the dog which went around the world bv
! mail, and the mutiated mail bag which
| the Apaches took from ]. M. Peterson
! who carried the mail between Crittenden
and Lochiel. July %, 1885, the carrier be-
ing murdered.
In the courtyard adjoining the museum
! stands the old mail coach used wears ago
| in Montana, in which Presidents Garfield
| and Arthur both made trips, and in which
| Gen. Sherman covered 1OS miles in eighr
| hours on tour of inspection. 1t was
| captured by the Indians several times
| being recaptured the last time by Cen
| Howard, after hot pursuit.