The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-11

Articles Awkward and Fragile That
Have ~ Perfect Right to BE There.
New York Tribune.

NEW 10TH 1IlDuIlG.
Much has been written concerning the
queer things which find their way into
Uncle Sans mail boxes and postoffces,
and which have no legal right to be there,
but little attention has been given to the
hosts of strange articles which may be and
are lawfully carried every day by the pos
tai authorities. 1t is not that the things
are uncommon in themselves, but that they
seem absurdly Inappropriate for transpor-
tation by mail, which attracts attention to
the subject. Most of the unusual articles
belong to the fourth, or package class of
matter, but there is one variety which is
becoming more common of late, of the third
class. This is the huge business postal
card, with an advertisement printed on the
back. ON specimen recently received has
Business Mems Giant Mail Card, in
scribed on it's face. and it measures eleven
by seven inches. There is no limit to the
size of such cards, provided they do not
weigh over two ounces each, though few
larger than the one mentioned have yet
been seen. 1T is difficult to understand
why any one should desire to use a card as
big as a billiard table, said a postal off,
cial, in speaking of the new craze among
advertisers, but as long as the pasteboard
is not overweight for its class it will so
through all right, no matter how awkward
it may be to handle"
Precisely the same principle as this ap-
plies to the fourth-clasS matter. Four
pounds is the weight limit here, and unless
the package violates some of the special
rules regarding unavailable matter, which
are pretty well known amony those who
have much business with the postoffice, it's
size and shape will offer no obstacle to its
being passed by the authoFities' Only the
the course of transportation imposes any
restriction as to form or material. Thus it
would be perfectly possible to send large
baskets, the fragile wickerwork of which
would keep them within the ~four-pound
limit, if it were not known that they were
likely to be seriously damaged before they
reached their journeys end by contact with
a sample of iron ore or some other equally
unfolding but mailable substance: Ere
quently people unaccustomed to using the
mails for this sort of express work do not
think of the knocking about which their
goods will receive, and they discover later,
TO their sorrow, that breakable things had
better be carefully packed or not sent at
all. Umbrellas and canes are often mailed,
and in a great many Instances, owing us
ualIy TO. careless packing, they reach their
destination in several pieces. a stout stick,
caution sometimes adopted to insure its
safe carriage. Fishing rods, disjointed and
packed securely in their cases, are often
sent by mail. SO are knives and sharp
pointed articles of various kinds, but these
must be capped and fastened so that they
win not cut through their Enclosures. Pts
tolls and other firearms may be mailed in
detached parts, but. for reasons not hard
TO understand, they cannot be sent entire.
The dry goods houses which have large
mail-order departments send more fourth
class matter through the postoffices than
any other users of the mails. All kinds of
dress goods, shoes and small articles of
every description travel in this manne
Especially IN holiday seasons the number of
unusual packages is extremely large.
Contrary To the superstition of many peo-
pie, the carriers are not obliged TO deliver
any article which seems TO the local post
master unreasonably large or clumsy. In
such a case he merely notifies the addressee
of the arrival of the package and requests
him to call at the office for it. A great
deal of trouble is caused by having the con-
tents of packages become separated from
their wrappers: as they frequently do. The
wrapper is duly sent on TO the person TO
whom il is directed, and the latter is then
expected TO call at his posto1fice and give.
If he can do so, a description of what he
believes the wTapp to have contained.
When this can be done the missing contents
are often identified, either i'm the dead-let-
ter Office or in some postoffice where they
have been detained until further Informal
ton could be received. In many instances,
however, the person who receives the wrap
per is unable TO tell what the probable con
tents We're, and no clew can be obtained to
the missing articles.