Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19
Taking Care of Letters and Parcels
That Go Astray.
IMMENSE DEAL OF LABOR INVOLVED
The Government Endeavors to Re-
turn Everything It Can.
X Z EPING THE RECORDS

Written for The Evening Star
Visitors TO the dead letter office who turn
the leaves of the immense photograph al
| buns TO examine the soldiers pictures
saved time in war and gazed down at
the long table where dozen men are OPEN
| ing letters never realize the amount OF
work II takes to produce order in the chaos
OF letters and parcels gone astray. Ranged
along the sides of the great room where
the openers are, and also I'm several rooms
near by, are the bookkeepers or recorders
Their labor is seldom appreciated because
| Its results only are seen. Without them
| 1t would be impossible to answer the many
| inquiries for missing mail, or TO locate any
| article which the Office has received Uncle
Sans business methods are often criticised
as intricate and laborious. but the neces-
sity OF system of records OF this kind
cannot be doubted.
About fifteen per cent of the seven mill
ion pieces received yearly contain valuables.
An accurate record of each article is made,
| giving its address and disposition. Six sets
of books are used for this purpose. one for
money. one for papers which have a money
value, as notes and mortgages: one for
other valuable papers such receipts and
certificates; one for stamps one for photo
graphs, and one for property or miscel-
lareous articles received in packages.
These are all returned TO the sender IL
the address is given. If there is no address,
| but a legible postmark, they are sent to the
| postmaster at the mailing office for deiv-
| cry TO the sender. If there is no address
and no postmark, or II the postmaster fails
| to deliver the article and returns il 10 the
| department, Ii is filed.
| Dfsposing of the Articles.
In the case of property the articles filed
| are kept two years and then sold at public
| auction, excepting such books as are Sc
| lected fer the department library. Several
| hundred books added each year to the
| library which is for the use Of the officials
and clerks exclusively. They comprise
| largely works of fiction and poetry intend
ed for gifts.
The rnoney, which cannot be returned to
| the owner, is kept for three months and
| then deposited in the United States treas
| ury 1t may be reclaimed within four
years. In these books one cent receives as
much attention as $40. a receipt being
| signed by each clerk through whose hands
| IT passes. No red tape is spared on account
| of small values.
| The stamps are the most numerous OF all
| raluables received. Every time the depart
ment issues a fraud order agains; any
| swinding concern that concern is not al
| lowed to receive its mail. Its letters are
stamped fraudulent" and sent to the dead
| letter office. Thousands of dollars yearly
are thus saved by the department and re-
stored to the people in money and stamps
| alone The stamps which cannot De de-
| livered are destroyed each month.
Inc ana lapeTs
| which had been kept on nile We're allowed
| 10 accumulate until the summer of 1893,
| when the oldest files were destroyed, eN-
| cepting only such papers as marriage GER
| tificates, wills and others of exceptional
value. At present, only those photographs
and papers filed within the last three years
are kept intact. The rest are destroyed.
Uncle Sam the Gaiuer.
Thus. Uncle Sam. with Yankee practi-
cality, utilities everything that comes in
| his way. He realizes a neat little sum each
year from the auction sale of packages.
| from the deposit of lost money, and also
| from the destroyed matter sold as waste
| paper.
In addition TO these records is a book
| which gives the postal history of lost
| manuscripts, which number about one
thousand yearly.
There is also record of inquiries for
missing mail, and a record of registered
matter. The registered articles received
are not distributed among the six desks
named but separate record is kept of
them, that these are the largest OF the
record books and the articles kept on file
here are miscellaneous in character.
Every month the periodicals which have
gone astray in the mails and reached the
dead letter Office are distributed among the
charitable institutions of the District. They
are the department missionaries that cheer
the sick and bless the lonely.
1t is expected that the recent order to
postmasters in regard 10 the palmer stamp
iEg of letters will facilitate the work OF
this office to a large degree. Post masters
are now ordered TO stamp each letter dis
tinctly with the name of the mailing office.
1t sometimes requires half a dozen clerks
with magnifying lens and every facility for
blind reading" to decipher single post
mark. This kind of stamping is usually
done in the smaller offices. The letters
from large cities almost always have a
legible postmark. When this ruling is en-
forced the percentage of matter returned
will be largely increased.
Amount Decreasing.
The amount of matter received a. the
dead letter office has decreased in the last
few years. This is probably due to the ef-
ficiency of the Don't circulars. which are
sent to all postmasters for the dissemina-
ton of ordinary rules of precaution 10 be
observed by patrons of the mails.
This Office might be called the hesdcuar-
tiers of Santa Claus. At any rate ii Is where
his mail is received. Every autumn his let
tiers come in by hundreds and later by thou
sands. There is every variety of spelling
and childish chirography. There is also a
variety of places assigned as his abiding
place. such as the North Pole, Fairyland
and other places not within reach of the
postal service.
But the little folks are not the only ones
who send indefinitely addressed letters.
Two examples will serve 10 show the rare
discriminating powers assigned to the
postal employee by the public mind:
Please deliver to a physician who is a
native of either Nova Scotia, New Bruns-
wick or Prince Edwards Island.
Evidently the area involved was too wide
and the authorities gave up the search.
Forward or give to a widow, age thirty
two or over, with dark brown hair and
eyes; height, five feet two inches; name
unknown"
AT a glance this would seem an easter
task. To find widow is simple enough.
To find one with dark hair and eyes would
be a more specific task. but still not OBJ
jectionable. perhaps. But making il palmer
by using the age limit put things in a diff
ferent light. 1t was too delicate a task for
ordinary postman He was human and
loved life. He gave up the job.