The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-06
DEAD LETTERS MADE LIVE.
REMARKABLE WORK ny 4 WOMAN
IN THE Posi- OFFICE DEPA RIM ENT.
a Brnnrh OF the service That Owes Its ES-
istence to Feminine Superiority New
stories OF tho Dead Letter once.

FROM fhf IOnfha COmDnnt0n.
To the credit and tho glory of womankind
lei, II be known that one OF tho most important
branches OF the United States postal service
owes It's existence and maintenance TO femi.
nine skill. Mar has on several occasions at.
temrtcd TO take n hand In this part OF Uncle
Sans business. but has always failed, because of
his lack NJ that rcnncd mental powor intuition.
Tho United Siotcs Government is wholly depend.
ent upon this feminine faculty for the perform.
nnce of the difficult duty connected with tho
Dead Letter Office.
This duty, in which Uncle sam serves n care
less md untu,ored mart of the publ,c. consists
in forwarding TO their propcr destinations tho
half million letters that are annually sent TO
the Dead Letter Office N, Washington. because
postmos,ers cannot soud them nyvhcr else.
owing 70 the glocih;litv Of tho address or TO its
lack NJ somctbing nnnarcntlv essential 70 do.
iiro,r Tho tasS ~ "rnnIr,nn tho ,,issinr
hNery' INC TASK III supPi!"e the n''ss'hs
links and of decirhering the scrawls is intrust-
cd 10 Mrs. Patti I vie Collins. who Ia regarded
a.. ..n..,a
Is inc greatest chircgraphic expert IN inc worlu:
She is rointed out to visitors as the blind
reader"--so called because OF her ability to per.
-
celNe "hht other morta's cannot see.
The visitor is interested in her work. but apt to
look on other features of the Dead Letter Oflce
49,.
ms moro entertaining, for the average sight
ties or subtle snecul,tions. Accordingly he 70.
VI ".
Rarus WIN 'u.io,NS 'no '"rRo roo" 'ro"uou
with desks and the hundred or moro clerks.
men and women. busily engaged In receiving.
81. IT. ,,.,.n,,.- . .a.,.uun"
or otherwise disposing of the 90, dead let.
ters that ore each dpy sent in from tho Post
oa,,oa III - 49,. savn.
on.ceS All "'eF tue eo"htfs'
These are the unclaimed letters; letters
that have been advertised and held for thirty
uaS9 "nu' having ho'hi"s vi 'ho ou'srue "
show whence they come, are now sent TO Wash.
inrton IN no oncnea and returned 70 the writer's.
.HesEss - -, -. ..vanu 81.
PROVIDED 'hey are net s'gneu oy our loving
Mary" or some other equally indefinite person
noe which. unfortunntelv for Uncle SANS kind
.s.;.r g.; H. - .,.haz 81, ~ -.
ton. Three or four million letters from loving
Narvs and faithful Johns arc ench vear uncere.
-, .-a.,- -.
monlously oestroyeu' involving pcrcnahce' the
fate Of many n yearning heart.
Our visitor is likewise nightly Interested in
of merchandise that has been found in un:
claimed packages; merchandise of all kinds and
descriptions, from shoe buttons to Bibles. It
tickles his fancy to learn that this motley store
OF cheap worldly goods-for they are all OF in
ferior quality, brass watches; and the like-is
done up into bundles. valued approximately at
rs cents apiece, and sold ut auction about Christ
mas time. the five or six thousand parcels Of
each year netting the Government something
like $4,000.
The Dead Letter Office presents many points
of unusunlinteres and Significance TO the rcfec-
tive mind. II furnishes, for instance. a striking
example Of tho law of the uniformity of socio-
logical phenomena. 1t might be supposed that
number of unclaimed letters annually sent to
the Dead Letter Office. for there is. apparently.
no reason why there might not be 800 one year
and q 900 the next. Yet the number is
just about 5000. 900 every twelve months. For
n time the number increased each year in abont
thanks TO the efforts Of the postal authorities
OF the Ime s "@l@,Fsp Sy p thc prescnt n 81 tfini 1rsaTn
Mr.. Leibhardt. the number is now held down to
a constant figure.
culiar TO the dead letters in general. but eN-
tends 10 the particular kinds OF letters and to
heir contents. so that the approximate number
OF photographs or any other article that will be
received IN the Dead Letter Office within n
certain tine can be predicted with almost as
much certainty as that of an astronomer fore
telling the movements OF the heavenly bodies.
So we'll recqpsni1ed has this becoms that it is
letters. and who are, therefore. re -ponsiblc for
the money they may contain. The amount of
cash found in unclaimed letters is bet wccn thir.
ty and forty thousand dollars 4 year. and as
the opening Of the letters is i~ntrusted TO ten
neighborhood OF $500 a month.
II. therefore, there should be any marked fall
ing of from this -lim in tho returns made by
theft against hlm-a circumstance which a few
year: since led 20 he suspicion. watching, and
been aware OF the existence OF this wonderful
detective power.
be- ip ihs warE done Rna s ~ tic shir as rn9Sf iS eSpc mf Is
as important as, aud more surprising than. any
other feature of the Dead Letter Office. II is.
perhaps. unfair to say tina; her remarkable abii.
ity is due wholly to her wonderful intuitiOnnl
faculty. for This would avail her little we're it
moi coupled with an exceptional intellect. a per-
feet memory. and an education OF the hiShcs:
and most Comprehensive character, including
the mastery of many languages and a remark.
able knowledge of geography.
Her mind Is an incxhaustible storehouse of
information. filed with odds and ends of all
sorts of facts. No scrap OF information. how
ever trivial, that comes within the range OF her
great powers of observation. is overlooked or
thrown aside, for experience has taught her that
every item OF knowledge Is of service in her
comprehensive work.
The hundreds OF letters da Is handled by Mrs.
Collins and her trained assistants are not dead
letters. but contradistinguishcd by the term
live letters, for they are not such as have been
unclaimed, but are simply wanting in proper
address, which il Is the Office of Mrs. Collins's
Department 10 supply, without opening the let
tiers. Mrs. Collins IS sometimes called upon
not only TO dcciphCr the sCrawls on the envelope,
but Ia supply the name of the town. which The
correspondent has omitted. The omission of
the name Of the Post Office is a very common
error; but when the street and number are