New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-22
LETTERS SENT TO THE FRONT
HOW THEY SHOULD BE DIRECTED ~
REACH SOLDIERS AND SAILORS

with whom they wish to communicate by man
are at loss as to how to direct letters ana
nostoffice officials have received many In
uuiries on the subject There have Deeh
no special orders issued, but everybody
has been told that the chief requisite
In letters for the front Is plain ana
explicit address. Letters sent to any one OF the
newly established camps should have the name
of the person for whom they are Intended
written plainly There are experts AT the
various regular postofices who decipher baby |
written addresses. but at the camp postofhces
there will probably be less pains taken In thar
direction. For the purpose OF insur'ng prompt
delivery the address should be distinct, and
should include rank. name, regiment and COM
pany of the soldier addressed. If this is done.
there is no reason why the letter should not be
delivered even if the regiment has been or
dered to another camp before the letter reaches
It. a letter addressed
John Brown,
Private Company NJ,
Nth Regiment. N. Y. Vols,
ChickamarEa, Ga,
could not easily go astray
letter addressed without the name of the
company or the number of the regiment might
reach its proper destination but the chances
would be against 1t.
In cases where the writer does not know to
which company his correspondent belongs, it IS
we'll to address the letter in care Of the adju- |
tant.
AS to sailors letters. they are usually adj
dressed by their correspondents in keeping with
the itinerary which is furnished to the crew
when the vessel leaves port, like the following:
United States Steamship Essex-Itinerary
for summer cruise. 1897: Leave Newport
~nt l1n1l
September II, 1897: leave Plymouth Sep
TENDER Dr. arrive Gibraltar october 10:
leave Gibraltar October -, arrive Madeira
October 30: leave Madeira November 13.
arrive St Kits West Indies. December g. leave
St Kits December II. arrive Santa Cruz De-
cember 10: leave Santa Cruz December &c. ar
rive Port Royal. S. c.. January Is. 1898: leave
Port Royal January %, arrive NewYork Feb
ruary 6 Address mail care of Is. +. Stevens.
United States Dispatch Agent Trafalgar
Square. London England until October 80
from New-York. From that date until Decem-
Der Il, care Of United States Dispatch Agent.
Postoffice. New-York After December II. di-
rect to Port Royal. S. c. Postage. five cents
per half-ounce on letters sent to the dispatch
agents"
But when a cruiser or a battle ship sails
away under sealed orders, the men are at
loss as to where to have their mail sent. and
in order that letters may reach them certain
rules should be followed. All mail for the
European Squadron-when there is any-shoud
be addressed Of b. +. Stevens, United
States Dispatcher, London, England; all for
the Asatic Squadron, in care OF the Navy Pay
Office San Francisco, Cal. And when the
writer is in doubt to the squadio on the let
ter should be addressed In OF l. T. Roosa
United States Dispatch Agent New-York City.
Mr. Rosa said: "if letterwriters will write
the Of the ship on the envelope, together
with the Of the person for whom the
letter is intended we will take Of the rest.
But the name Of the vessel must be given to
insure delivery"
All letters for the Navy which come through
the NeWYork Postofiice sent to Mr. Roosa |
in whose office the fifth floor there are sacks
and compartments for the various ships In
which the mail is placed for safekeeping until
it is known where the ship is. Then the mail
matter is forwarded by the fastest means OF
transportation. When The Tribune Naval Sup
plcment printed hundreds OF packages
came to the Postofce addressed to men an
officers on the various vessels. and these were
forwarded, although the people who mailed !
them did not know where the ships at the |
time.
In one Of the compartments in the Dispatch |
er's Office there is a large amount Of mail mat /
ter for the Oregon. There are letters for Cap |
tain Clark, official and private and all kinds
of mail matter for officers and crew Some let |
tiers addressed simply to some person on
board the Oregon, "U S. A." while other cor
respondents made efforts to reach the ship at
San Francisco, Panama, Valparaiso, Kingston,