The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-10
FACTS ABOUT DEAD LETTERS
Their Number Decreasing in Late
Years, and More Returned to Send


Years. and More Returned to Send
ers.
Visitors to the dead letter office who
turn the leaves of the immense photo
graph albums to examine the soldiers
pictures saved during the war and
gaze down at the long table where a
dozen men are opening letters never
realize the amount of work 1t 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 in sew
| eral rooms near by, are the bookkeep-
ers or recorders. Their labor is seldom
appreciated, because it's results only
are seen. without them it would be I'M
| possible to answer any inquiries Tor
missing mail, or to locate any article
| which the office has received. Uncle
| Sans business methods are often crlti-
| cised as intricate and laborious, put
| the necessity of a system of records OF
| this kind cannot be doubted.
About Is per cent of the GoOO,ooo
pieces received yearly contain Valua-
bles. An accurate record of each artl-
Gle is made, giving it's address ana dis
position. Six sets of books are used
| for this purpose, one for money, one
/ for papers which have money value,
as notes and mortgages; one for other
valuable papers, such as receipts and
| certificates; one for stamps, one LOT
photographs, and one for property ana
miscellaneous articles received IN
packages.
| These are all returned to the sender II
the address is given. If there is 10 ad-
dress, but legible postmark, they are
sent to the postmaster at the mailing
office for delivery to the sender. Ii
| there is no address and no postmark,
or if the postmaster fails to deliver the
! article and returns it to the depart
| ment, it is filed.
In the case of property the articles
| filed are kept two years and then sold
at public auction, excepting such BOOKS
as are selected fer the department Ii
brary Several hundred books are add
ed each year to the library which is
| for the use of the officials and clerks
exclusively. They comprise largely
works of fiction and poetry intended
for gifts.
| The money which cannot be returned
| to the owner is kept for three months
| and then deposited in the United states
| treasury. 1t may be reclaimed within
| four wears. In these books one cent re-
ceives as much attention as $50, re-
| ccipt 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 Valuables received. Every time the
| department issues afraud order against
| any swindling concern that concern is
| not allowed to receive its mail. It's
| letters are stamped fraudulent" and
| sent to the dead letter office. Thous-
| ards of dollars yearly are thus saved
by the department and restored to the
| people in money and stamps alone.
The stamps which cannot be delivered
are destroyed each month.
The photographs and valuable papers
| which had been kept on file were al
lowed to accumulate until the summer
of 1893, when the Oldest files were de-
stroyed, excepting only such papers as
marriage certificates, wills and other
of exceptional value. At present only
| those photographs and papers filed
within the last three years are kept
intact. The rest are destroyed.
Thus Uncle Sam, with Yankee Drac'
ticality, utilizas 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 bool,
which gives the postal history of lost
manuscripts, which number about 1,0OC
yearly.
There is also q record of inquiries fol
missing mail and record of registered
matter. The registoed articles received
are not distributed among the six
desks named, but a separate record is
kept of them, so that these are the
largest of the record books and the ar.
ticles Kept on file here are miscellan-
eous in character.
Every month the periodicals which
have gone astray in the mails and
reached the dead letter office are dis
tributed among the charitable institu'
tions Of the district. They are the de-
partment missionaries that cheer tho
sick and bless the lonely
1t is expected that the recent order
to postmasters in regard to the palmer
stamping of letters win facilitate th'
work of this Office to a large degree
Postmasters are now ordered to stamr
each letter distinctly with the name Of
the mailing Office. 1t sometimes re-
auires half a dozen clerks with magni
flying lens and every facility for "blinC
reading" to decipher a single post
mark. This kind of stamping is usally
done in the smaller offices. The letters
from large cities almost always have c
legible postmark. When this ruling il
enforced the percentage OF matter re,
turred will be increased
The amount of matter received at the
dead letter office has decreased in the
last few years. This is probably due
10 the efficiency of the Don't" circu,
lars, which are sent to all postmaster
for the dissemination of rules of pre-
caution to be observed by patrons o.
the mails.
This office might be called the head
quarts of Santa Claus. At any rate
it is where his mail is received. Every
autumn his letters comein byhundreds
and later by thousands. There is ever!
variety Of spelling and childish chiro
graphy. There is also variety Of
places assigned as his abiding place
such as the North Pole, Fairyland, ant
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 t.
show the rare discriminating powers
assigned to the postal employee by tn,
public mind.
"Please deliver to a physician who i!