The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-12
Mailing Diamonds
How the Jewels Trass
Under Postage Stamp.

he New York PcsJofics owe. Eis saa
worth OF roUsh diamonds sol local m
/ Porters were received from London
/ 10 the drst Of September Jae imporIauoaS
/ through he mails exceeded Saoo0 per
( month this scar The ac,aal figures for
/ Ire a-st eight months Of ihLs wear ara
( st.lse 1Sl-S6 The ia1portatioas Through me
/ New York possoffies .2s5 year amounted
10 s4.547,45o
/ The diamonds that come through TIE
mails are rough diamonds. and practlc-
f a.iy al The rough diamonds that are inl-
/ ported come through the malls. All 81 ne
/ large importers Who Sut diamonds IN tbs
/ city use he mails exclusively a. their
/ carrying medium. The head o. the lsrg-
/ est Acknowledgements firm In this coun-
I try said recently
/ We use the mails for importing cur
diamonds because II Is the cheapest and
safest way &c bring them over. The post
age on them amounts % only ahou; ore
twentieth OF what il would cost 10 bring
them ever IN any other way. The safest
way 10 import diamonds. also = through
ne mails In the las, hElf dozen years We
have imported some hundreds OF thOa-
sand OF dollars worth o. diamonds
through the mails. AMI have never lost =
diamond
The diamonds come usually in small
packages. about six inches long BY two
inches wide by An inch and a ha,f thick.
They are packed In strong boxes and se-
curely sealed \ uacsase ~ diamonds us-
ally bears hair a dozen huge sealins-wsx
seals. The clerks at ;he general post
office are able 20 tell them u "a glanee.
The packages are generally registered.
though sometimes they are not - Ereat
is the confidence 81 the importers in the
safety Of ;he mails The registered pa K
ages go direct 20 the registry department
% the postofiice from the foreign room.
A person OF persons 20 whom the packages
are addressed are notified % Their re-
ceipt and call at the postonice 4 clerk
Is taen sent with them. bearing the pack
ages unopened 20 the appraisers OH =.
where they are examined There g. 20
duty on uncn' diamonds, aat they must
be examined
Packages containing diamonds are us'i-
ally 50 na-ked The pos,ofries authorities
are always Informed hy Importers *
pecflrg consignment Of diamonds through
the r9silF oni the clerks watch for thea.
The packages are never opened at ne
posyoffiee. as are all other packages 20 lie
foreign mails.
Il IS oaly since IS9. that diamonds have
heen imported through the mails. az least
10 any extent Before that time the dia-
mond cutting industry IN this country had
not started and there ~ete no Imports q
rough diamonds 10 speak OF u was net
Until the Dinglev law went into operation.
Pacing rough diamonds on tie free Hst.
that they were Imported 50 largely. ard
that the mails were used for their I'M
portation Since August 1897. the receipts
OF diam, uds through the postoffice have
constantly incrensed The heaviest month
was October OF last year. when diamonds
to the value ~ $50 alt q came through tie
mas Tie importations through The
mails LAST month amounted 20 t5211l9 &c
Diamonds are not the only precious az
tici,s sent through the ualls Vast quan-
tit.,s % gold pass through the New York
postofice Thv pss;ofics authorities are
naturally re:.c,sut arret q. FOR pu3H~itY
ass % the risk. Slt trs fact IS that nii-
lions ~ dollars ia g7l5 coin snd bullion
are salags9 though the mails ny banks
aud individuals every year. IN two days
this year tI15 GO in gold coin cams
cal banks Most 90 the gold comes 20
New York from ire west.
Gold is sent through the mall IN strong
canvas bags. such a. are used 81 The
treasury and bank vaults securely fast-n-
- and seai~f. The hses contain from
81 900 20 fi0.9a each IN g. 30 aFd 30
pieces. The bags are registered ard The
amount OF geld contained ln each bag -
MARKED on the regfsferY receipt t-rie~s
the baze have been broken opsn iu tran
ST. or their contents appear 60 have been
tamperef with they sre checked ~ when
received AZ the posfeGire without fheir
contents being counted Buf once in
while a maH bag comes Into she pot.
Office 1ifh loose e3ias Faftfnz ,a 81 that
have esczUe8 from one 20 fhs money BAGS.
In that case the god = counted 90 ulzks
s1rs that none - 20 e missing
The treasure comes IN WITH thr Ordinary
mail matter. ard Is dumped uucsfma-i-
ouEly into tAe mail wagons a. inc railway
stations SO outFifer would suspect any
ta3nE extraordluAry in ts~ tharsc,sr q
the mail B1t ever = - ca knou ne
contents q NJ bags De wog't have
hard time s. getting svav with any g
fhsm FOR the wagons have arrnef guards
gh plain clothes f7sf3s
Ivhen ih@ nau containing tas Roid-tzFs
arrives ~ f1e o5sfsTe~. 80 uaH-
roua-es containing th~ rsEirfsrsd matter
ase carefully directed fr TIE registry fs-
.r4rtu7erf TIRE tanxa 90 Nhfr1 'hs Fas
E. rsrslsas1 each rss raHs5enfial clerk
A. ~ cesfsfgce rssfy - Fsr@ivs 81 a7f
- -~v g o. th~r Es4lfa Tnsse c,sfks ere
afs1 a-rs-na snfsd - arais6 saar3s The
bank CLERKS are usually Ssgva p-Hsonsitf
20 enc sapssiatsnfent - the fsEisffy Co
s-tr1ers Tst tsey rusf present fhsl-
--ss r1t.str e1 each vlv5t $50 fs1,lcztrs
p Invoice TIE rrsH e. rnrs 81 q Tag
table. a-cgns E4l-a - raefoTrs anf
-arr -.srks gather Tt~ bags eTrfatHirK
tts rsfs are a~rsssf.1 frern fhs rest saa
tse names - fhe Earl - 20 st3-r fHs Fg{s.
BAG are a8sfse-sa ere Gales - TIE re-
s,ee.fss tank CLERKS r.sg1ef snt sseh -
FL eesrks3 q sr 81 - hsr4ss ers- %
.As-s Here 49, rsseor sTssI.'r - tns pe~f-
-. .a1a sn4 fast 70 ths bsaks tsgfns.
T.s tzEs srs sarrte5 - 80 Ha8 street.
80 - - psi r1es es,1sinr - - oea-
sIr--r.rf 81 arg qns haEt = iaFEe - -
zssaa ID wa1--r thsrs lst1 uht-h -
refs "a lazs~1 an carried p 80 sarE.
se-rssi-Has e - carried la as ar z1-2s-
sire. Tr a.erss y ss,k rss-asrfs-s
s1-ott sre-g zzre IL Msw Tsra 80
-,ir-a Hets 10 fhlH Say 49, - e. rsf1~s
p 81 go u=as. sana= 70 s. ores .fsa
e. rs Ar.rfrz 49, ssras ffsra Kfrsz.
70 a-raaaf - RAJ. ssia-rsHfs - go -
>q-ffsnfir iaersssHE r. 5E1 f-fassE - -
~efe ere fss-r~ 80 W@m Hrr -~ss-