The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01

steamer Oregon. after having been in the
water fourteen days. There is large col
lection of photographs OF soldiers and sail
ors, evidently mailed in war times. judg-
ing from the uniforms which all wear
One of these wears the familiar Rough
Riders costume and was one OF that fam
Gus regiment in the late war with Spain.
Chinese COINS. eggs. dogs. a bucksaw. box
of geological specimens. lemon squeezer,
candle snuffers, bootjacks of various sizes.
Chinese junk fans. hair flowers. stuffed
tirds. horned toads from California. hand
mirrors birds nests. Indian canoes, a
miniature skeleton. toy gondola made in
Venice. shells, watches cheap jewelry Of
all sorts. set of false teeth. door plates.
valentines, painted fungi, toys. jeweled
daggers. and q letter endorsed. If not de
livered in thirty years, return to the Far
alone Island"
The collection of watches in the museum
contains every variety. frcm the oId-fash
Toned "turnip' to the latest style adornel
with jewels. Each watch is regularly
wound up every morning and all are ticket
ed with the names of their respective own
ers. but none have, so far been claimed
a Philosophers Account hooks
There is among the more remarkable OBJ
jects a set of account books kept by Ben
iamin Franklin when he was Deputy Post
master General for the Colonies in 1853
the accounts of which are kept in British
money.
The office is in constant receipt Of COM
Inunications claiming certain articles al
legged to have been sent through the mails
and not received. which. in most cases,
furnish as great eRigmas as those captured
in the post.
Says an employee of the office: People
sometimes get very impatient at what they
consider the unnecessary delay of the pos
tai officials. The following case will serve
to illustrate this: A few years ago par
eel of infants clothing, addressed to a
woman missionary in Africa. was. detained
fer want Of proper postage. In reply to the
notice sent her. the woman very angrily
wrote a letter, in which she said: The
child for whom the garments were intend
ed has not yet been eaten by the cannibals.
but it has quite outgrown the clothing, and
it may be returned to the sender. whose
address l enclose"
One shelf in the museum is given over
entirely TO dolls of every size and color.
There is also a Masonic apron. some lace,
a bellows, a steel trap. and various other
objects which can only be explained in
the light OF a practical joke on the
United States postal authorities.
\ sharp lookout is kept for smuggling
through the mails. About 80 sealed
packages are seized annually in the New
York postoffiee. In an average year. ae-
eording to one authority. $4,000 unsealed
parcels are confiscated at the same office
and released on the payment of fines
which are equivalent to the duties.
Some very ingenious methods are en-
ployed for transmitting dutiable articles
by post. Not long ago a package from
Germany was found TO contain small rolf
of butter. A wire 1assed through 1t met
with an obstruction which proved to be a
tin box filled with valuable jewelry.
Probably a dozen silk handkerchiefs are
found wrapped up in newspapers in every
mail from China. The clerks employ
very skillful methods in detecting such
contraband enclosures. Silk stockings are
mailed from France in the same manner.
An odd kind OF smuggling is the sending
Of mushrooms by mail from Italy. They
are a peculiar variety of the dried
esculeIt and are much reIished by the
Italians in this country.