The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-11-24
QUEER PUZZLES OF The MAILS.
BLIND ADDRESSES on LETTERS
AND THEIR CAUSES.
Problems Solved by o. G. Menger NJ tho
Hate OF Thousands 4 Month-Tricks
the English Language Plays with For
eigners Mere Cfphcrs Found Easy.

eIsnsrs Mere Ciphcrs Gun Easy.
Ofthe millions OF letters which &c through
the New York Post Office every month
seventy-odd thousand are thrown aside
by the clerks as having blind addresses and
so are sent 10 the blind reader o. q.
Merger.
Mr.. Menger is among the greatest puzzle
solvers In the world. In one month OF this
year he examined $3.50 blind addresses.
nearly o.. 600 Of hich he sent to their proper
destination.
Blind readers are born, not made. They
must have a natural instinct for unravcl-
ling mysteries. a certain power of intuition.
an exhaustive range OF geographical IN
formation. know ledge Of many languages
and chirographies. a prodigious memory
for small facts and a special taste for the
curiosities OF language. All these require
ments we're met in the case OF the present
specialist by fourteen years OF practice
and discipline under his predecessor. W.
w Stone. the first professional blind reader
in the world, who died In August. 1900.
Poor c~hirography liz in itself the least or
the experts troubles. He has nothing
special 10 think about until two essential
lements OF an address out of three ara
omitted. and the rest spelled In a manner
beyond the dreams of the widest "fonettik.
Taking Mr.. Menger's collection as repre-
sentative OF tho mos, interesting work
that falls TO the experts lot. the trouble
OF the fun, as he might call II -arises out OF
one or another of these four general causes:
(D Foreign ignorance Of American ge-
ography and the English language.
(2) False or defective Information about
the particular address intended, with
more or less Carelessness.
(3) Whins and oddities Of cranks and
semi-cranks.
a. Various attempts TO make a public
display of wit and humor.
Of all the queer addresses IN the col
lection, those which belong in the first OF
these classes are the most Interesting and
amusing, those OF the last would-be
funny are the least so. Several Inventors
of ciphers have Experimental on the pos.
Office by using their W inventions to
address en- velopes to themselves, with the
mortifying result that the envelopes 80
addressed infalliblv reached their destl-
nations in course OF time.
To understand why the Post Office OIL
Gals should trouble themselves TO de-
cipher these puerilities one must remember
that a wholesome rivalry bctweeu, the
New York Post Office and the Dead Letter
Office NJ Washington forces the activity OF
both far beyond the point where strict
obligation might lalflv w SUPPOSED 10 emu
Then there Is the smart youth who makes
an effort at cabalistic humor on an en-
velope such a. this Miss }. II. u. Stone,
Sarcharine Elevation, y. H which
promptly went to Sugar Hill. y II.
Going backyard through the four classes
here assumed, the next in order he crank
class is much smaller than might have
been expected. "1othe Monkeys OF Mexaco
in America. " with a Liverpool postmark.
suggests a violent case OF insanity. An
other from England addressed TO Mrs.
STAFFORD, California, " very likely exhibits
n madness with method in II.
II is perhaps significant that the ad-
dress, Mr.. Pluto. the Fourth Circle. Hades
on the Styx," should have come from Sing
Sing even more 20 that Sioux Falls. :. D.,
should he the point Of departure of a letter
addressed. ANY Manufacturer or Dealer
Z. var Hs'''"'
The largest number Of blind addresses
are the result OF the close similarity he-
tween names of post Offices in the same
State. New Jersey. for instance, has not
only a Morristown, but a Mauricetown
and a Moorestovn And here is an aston.
ishing lsi of what may be called pairs of
twin names in Pennsylvania: Bala and
Bela. Coldcrcek and Coles Creek, Dllln"r
and Dilinger. Drifton and Drifting, Dru-
moro and Dunnore, Hamilton and Ham
linton. Roland and Rowland.
Mistakes in addressing are inevitable when
such names as these ara given by word 81
mouth. a. friends IN parting beg each
other 70 "ba sur 10 i"' me hear from you
This class now and then furnishes some
amusement. as. for instance. whern the
nam Of Hclmetta, y j, apfrars a, Hell
Meadow Du'chess Junction. y mas
ouarades under the name Of -Duich John-
SON and Colts Neck" figures as Cold
Snake"
Quite recently tho Ncw York sorters
-. -. ,rYyyl.I ly tIss44 7 u re- NlNnIfN."
lobster BAY and North Dutch'own..
respactivelv intended for Lakewood
Oyster Btv" and e Germantown.
The apparatus for dealing with this
class Of Aificulrr- c~onsists chiefly OF a
large outfit of books - reference dir,c-
tories Of citie-. gaHe'taers. directories
Of every trade and occupation, the army
lis,. the navy list. the register OF hight
houses. registers ~ persons sutsfalN m
tarestad ~ ,anous artistic aud scisntiho
pursuits, touch az Tie Na,nraisss i''oo-
inryl aud the Social Register
Tn cream Of the collsction Of blind
addresses 4, IA he foreign written addresses
But the term fuptgn must ID" taken 70 m
,ludc not only inhabitants ~ "'h"f ihs-
~l-h--praking opuntnes, bui a4H' very
largely. the fur-gu-bom Per-ots hVing IA
t4is country pu" "nN"luI"' i"f 'ALlhll"s
.Idp.-.d b. a lady az 'SI~uo~T lussa
n I.p Iusra -tauds fut tho initials \ G,
L. ma likely 90 have bss'u mailed 10y a nhliNe
Aurnrau. tui u lSarH a nl''I hla''-
rtamp thr rauur D. iuls - 'ue envelopes
tnsrdis-i. " Hohukuiy ~ very lad
German -.npr m"iplug N'v' h.hok"n
at.uu Lad kHlaWht t"ty TOT An
Lad Nlnus columbia 'ounly =
a A.gnui nlF N.fplha Ai"h'
\ trd tla' triumph - nhni Rad
lns BOZ vUltI o. ira,htr-r IuIgl' ~ hE Hhi
UIIs l.t.rr lac isrsu poo usiunfTi y" ufi"f
If. ral' 10. N.Uu pol i' - u.ri.as