News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-03-27
MYSTERIES OF THE MAIL BAG.
10 The Dead Letter Office Experts They
Are Plain as A. B. c.
OF The Half Million " Dead letters" HaadIed by
the Post Iffice Department More Than Four
fitths Are forwarded to Their Proper
Destination.


Destination.
Dead letters do not suggest a very
lively subject for comment, but the
thousands of tourists who visit the
Dead Letter Off of the Post Office
Department are impressed with the
fact that it is one OF the livelist and
most interesting branches of Uncle
Sans service. Deceased letters"
suggest mildew, decay and other
weird and uncanny ideas, and one
might naturally expect TO find force
of venerable, lean, hollow eyed off
Gals engaged in what might be call
ed the grave-d digging division of the
postal service. As a matter of fact
some of the brightest, smartest and
sprightliost officials of the General
Post Office Department are to be
found in the Dead Letter division.
The records of the postotfice show
that about five hundred Thousand
dead letters are handled annually by
these postal experts, and about 81
per cent of that number are delivered
at their proper destination by rea-
son of the instinct, general knowledge
of all the foreign languages aid ex-
perience in "queer" penmanship on
the part of the principal experts of
the Dead Letter Office. The most
common class of these illegibly ad-
dressed letters received at the depart
ment are from foreigners who know
but little of the English language,
except to speak it brokenly.
AS rule they spell English words
Theoretically or make all attempt at
it in the way it sounds to them ia
their own language. To the inexperi-
enced person it would appear almost
impossible to decipher some Of the
letters which find their way to the
Dead Letter Office from the larger
cities where there is a growing foreign
colony. The experts tell me that this
class of letters is the simplest they
have to deal with, and in many in
stances it is not necessary to examine
the contents of the letter to ascertain
its proper destination.
In dealing with letters in which the
names of the persons for whom they
are intended are omitted the experts
are called upon to exercise the keen
est Judgment and familiarity with
people and places in all parts of the
country. 1t happens frequently that
letters without names will be address
ed to certain cities or towns. By
opening the letters the experts could
easily discover their destination. 1t
is the policy of the Post Office Depart
ment to preserve as far as possible
the sanctity of the mails, and there
fore the experts avoid putting the
letters "under the knife" except as a
last resort. Their wits are sharpened
to cut the knots of the problem. For
instance, among the exhibits so kind
lyturnished by the Post Office authori-
ties will be found an envelope post
marked Atlanta, Ga. Itwas address
ed simply, in poor specimen of hand
writing
new york chicago boston st
lowis."
This letter was sent to the ID lad
Letter Office stamped across its face
Insufficient address," The experts
in the dead letter office knew by ex-
perience that there is a large business
firm having important branch Offices
in New York, Boston and st. Louis,
with head quarters in Chicago. This
firm is large advertiser and receives
volumes of mail from rural districts
throughout the country. The experts
without opening the letter, concluded
that it was intended for N. K. Fair
banks & Co., of Chicago, ILL.,, which
proved to be it's correct destination.
During the LAT tional yacht
race a letter found it's way into the
dead letter Office bearing rough pm
and ink sketch of the rear view of a
bald head. Below the sketch was
this address, L. Y. C.-N. Y"
The natural interest which centered
around that famous aquatic contest
had penetrated the dead letter office,
and the experts had but little diff
Guilty in determining "L. Y. c."
was intended for Larchmont Yacht
Club and the sketch meant for Sir
Thomas Upton.
The letter was sent accordingly to
the yacht club and proved to be a
waggish communication intenf ed for
the British yachtsman. Letters which
come up from the sea are also inter
estiDg exhibits in this collection. Two
water soaked letters rescued from a
wrecked steamer, both stamped "il.
legible," we're dtciphered by the dead
letter ex perts and these messages from
the deep were delivered, one at Oak
land, Cal and the other at Concord
N. II. The Chinese problem is easily
solved by the dead letter experts.
Uncle Sam is Obliged to pay his pos
tai employees for q large amount o
time consumed in the handling o
freak or crank letters. These com
muRications are sometimes addressed
in cipher, composed ofletters, figures
or both, and very often a wrong ad
dress is given or the name of a ficti
tious town, which the postal authori
tives strive in vain to locate. Cranl
letters cause a great deal of trouble
and annoyance to the post Office off
Gals.
In view of tha wide ntIhlicitv pivpI