The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-10-29
POSToFFICE DEPARTMENT.

POSTOFFICE DEPARTMENT.
What is the matter. ma'rl.'' said s.
J. Slack. curator Of the Postof1ce mu-
scum. who. strokiug his mustache and
adjusting his black sEGH cap. seriously
but symPathetically addressed an IN
usually strange acting woman the other
day. The ItcIe woman he confronted
wore spectacIes. She was gray-haired
and wrinkled- Her actions We're alter
mating between JOY and sorrow Tears
streamed froIa her eyes yet she smiled
First she stretched her haGds above her
head then she flung then. against ner
legs Il haven't done anything have
i" she humhlv asked only EeTe5
picture of my brother I've never seen
one before. nor him since about the time
il was taken She was standing In
front Of the post near the door OF the
PoSteHiCe museum that holds the swing
ing cases CT portraits of civil war vet
erans- The picture was given 10 hsT-
An interesting relic IN The Postohee
Museum is q piece of the flooring Of the
old Baltimore postofTice at Baltimore,
Nd, containing a hole the shape Of the
sole Of q mans shoe. worn through in
distributing clerks.
Originally there we're 1890 portraits
Of civil war soldiers in the collection
Of pictures on exhibition IN the Post
Office museum They were preserved in
the dead letter Office from 1851 TO 1853.
Gradually as relatives have identified
them the number has been reduced 70
zee Many Of these pictures were taken
on the field of battle ana contain in
scriptions and autographs
The records Of the finance division of
the Postof1ce Department show that
there Is an annual expenditure by the
Government Of S135.0Cg. 900 Tor collecting
and delivering mails Seventy-fve per
cent Of this amount IS distributed among
the railway companies FreqUeul
checks are made out ii this division for
S5o0,GoG and 100000, and then again
they are made out for / . and 9
cents. in paying railway fees
According TO the little oak card-name
box. Two feet by eighteen inches, kept by
the CAPTAIN Of the watch on the second
floor OF the Postcf5ce Department. there
are I600 employees in the building.
Dies have been cut for number o.
the new postage stamps thai VIII be
issued shortly. There is TO be a change
in designs and coIors. In addition To
the denominations in the present series
a 15-cenJ stamp viii be added. and per
haps a 15-eent stamp Thir1eea-cent
stamps viii be convenient for use or
registered mail packages and Tor send
ing letters abroad
Each year brings additional new de-
posts 10 the Postofice Department mu-
scum. Preparations are being made
now for g new mail carriers sIedge. with
FIVE stuffed Eskimo dogs, representing
the exact type Of sIedge used By over
land carriers IN Alaska IS new de-
sign VIII s7sppIant the old one which
has attracted much attention.
officials Of the French government re.
Gently sent 10 the Postmaster General Z
neatly prepared piece OF parchment OF
which Grand Prix' was engraved This
award was made to the United States
for having the best postal exhibit a
the last Paris Exposition It wa!
turned over 10 s / Slack. curator of tn;
Postoflce museum, who prepared the ex
kibiJ. He has incIosed Il in q frame ant
II now hangs On the wall OF MS office
In addition 10 red hair switch. a rat
tlesnake skin, and big persimmon re
ceiveG recently al the Postof5ce Depart
meHJ. the mail for The Office Of the Au
ditor Of the Postof8ce Department con
tanned today a letter from Pennsylvania
signed by well-knowa postmaster, tina
was so llegible that no one in the build
ing could decipher IL After advancing
several theories IL was concluded that
was written by q little child who wante,
10 play trick on its father Handwrit
ing experts say the child must be fron
three TO four years old