Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-08-23
TO REDEEM POSTAL CARDS
INSTRUCTIONS RECEIVED Ar THE
mARTsvsBURG POST OFFICE.
instructions Received 10 Redeem at as
per cent. ofshe Face value All Ua-
cancelled aud UnservlceabIc


Postals
Very few persons, after having writ
ten a letter and mailed it. stop to
think of the care that is given their
missive or the pains that is taken BY
Uncle Sans men to see that it is de-
liyered promptly to the one for whom
it is intended. The average letter
passes through many hands and gener-
ally several machines before its de-
livery.
If mailed in a large city, it is first
taken to the main postoffice by the
clerk or carrier who takes it from the
street letter box. At the main Office
it is thrown with others on large
table where the city mail that is to be
sent to other offices. If You have
placed the stamp in the right place
the upper right hand corner the let
ter is then taken to the canceling ma
chine, where the stamp is Cancelled
and the date and time of day imprint
ed on it by the machine, that cancels
stamps at the rate of 500 per minute.
IT the stamp is placed on any other
part of the envelope than the upper
right hand corner, or if the letter con-
tains anything hard or bulky, it is
thrown aside, and the stamp is cancel
ed by hand, as the machine would
not cancel the stamp except ii be in
the proper position. All such letters,
in postoffice language, are called 'pud
din's," and the clerk that does this
work is designated as the 'puddin
man. y
All canceling machines and hand
stamps are fitted with type, so that
the time of day is changed in them
every half hour Whenever the clerk
"changes the irons he strikes the inn
preston in book kept for this pnr
pose, and this book constitutes the
official record of the office, and is proof
that the cancelling stamps have been
changed promptly everyghalf hour. II
mistake is discovered in this book.
woe be unto the man whose name is
found at the top of the page, as he is
sure to receive severe reprimand
Much care is taken that all post
marks shall be as legible as possible,
as they are frequently used as evidence
in court, and also in cases of dispute
about letters that are late in delivery.
After the stamps are cancelled the
letters are taken to the separating
clerks, where thev are tied up in small
packages and labeled to the different
postoffices. When clerk ties up a
package he ties a "slip'on the face
of it, on which are stamped his mum
Der or name and the exact time the
package leaves his hands Great inn
portance is attached to these slips,
as they contain full information about
the letters on which they are found.
A ''slip'' contains, first, the name of
the office to which the letters are toI
go second, the, name of the office from
which the letters are sent third, the
exact time the package leaves the office,
and, fourth. the clerks number. If
letter directed to Washington. n.
c., be by mistake tied in a package
labeled Washington, d. c., the tell
tale slip places the error on the clerk
that made it, and Re is checked or
reported from the Office in Washing
ton, D. G. Each clerk receives re-
port at the end of each month with a
record of his mistakes, if he has made
any, during the month.
All letters that pass through large
offices must pass through another ma
chine, that stamps tie date and time
on the back of the letter.. In small
offices this is done by handstamp
After going through all these hands
the letter finally arrives at the Office
of it's destination. Here it is filed upl
to the carrier in whose district 1T falls
and delivered to the party addressed
If the proper person cannot be found,
the carrier marks the words Not att
or Unknown, on the envelope, and
returns it to the office, where, after
having gone Through the "inqri IL
vision" it is sent to thu 'sa lister
Office, in Washington, l.. g., and Il
nally opened and destroyed.
The greatest care and attention are
given to every piece of mail of every
description, and verv often an old cis-
cular or paper, that would he thrown
into the fire as soon as receivee, isl
handed back and forth by postal en-
ployes until it. becomes actually ve,p
to pieces in the effort to deliver ] tc
the person addressed
TWO BRAKEMEN Kill r.
Elmer Moon, Baltimore s,io