Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-03-21
The Postal Graveyard.

ne FOSldI STdVSJdos
Just to remind his nephews and ME e
how careless they are. Uncle sam has
prepared and sent out a little pamphlet
giving the latest figures of the work
done by the dead letter office in Wash
ington. 1t contains n mine Of inform
alton for the social student and many
things TO interest all Of US who send
letters and receive them. The number
of pieces OF mail matter of all kinds
that came to the dead letter Office in
the last fiscal year was 10, 1J3,12S; this
was an increase Of 81. per cent. over
the previous year. While the per cent
of increase necessarily diminishes eacn
year, the superintendent says a com
parison of the reports for Il series Of
years SHOWS Il heavy and continuous
increase each year; that is we are get
ting more careless instead Of less so
About scven-tcnths Of the total was
ordinary unclaimed letters, which
shows an increase OF mir" per cent. over
the previous year. (.
Ordinary letters returned from for
eign countries increased 100 per cent:
letters with Il return address increased
slightly. There was an increase Of
nearly seven per cent. in tho number of
letters and parcels held for postage.
INSTRUCTED lctters-and here is one Of
the strongest arraignments of our in
tclligence-nunbered C5i,o17 this dill
not include Pc tai cards.. which was an
increase Of 20 per cent, and is unprece-
denied AMI who would think that III
the course of the year SS,936 persons
had been SO lbscnt-minded as TO mail
matter with no address ut All GInd
among it letters with money, jewels.
etc)" But 50 it WAS last yea. II
round nurlbers about one hundred let
t"rs day last year were posted with
out addresses.
Letters sent To hotels ana fail
ing Of delivery numbered 3lo.imi, ana
this was Il slight decrease from the PR"
y;ous year. There were Hoo letters
ard packages sent to fictitious adj
dresses: this was Il decrease from the
wear before Of nearly forty thousand.
but in thlt year tho hLd been from
transient causes CWhAt. the supcrinten-
dent docs not say = phenomenal IN
F,,,.t fix... ~
sand.
About the same amount of money
won't astray as in precious years SIS
G3fOt. II came in j1.4l6 letters. Be-
sides this. there was $l,i9::, 563';j in
drafts money orders. che CkS, "tc.
There were d,.-ds. wills, pension ccrtilt-
Gates. Insurance policies ana such
things that found their way to the dead
letter office. Nearly three million rieo g
of matter xcr. held awaiting delivery.
or fled hccause they could not be de-
Iivercd. and this was an increase OF
about 17,,0nc. The great amount Of
this matter is due to tn" failure of the
writer's to give their name alli address
and til" sending of advertising and
printed matter under seal (Which must
he destroyed: also. because Il large nri'
cent. of the parcels do not contain
merchandise hut Catalogues and the
like. medicines and pcrishahlc articles.
which must u" destroyed. Among
other things that went to this postOft:ce
graveyard were Sp.039 photographs and
ll9255 pieces Of matter in which We're
postage stampS-an increase of neatly
10 per cent. Here is another curious
thing: There We're separated from let
tiers IN the mail and found loose in TIL"
mail and in rostnffio"s,S3.S-l." worth Of
stamps that could not he .cturncd.