Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-10-18
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There is a woman who has done
more, probably, than any other person
to make the United States postal serv-
| ice the wonder and admiration of the
nation. She Is Mrs. Patti Lyle Col
Inns, the expert "puzzle-solver" Of the
| Dead Letter Office at Washington.
Not only does Mrs. Collins read at
sight thousands Of obscure and cabal-
istic addresses which experts Of post
Offices all over the country have given
up in despair, but she finds solutions
to problems that would seem to re-
quire more than the acumen of Sher-
lock Holmes.
Other than mixed and seemingly IL
legible inscriptions penned by foreign
ers, the address upon a letter may
consist simply Of portrait or an OBJ
scure reference to some business. AL
most invariably Mrs. Collins figures
out the intent Of the writer, no mat
ter for what part of the world 1t may
be intended.
|
has made a study Of misdirected or i'll
sufficiently directed letters. Her skill
in solving such puzzles has become so
great that she is regarded as little less
than a wizard by the postal authorl-
ties in Washington.
Into the Dead Letter Office come be-
tween 10000 and $4,000 apparently un-
solvable problems every day. Freaks
Of language, spelling and writing, fan
tastes Of would-be humorists and in
stances Of unfamiliarity with geo.
graphy that have been given up in de-
spair by postal officials all over the
country are sent to Washington.
To Mrs. Collins, chief Of the Open
ing and Unavailable Division, they CO.
Most Of the puzzles can be worked out
by expert assistants; but when they
fail, the problems are passed up to
Mrs. Collins and to her leading helper,
Miss Caroline Childs, whom she has
trained.
Four causes are assigned by Dead
|
Of misdirected, illegible and strangely
addressed letters received there an
nually.
One Is foreign ignorance Of Ameri-
can geography and the English Ian
guage. False or incomplete informa-
ton about the addressee is another
Whims and oddities Of cranks and ca
prices Of would-be funny people con-
stitute the others.
Intentions Of some writer's are flgur-
ed out by association. A letter mailed
in Indianapolis was addressed to some
one at Fort Comfort, Ohio. Mrs. Col
Inns concluded that the writer, at the
time, was probably thinking Of his or
her recovery from illness, or present
comfort, and so addressed the letter
to "Fort Comfort" There is no such
place, but the letter was delivered to
the proper recipient at Fort Recovery,
Ohio.
In the case Of a letter addressed to
Miss Ethel Cartwright, Middlesville,
Louisiana, the town should have been
Centreville. The writer evidently had
an impression that Centreville was in
the middle Of the state and so made
the somewhat natural mistake.
If it were not for the fact that Mrs.
Collins speaks and reads several Ian
guages she never could have solved
this address: "Agt 40 Leon City,"
"Agt." Is the abbreviation for Apart
ado, Spanish word meaning "box."
So she concluded that Agt. 40 meant
"Box 49," Leon was the name Of the
town. Getty" is the abbreviation for
Guanajuato, state in Mexico. She
readdressed the letter in plain Eng
fish and it reached its destination.
A most puzzling letter was addressed
to Sarah Que, Kansas" Mrs. Collins
knew. however, that 1t was intended
for Syracuse. Kansas.
Still another letter was addressed to
1888 East Maryland street; no city no
State. She readdressed 1t to Indian
apolis. There are Maryland streets
elsewhere, but in no city do the num-
bers run SO far as 1888 except In In
dlanapolis. 1t was because she re-
membered this fact that Mrs. Collins
was enabled to send the letter prompt
" to it's destination.
One letter arrived addressed to
Superior, Southern California. 1t
should have been Ontario, Cal. The
writer evidently had in mind one of
the Great Lakes, but made a mistake
as to the correct one. A little com
mon sense analysis Strengthened the
tangle and gave the addressee his let
| ter.
Sometimes shrewd guesses prove
correct. A letter bearing the words
that looked like 90 Creten Conn"
was sent to New Britain, Conn, and
correctly, as it proved. Another, ap-
parently addressed to "Guelietta Lee
nois." found its proper destination at
Joliet, I'll.
Now and then letter addressed In
shorthand is received and must be