St. Tammany farmer., 1906-11-10
CLERKS KEPT BUSY.
DEAD LETTER OFFICE HANDLES
MUCH MAIL.
Average Force Of One Hundred and
Fifty Persons Employed There
Museum Of Curiosities Has
Been Abandoned.

ri will give you an epitome regard
Ing the dead letter Office which Will be
sound of interest," said postal en-
cial.
..The dead letter Office was estab-
lished In 1926, and from an inslgn1n-
cant beginning has grown INTO an es-
tablishment which gives employment
to an average force Of about loo per
sons. and handles about 1l.OOO,OoV
pieces of mail matter annually. The
work to which the Office devotes IL
self is the disposal Of the various
kinds of undesirable mail matter sent
to it from about $4,000 post ofhces.
This mail matter is divided into TWO
general classes-unclaimed and un-
mailable- --zz
1.-THE former includes such matter as
has reached the destination to Wn1cn
it is directed, and has been uncailed
for, Or refused, or Of which the ad-
dresses cannot be found. The latter
embraces variety Of matter which
cannot be dispatched for various rea-
sons, such as non n-prepayment of post
age, mfsdirection. entire want OF I'D
dress, etc. The unclaimed matter 1s
classified as domestic and foreign, the
latter designation, of course, apply
ing to such as originates In foreign
countries.
THE work of the ofice, generally
speaking, is to deliver as much OF this
matter as possible, either to the send
er or addressee, the former almost
exclusively. This disposition Is made
from day to day as far as may be
done. There is Q popular fallacy that
matter is held for stipulated period.
and arranged for delivery upon appli-
cation In much the same manner as To-
cal post Offices are cond ducted. This
would be wholly impracticable, and re-
ceipt and disposal must be made as
nearly concurrent as possible.
Old Museum Of curiosities.
"One of the features of the old dead
letter office Of the old post Office de-
partment building on F street was it's
museum of curiosities found In the
mails. There is now no longer a
distinctively dead letter Office mu-
scum. The articles which were for
merly exhibited In 1t, which were OF
the diversified and interesting type,
have been included in the general
postal museum, situated In the south
east corner of the city post Office floor
Of the main department building, on
Pennsylvania avenue. Articles OF Gu
rious interest for which owners can.
not be found, and which are without
considerable value, are occasionally
contributed to the exhibit.
From the very large quantity Of
dead mail matter sent to the dead let
ter Office, including periodicals, pic.
torials, fancy cards, etc., Of which
the bulk is consigned to the waste
and sold to contractors, there are
many thousands annually selected
which are at intervals distributed
among some Of the benevolent institu.
tions of the district, such matter be
ing carefully selected, having In view
the purpose for which 1t is intended.
'.The dead letter office. however.
which Is now situated on the third
floor Of the main department building,
on the south side. is still one OF the
features Of life in the government Of.
fees in Washington, even with ita
museums d thing Of the past and all
day long at intervals the visitors and
guides file through the ofice and
watch the clerks at work. Such Wis
itors are welcome, but all they can
see and all there is to see are lot
Of very busy clerks behind the wire
gratings working like beavers over
other peoples errors in mail mat.
ters."