The Washington herald., 1907-12-15
BY RUDoLPH DE zAPP.

begin the annual auction sale or articles
which have accumulated at the Dead
Letter Office during the past year. and
which for the want Of a proper address
could not be delivered where they were
intended The sale takes place at 426
Ninth street northwest, and every pack
age offered 10 the highest bidder by the
auetioneer is sold as II was originally
turned In by the carriers.
Packages which seem to have been
gathered from the four corners Of the
compass are arranged and jumbled to-
gether in an inc0ngruous mass. resulting
in ludicrous combinations. Yet funny as
they seem. these packages are in reality
fraught with small domestic tragedies.
Each OF them represents a disappoint-
ment and many men and women are Won
dering this day why the expected pack
age never arrived.
About 5000 letters and parcels. contain
ing money. drafts. money orders. photo
graphs. stamps. and a great variety Of
articles reach the Dead Letter Office at
Washington every working day in the
year. For a number OF reasons they have
authorities Some are dispatched either
with insufficient postage or none at all;
some bear no address whatever: some are
misdirected: some remain unclaimed al
hotels while some are sent 70 fictitious
addresses.
Museum Has Queer Articles.
Many queer things are sent through the
mails and finally land in the Dead Letter
Ofice. where they are either transferred
TO the museum or are laid aside for the
annual sale Of unmailable packages
which takes place every year in the month
Of December at some welI-known auction
room in Washington. on this occasion
from $500 TO 1900 articles OF more or
less value pass into hands Of owners
other than those for whom they We're
originally intended.
This sale, which lasts almost a week.
attracts large numbers Of buyers and
curious people Although brief descrip-
tion OF each package may be found in
printed catalogue which is freely dis
tributed. the parcels are wrapped up in
a manner as 10 defy a personal eXamina-
ton OF It's contents The average price
realized for these packages is about -
cents, and the sale totals net profit 10
Z
10 $1,000 annually.
The nondelivery OF mall. according TO
Dead Letter Office authorities. is mainly
attributable 20 three causes: First and
chiefly. 10 the migratory habits Of our
people. who move on and leave no ad-
dress: second. 20 the fact that large busi-
ness concerns send out annually tens Of
thousands Of sealed circulars and manu7
facturers samples without revising mall
ing lists prepared many years before;
third, 20 the ignorance or carelessness
Of people living in the country or in
small communities, as 10 the necessity OF
adding the street and number when writ
ing 70 people living in populous city
Many Lack AddreSseS-
It seems incredible that thousands OF
letters are posted without bearing any
address whatsoever. and it seems stlll
more incredible that these blank letters
as they are called are. generally speak
/ Ing. the most valuable letters turned into
the Dead Letter Office. and as a rule are
from business men. II has been sur
missed, in connection with this. that ow-
/ ing to Interruptions, 10 which business
men are subjected and during temporary
absence from their desks the Office boy
collects and mails their letters regardless
of such a detail as the lack Of an ad-
dress.
/ No one should mail letters without
stamps for any part OF the United States
I Canada, or Mexico. as the prepayment
/ OF , cents is compulsory, nor attempt u
! send merchandise in a sealed package
/ for. If il is fastened in a manner pre-
venting an easy examination Il becomes
/ frst-class matter and subject 10 letter
D
must be fully prepaid. nor can articles
I Of merchandise go forward without being
I fully prepaid al letter rates
! 1t does not seem to be generally under
stood that simply indorsing a package
merchandise" or photographs ex-
empts it from letter postage. Many peo.
pie do this and taen seal the package
| or carefully wrap a photograph in many
| layers OF cardboard and brown paper
tied with twine-eXactly rs it should be
/ II the photograph itself were not in q
| sealed envelope. Sometimes il is pains
takingly sewed UP in the pasteboard. and
very often Christmas or Easter cards are
indorsed Cards only" and tiny pieces
cut but of the ends Of the envelopes ii
proof Of this. But they are sealed and
there lies the trouble and prohibition
Try TO Defraud Uncle sam.
Many Of these statements so fair OF
the face prove false on investigation, and
between the innocent printed greetings
there are frequently found closely writ.
ten letters. Women often send message
TO their dressmaker or TO dry goods shop.
on postal cards, attaching a bit of cloth
ribbon. or lace as samples. This make.
the card 'unmailable.7 so it IS alway.
] sent to the dead letter Office and inVari
ably destroyed. Nothing may be attach
ed to a postal card, nor may one wore
be written upon the address side except
the address itself
No coin may legally be enclosed in let
ters sent 10 foreign countries. This is
a violation Of our postal treaty with 9th.
er nations. All sorts of devices are re
sorted to to evade the law. Sometimes Z
piece OF pasteboard just the size 70 sliI
into the envelope is cut half through ii