The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-11-16
1.-THE BLIND READERS
OF THG P"0ST0FFIGE

Some people with eyes do not see, ana
others have such good organs that they
see for themselves and others. The So
called blind readers of the p~ostofhee
get their names from the peculiar fact
that they see for others as well as for
themselves. Instead of being blind they
see double. and frequently save many from
losses of money and trouble.
In New York the greatest mail centre
of the country-the blind readers are a
part of the regular postoffiee force, and
to some extent they supplement the work
OF the dead letter office at Washington.
TO be more explicit, this department. Is
called the directory reading department.,
and 1t was established to help the postal
authorities in reading some of the queer
letters that are sent through the mails.
A vast amount of foreign mail matter
comes to this port simply addressed to
somebody in North America or the United
States.
Instead of going directly to the dead
letter office. at Washington, the letter so
addressed come into the hands of the blind
readers of the directory reading depart
ment. Letters are addressed to ltallans,
Frenchmen or other foreigners resident in
this country with the number of some
street on the envelope, but with no cleW
MS to the right city. Still others are ad-
dressed to people at mines, railroads CT
other unmapped places.
To simplify the reading of all such adj
dresses the blind readers have a system
which, in nine cases out OF ten, enables
them to forward the letters to their proper
destinations. There are directories OF
nearly all the leading cities OF the conn
try in this department, and a CLASSIFIED
list of all the streets, with the numbers
Of houses in them. If a letter is adj
dressed to a certain number in Front
street or Smith street. without any clew
to the town or city in which it is 10
Gated, the blind readers turn to their list
OF FROM alu Silit.t sliye.s. th1.s hAaS
be a score of cities with this name IN
them, but only two or three that have the
numbers on the letter. When the matter
is reduced to the simple problem of lind
ing which one of the two or three is the
right one, directories in these lew cities
are consulted. Thousands of letters with
out town or city in the address are thus
annually sorted out and sent to their
proper destination.
Many letters are mlscarried and sent by
mistake TO the wrong city, and If simply
addressed city" or "Iown' ON the ell
velope just as much trouble is expert
enced in finding the owner as if sent here
from abroad by an ignorant writer who
ibid not know enough to put the city
nam down. This should prove a lesson
to all who fall INTO the habit of apbre-
Waiting the address on their envelopes TO
City or Town Write the fun city
name so hat if the letter should turn
up a thousand miles away it could easily
be found.
Often mail matter from Italy and the
poorer quarters of Europe reach his
Npuhb9 HlliHiS dudl tSSt0 ~ - itAaS -
relatives with the name Of the mine or
railroad for which they work. The blind
readers have therefore q compiled list OF
all mines, railroads and large companies
employing foreign workmen. BY consult
Ing this list strangely and i4nperfectly
addressed letters are often placed cor
rectly.
The blind readers add to their list of
directories every year. and MANY Of them
are IN manuscript form and not published.
Letters addressed with towns and cities
Wretchedly spelled are also deciphered
often b. the sound of the words. Some-
one p-ronounces the word as spelled. and
an expert almost Immediately catches the
writer's meaning. This is done much
easier with the ear than by eyes. The
latter deceive sometimes, but the ear car
ries an impression to the brain that
simplifies the problem, Thus il is that the
blind readers Of the postdffice see and hear
double. furnishing hearing and eyeS1ght
for many who are negleetful.