The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-04-28
NIKE CLERK SEES
BOAEHEAD PLAYS
Finds Them Every Hour at Post
Office, Along With Risque
Post Cards.
DEAD LETTER MAIL A-PLENTY
Some Garments, Too, Are Lost,
When Owners Can't Be
Identified.
DEAD LETTER MAIL A-PLENTY

J iou We got 10 De NIKE clerk, be-
! fore you can appreciate just how much
loose in the general public" said r.
i. Richie. the official at the post-of-
lice whose duty II is to decIpher
J illeBibie addresses, to return to the
dead letter office the mail matter
which Is deposited without any ad-
dress at all, and confiscate the dozen
/ or more post cards every day which
exceed tho dccency limit.
lie had Just shipped to Washington
| parcel of hopeless mail containing
twenty-one hrst-class letters, eighty
! eight post cards, and number of
packages. 1t was the smallest ship
inent in weeks. most Of the cons!gn-
inents containing between $50 and 200
/ pieces OF matter. Although required
by the Post-Ofiice Department TO make
daily reports TO the dead letter Office
the press OF business has compelled
Mr. Richie recently to lump his ship
ments twice each week
! Here is typical case" he said.
! picking up long package wrapped
in brown manila paper and loosely
tied with white string. "It contains
two cheap shirts. the kind you usually
! buy for about NIFTY cents each. and
two neckties. It's addressed to Mr..
So and So. Industrial School. Keys
vile Mission There is Il Keysville In
! virginia. but there Is no mission. AS
/ Tar as 1 have been able TO ind GU,
there is no Keysvile Mission any
where in the United States. II goes
TO the dead letter Office OF course. and
the chances are that Willie won't yet
his shirts
| Another package, much smaller and
mailed in Richmond, was addressed 10
( Castoria. y. G 4 search In the
Postal Guide revealed the existence
, OF a Castolia in the Old North state.
but even crying for 1t wouldn't pro-
duce Castoria There is a Gastonia
The sender had failed TO write his
address on the package. Washington
again.
! The Most Common Error
The cominonest failing that have
to contend with" said Mr. Richie
rs the absence In the address OF the
name of the post-ofiice. We get mail
by tho score every day directed. for
example simply to So and So. r. F.
D.. Chesterfield county. Virginia A
number OF people seem TO have the
idea that no post office name Is neces-
sary when the letter or package is
destined to person living on an r
f. d. line
Then there is the case OF those
geniuses who drop the envelope In
: the slot with nothing on It but the
name and the stamp Sometimes the
stamp is absent too. and in a few
cases-you would hardly believe
tt possible, but 1t is so--the envelope
Is innocent Of either stamp. address.
I or the name of the sender"
! Here is a letter that is the repre-
( sentative OF large and aourishing
class" continued Mr.. Ritchie. ut is
addressed to a name at 3IS W. Fifty
tirst Street, Thcre is no State or
-
B Tor New York city. 1t is the only
city in this section OF the country
( that has high numbered streets run
[ ming east and west. Til try New
York on 1t, and II 1t doesn't work 1t
viii go to the dead letter office If
1t was high numbered street run
ming north and south, Philadelphia
would be safe guess
! Among the hopeless cases are the
/ letters addressed to Mr.. So and So.
Main Street, If the street Is Pennsyl-
vnnia Avenue for example. It's COM
paratively easy. 1t is likely to he
Washington. p. C.. or Atlantic City.
If its Euclid Avenue the chances favor
Cleveland. and II its Peachtree Street,
a shot is taken at Atlanta.
But when it says Just Main Street.
| it's hopeless" said Mr.. Ritchie. Here
Is book which contains the names
of every street in every city in the
| United states. There are thirteen
pages OF Main Streets-about 500 OF
them Such letter goes to the dead
letter office on sight The same is
true OF those addressed to streets
named after trees. There are about
seven pages of Oak streets. and al
most as many of Pines. Spruces. and
Naples. Names Of Presidents are al
most as bad. a letter directed to
some one on Madison. Jefferson or
! Washington Streets is pretty sure to
land in Washington.
| This one is a fair sample of the
cripples which come from the other
side" continued the NIKE clerk. dis
playing a letter bearing an Italian
postmnrk' and the manly face OF
King Victor Emanuel in the upper
right hand corner.
! The address in a hating chiro-
aphy read. "Ad Signor, Massa Car
mini Di Nincenzo. Tompasivin stat
slanto, Richimont [ phe." That was
all. No city and no State Not even
the customary L. $. a.
That's pretty simple though It
was forwarded to Richmond by New
in the address. Where It ought to
have gone was Richmond Turnpike.
/ Tompkinsvllle Station. Staten Island
{ find that there is such a turnpike in
Tompkinsvillc and it's n hundred TO
one that's where the letter belongs"
! or the eighty to 100 post cards that
are daily held up, one-half are
stopped because they bear substances
like mica and glass. and are unmail-
able under the postal laws unless en-
closed in envelopes. Twenty per cent.
have defects In The address following
the same general sins OF omission
already observed in the case of let
tiers and packages. ~ considerable
number OF cards carry the MESA ges
Lin full, as well as the date and stamp.
but no address whatever
: The other cards are held UP be-
cause they sin against decency. Mr..
Richie exhibited large package of
cards of this class picked out of the
mail In the past few days. They pre-
cant tVDa cnrrpctlu daSn,i,al