Evening star., 1923-10-28
BY GEORGE H. DAcY.

thousands, ir one would but |
= Judge by the nut" letters, i
crazy inquiries and laughable COM
munications which Uncle Sam re-
ceives daily in his volpminous mail
which is delivered from the masnifi-
cent Washington post Office.
The chief clerk, or information and
inquiry official. Of. any of the many
comfcal cases by the score and score
which go to demonstrates the veracity
of Barnum. the famous circus owner,
in q statement that fool is born
every minute. - 81.
The huge bags of mail which feod
the national Offices OF the whole Sam
family every twenty-four hours are
replete in nonsensicai and humorous
epistles-written in serious vein by
their authors, who really believe in
the impractical myths and farces
concerning which they seek Uncle
Sans assistance in one way or an
other.
Latterly. the writer spent a morn
ing at the Washington headquarters
of the bureau of mines. deiving into
correspondence curosities and ferret
ing out funny facts and figures.
Conditions at the bureau Of mines
are the same as those which prevail
in every other prominent national
department--every mail brings its
share of semi-idiotic inquiries.
Uncle Sam, master miner and met
alIurgical expert. receives more than
100000 letters of inquiry from all
parts OF the United States and for
eign countries each year. APPROX
mately 5000 of these communications
consist Of inquiries about buried
treasure, fake devices for locating
buried treasure and subterranean
mineral wealth. how to separate gold
from ocean water. whether oil ,shale
commonly is rich in gold. silver and
platinum deposits. how to detect
'salted" mines. how to obtain armed
details of national troops to accom-
pany ambitious prospectors Into Mex
leo to search for the fabulOusly rich
Spanish mines said to be lost there,
and how to perform modern miracles
Of metallurgy which nobody will ever
accomplish.
- Il X K X
ITO hundreds of thousands of miners
and those interested in mining
throughout the United States the bu
reau of mines means Uncle Sam.
Whenever these people want to know
anything about the government, nat
urai or technical science, the price
Of tacks or how long an automobile
tire will last. they write to the bu-
reau of mines. Occasionally they tell
hanx und
want advice how to settle them.
Base ball riddles. the why" and
wherefore" Of pugilistic decisions.
data about the height Of the Wash
ington Monument, Information on
how to doctor a mules jack SPAWN
all these and many more conundrums
Of American miners are sent to the
bureau of mines for solution.
Just as the miner reverences the
bureau Of mines as his Informative
court Of last appeal, the American
farmer visualizes Uncle Sam entirely
through the Department of Agricul-
ture. Merchants ask all sorts of queer
questions Of the Department of Com
merce. Would-be inventors almost
swamp the patent ONCE with their post
marked pleas and piaudits. Small manu-
facturers and inventors send a veritable
Of standards. The weather bureau re-
that they would make the notable
sphinx of Egypt crack its cheeks in an
ear-to-ear grin. Fishermen who COM
monty trile with the truth without
trepidation send letters to the bureau Of
fisheries which entirely eclipse the most
remarksple fables of either Aesop or
Ananias.
To, search for buried treasure appar-
entity is as Widespread, an ambition
among the American populace at pres
ent as it was during the days directly
after Capt. Kidd's demise. The bureau
Of mines receives at least 1000 COM
munications year relative to the prob
able locations Of underground gold.
Many Of the inquisitors wished to know
II Uncle Sam offers any guaranteed in
struments. divinins rods or similar sci
entif1c equipment which the treasure
hunters can use in their farcical quests.
Peculiarly enough, these inquiries do
not come from ignorant, ailliterate peo-
pie. Business men, bankers, automobile
dealers. butchers. bakers and candle
stick makers write TO Washington on
their usual letterheads asking national
advice and counsel concerning the in
innate features of buried treasure
hunting. .r. ~4.,.
No. these romantic letters are not the
aftermath of the adventuresome spirit
provoked by the world war. They have
been flowing to the National Capital
from all. parts Of America as regularly
as mail trains rum ever since Uncle
Sam established !; his seat Of national
affairs in, the District Of Columbia. Evil
IDENTIFY, latent in some people are, in
clinations, which date back to the
swashbuckling spirit Of the Spanish
Main, to secure, a fortune from the
earth, to rescue the ill-gotten gold of
some. ancient pirate from the folds of
the encompassins' overcoat Of tons of
soil which conceal it.
Even in this day and age .of. aerial
circuses and spiritualistic spooks via
radio, expeditions scour the keys and
coves OF the Florida coast, searching
for the buried treasure which such
notorious freebooters as Jose Cas-
parilla and Jean Lalltte are 7reputed
to have concealed there several CEN
turtles ago. s,s ...sS
Apparently every man who sets out
in search Of hidden booty first con-
suits. Uncle Sam. Despite that. the
United States government does its
best to dissuade the amateur explor-
ers from undertakinE their foolhardy