Year: 1878

Communications That Fail 10 Reach
! Their Observation-Disclosures Unearthed


Every day hundreds of precious and


important letters go astray and hun
dreds of hearts are made sick by hope


deferred. In the early colonial times,


so the old yellow pamphlet in the de-


partment archives tells us, great pains


were taken to recover letters which


had been lost. A letter in those days


was an expensive affair paper cost a
great deal, and the postage was con-
siderable, ranging from twenty-five
cents even up to one dollar, to say
nothing Of the annoyance Of having to


whittle out your own pen from the
quill, and impressing on the back of
the missive the immense seal so Gus
tomary in those days. Some Of these
remarkable old epistles are still to be
seen at the dead letter Office. Their
faded lines and yellow appearance lure
one into deep reverie Of those long
gone days, and the imagination pic
lures the writer's. who years ago have
crumbled into dust from which they
came


From November, 1777, to December
1889, all the letters that went astray
are recorded in a book of forty-one
pages. This covers a period of twelve
years. A marked contrast is evident
when it is known that fer the year
1877 more than four millions of dead
letters were received by the post Office
department.


For the handling of this immense
number ffty-nine ladies and twenty
nine gentlemen are employed. 1t is
an easy matter to talk about millions
of letters, but when it is understood
that each particular one has to be sep
arated, handled, marked, inspected
and the majority opened and returned
to the writer, the magnitude Of the
work can be imagined, if not appre-
ciated. When letter is misdirected
or the postage has not been prepaid it
is sent by the postmaster Immediately
to the dead letter office, with the other
letters which have not been called for.
Here they are opened by the gentle
men who sit at long tables in the large
cheerful room. If anything valuable
is contained in them they are handed
over to another division, where the
contents are registered and placed in
a large safe for future redemption. If
there is nothing in them of value they
are sent up stairs, where the ladies in
spect them, and if the address of the
writer is found the letter is inclosed to
the person by whom it was written. If
the letter has been held for postage a
circular is sent to the person to whom
it is addressed, informing him that
there has been received at the dead
letter office letter directed to him
which will be forwarded upon receipt
of the necessary postage. To this cir
cttIissr ttIisr HE HE department receives many
very funny replies. If no response is
made within thirty days it is treated as
an ordinary dead letter.


The great amount Of money passing
continually through the mails can be
imagined when out of the dead letters
alone, small percentage, over $780,
900 in money and more than $780,
900 in drafts and commercial paper
was taken within the last year. All
but about $4,000 Of this has been re-
turned to the writers. A great share
of this comes from the mis- or non-di-
rected letters. People seem to be so
intent on what goes into the letter that
they forget the superscription. It is
a sad thought when one reflects upon
the vast amount of suffering in many |
cases that comes from this neglect. |
Here, for instance, is ali illustration,
an exact copy Of a letter received at
the Office not long since:


"My dear Mag-I received your
very wilkim letter yestuday it gave
me crate ese of mind to here that you
are well as this leaves me in at pres
ent, thank God"


The writer then adds a sad story of
disappointment and disaster, and fin
ishes by saying: 81 send you ten dol
lars for you need it more than l do"


Poor Mag! The ten dollars for
which she has longed and waited has
gone into Uncle Sans rich purse
not from choice, but from necessity.
Foreign letters are treated in a very
diplomatic manner, and are in all cases
across the water without be-
ing opened. America seems to be
perfect geographical enigma to foreign
ers when they direct letters to friends !