Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 August 1904 — WIZARDS OF THE POSTOFFICE. [ARTICLE]

WIZARDS OF THE POSTOFFICE.

They Work Ont Tough Puzzles in Defective Addresses. —— ~— The stall of men in the New York postoffice who are called upon to guess out defective addresses are wonderfully successful at their brain-torturing tasks. One absent-minded person addressed a letter “2,242 Bronchitis” and it was promptly delivered to 2,242 Broadway, to correct address. Not long ago O. A. Menger, the chief of the “good guessera” In the New York office, struck a letter mailed from a town in Italy, addressed in vile handwriting to “Vincenzo Marchese, Harpon Harlaad, Spital Carutin.” Applying the phonetic method, he Quickly wrote in red ink at the bottom of tho envelope, “Quarantine Station (Hospital), Hoffman Island.” The next day the letter was placed in the hands of tho immigrant for whom it was Intended. The Italian, Russian, Hungarian and Greek malls bring most of the “blind” addresses, which are worked out phonetically. A few recent examples of the originals, with the translations by the postal experts are: “Slrlanostrt, Tomsville” —Sarah Ann Street, Tompkinsvllle. “Merryone”—Matteawan, N. Y, “Istochlnchistommo” —East Kingston, N. Y. “Soccioples”—Scotch Plains. Under the name of one address appeared the following: “Ghalpli Ponjnllcan.” After some study the “guesser” wrote across the envelope “Care J. Pierpont Morgan," and the letter was duly delivered to an Oriental in the financier’s employ. A tougher problem was presented by this: “Hop Lee, 410 Colock, Complice, Texas.” Long and hard study led to the conclusion that the correct reading should be “Hop Lee, Fort Hancock, Camp Rice, Texas.” The letter w r as sent there and Hop got It A letter addressed to “Mr. Frederick A. Swift,’ with the initial “L” beneath it, was sent to Lowell, Mass., its intended destination.