Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

' The latest acquisition of tbe Imp- riot opera bouse of Vienna la u former , himney •weep by the name of Elen son. II. « .« sluglng while cleaning the chimney .,( n rteli customer at Htutlitart end hie voice at- traded the attention at the hettae owner, who cauaed It to be trained. Mohammed Bey. aun of Turkey'a rlrhe.t man and heir to a root fortune, la In Boa- ton buying oboe anil cotton machinery. Ha la hlalily educated, haa mastered aeveral of the great Indnatrlea which hla father con* trait anil la a fcoyn Imalneaa man. fie will leave about (500.000, which aum represents the coat of applianeea he Intenda to pur- Henry A. Buchtel, the recently eleetct overnor of Colorado, will not realde lu tho THIRD SECTION. 1 lhe Atlanta Georgian. THIRD SECTION. VOL. 1. NO. 202. ATLANTA, OA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19,1906. UNCLE SAM, SANTA CLAUS’ MESSENGER; HOLIDAYS MEAN WORK AT POSTOFFICE Tons of Presents Give Postal Men a Season of Fatigue. LETTERS TO SANTA BRING PATHOS TO NIXIE DEPAR TMENT BUT FEW LOST OUT OF HUNDREDS Fast and Accurate Are the Men Who Handle Mail. By CHARLES E. HARP. Chriatm&a for the clerka In tho At lanta postofflee Is a synonym for hard work and lots of It. Qreat piles of Christmas packages and parcels con taining presents and remembrances from loved ones at a distance confront the employees every day for two weeks before Christmas day arrives. The night and day forces augmented by a hundred extra men work constantly to Insure the prompt dispatch of these holiday malls. Tired and worn out by extra hours at the cases or bag racks, the general delivery, money order, registry and stamp windows during the holidays, the postofflee clerks welcome the passing of Christmas. They do their work honestly and creditably and If some one Is disappointed because of a gift de layed In transit the disappointment would dissolve Into sympathy if a glance could be had Into the Interior of the big workshop and the great quantities of mall that accumulates could be taken. Over 100,000 letters atone are handled every day by the letter clerka. Over 10.000 pounds of second-class mall and other matter of lower grade Is handled by the paper clerks every 24 hours. This does not Include Atlanta's four daily newspapers, who mall Is worked, weighed and put aboard trains without the formalities of going through the postofflee. Not Enough Room. There are so many letter cases and pouch racks behind the screen which shuts out the public that there Is hard ly room enough left for the movements of the regular force of clerka. So great - and so rapid has been the Increase of mall matter handled In the Atlanta postofflee that the officials have been unable to provide room to accommo date the business. , All out-going mall matter other than first-class letters, such as packages and parcels, books, calendars and papers. Is handled In the basement, where the of ficials were forced to Install racks and paper cases for the Increase In the vol ume of this kind of mall. The room Is lighted ns well as possible, but It Is anything but a pleasant place for a clerk to work while other peoplo are enjoying Christmas. It Is possible that some Idea of the quantity of matter handled dally by the clerks can be secured when It la known that nt least 1O.U00 pounds other than flrst-class mail is routed every 24 hours for out-going trains. None of the officials will nttempt to estlmato the Increase of out-going mall mattor In this department Incident to the Christmas holidays. Work Hour After Hour. Standing hour after hour and throw ing pieces of mall matter Into pouches from two to ten feet away Is anything hut a pleasant task. The racks four nnd live deep are arranged In a semi circle and almost surround the clerk. Postoffice Has Many| the peculiar Idea that he Il/tfl dfntlnn " finma ot Missives To Be Delivered. ADDRESS TO “SANTA,” WHO CAN’T BE FOUND Children of Rich and Poor Send Letters to Their Patron Saint. \ A CHRISTMAd RUSH IN MAIN WORK ROOM OF ATIANTA P08T0FFICE. Here the deluge of holiday gifts Is assorted and sent flying into mail bags preparatory for the trip to every part of the country. In a few days thel scene will change in one reepeot—It will be incoming gifts instead of those outward bound, which will keep the clerks busy. until a few days after Christmas. The force of .employees has been Increased as much as possible by the officials. Extra clerks have been put In the reg istry, money order and stamp depart ments to assist In the prompt dispatch of mall. The city carriers will have assistants and as Christmas day ap proaches their dally pro rata of mall will Increase until It la twlfe as much as two men might carry. On the more populous routes wagons will bo pro vided the last three or four days before Christmas and the work of Santa Claus will be helped as much as possible. , Roosevelt’s Trip to Panama. As Reported Out in Arizona—Chroni- oied by a Graham County Editor. T' From The knftold (Arts.) Guardian. EKIiV upon his arrival lioarded the railroad couch nnd “Rid" across Ills "lumas" (ns now speld). nnd waded out nine miles Into the Parltlr Ocean, where It won knee deep. Just to show the man-eat- Ing sharks nnd numerous marine aupvhuke Hint be won “game." On turning round to foot It back to shore lie dlncuver.nl a ncIkh.I uf whales in bis path, He squnred himself for n renl good klr'- ■— tl ... elc Into the gang, lint won only partially successful, ns Ids Itoiigh Hitler spur, which he happened nt the time to hove on. .-might lit a thrce acre bunch of flawed nn<l his effort lnnile*! only eleven full grown wlinles nslioro, lueludlutf the blf bull of the flock. on hi* way back on the train he Jumped ofT near the Culebra cut, rrabl>ed 11.000 workmen by the hand In exactly tbree-<iunr- tera of it minute, nchednle time, with the exprexiilon ••nee-IlKht-ed" for each rapu. cone anu a.mosr surrouna me c.erx. « The mail Is wheeled to him In largo , l)lk . towlir ,| t |„. Ailnntlc Ocean. He plunged hamper baskets plied to overflowing during tho holidays with packages of every conceivable else and weight. Some addressee are plainly written, but hundreds of others are scrawled and blurred. When one of these face the Clerk he stops until It Is deciphered or else throwe the package Into the "nixie" basket. The "nixie” basket Is where Santa Claus most frequently falls down. Lots of the old fellow's assistants don t write legibly and some of them mall his packages without writing the ad dressee nt all. The consequence Is somebody Is disappointed In not re ceiving a gift when It Is lying In the posi'ifflce because of some shortcoming. I'iie department where the clerks must work faster than most of the others Is where the. first-class letters are atstrlbuted In tho carriers' racks for in- city distribution. If the carriers h ive everything reedy to go on their routes an ordinary quantity of flrst- ci iss mall matter can be put on the streets within live minutes. The let ters are already worked on the city schemes by clerka In the In-coming ~ nptled mall care. The pouches are emi on a large table at the postofflee end the packages of letters are distributed * acre the city carriers may reach them without loss of time. Dreed the Holidays. Nowhere la the approach of tho holl * tv * Felt more Intensely than at the trneral delivery windows. *Hera ex pectant and Impatient patrons of tho °®ce make things lively and sometimes Interesting for the clerks. People of all classes and nationalities, colors and temperaments apply here for their . No position requires-more care patience than at the windows. ,''™e of the patrons are morally cer- . J that they have mall In the ofllce and the clerk won’t give it to them Just out of p ur# cueeedneas. Others receive shake of the clerk’s head with .1 sinking feeling about the heart and turn aw ay with a woefully disappoint 'd look over their faces. General de- ••• i!? cl ' rk » have been called "thieves " robbers" and "highwaymen," but they are usually patient and forbearing and ^ understand. ■ Iir nmrui aeev- ess*. 1 ' real holiday ruah of bualness be- 1 could have been ** n ratty this wssk and wUl continue css. it gigantic shove! eleven fed Into the Mother Earth at Ms flrst motion. ami the I’au Aiserlean republics bsik It far another earthquake when the vilirnlloiis were fell. Within Just two minutes nnd sevi-ntei-n siH-ends be bad dug that "fsmas Cnnnr one mile .mil three-quarters. While awaiting for his train to convey him from Iho cut. he held a "let with the workmen, which nniultered some 200 English-speaking persona and something over 0.00 ’ Inmortcl-shlrt-tall-hnn.i-mieuiiilnc animated Chinese pigtails, the latter.warm ly greeting him with "Hoopla Teddy, him liellv goon Mellcan man.'' During this brief Interval, nnd In exactly forty-one seronils, Teddy made a alxyear contract with three of the coolie pigtails to do the White House washing np to the end of the u*»xt Pr»**t«l«*ntl*l term. IN THE EXCHANGES. Mary had a little lamb; , bile nut It on n shelf, And every time It wagged Its tail It spauked Its little self. * -St. Ibiul News. The latest definition of V. M. t\ A. Is You May Contribute Agulu.-Ba'rolo Times. From the talkative person who Is dowu In the month good Lord deliver us.—Ur News. POSTMASTER E. F. BLODGETT AND HEADS OF DEPARTMENTS. Than# art the men behind the mtil. Their watchfulness and tireless energy aid Sants Cleue mightily In his effort to deliver the goods. They will have little sleep during the next week and every one will be glad when Christmas is over. RECKLESS WASTE THREATENS BANKRUPTCY OF THE NATION Uleek and bine fading In spots Into yellow are the prevailing college colors jast now.— Nest York Telegram. Truth Is sometimes stranger than action. A charity ball In Mexico caute out with a prollt—Birmingham News. The only thing that makes a fellow feel that be Is lu It St hla own wedding la Ibe word "obey."—Philadelphia Beeord. A Frenchman baa Invented a phonograph that can 1st beard for a mile. It will be in dispensable to those who have to waken four small children In time to go to schisd. —Philadelphia l-cdger. A Washington hotel keeper died the other day and was ilaocrtbed In tha local peperk an merely "a modest and a useful eltlsen.’ That In what one gels for owning tbe eara- rammry instead of clerking In lt.-Lonlsvllle Coarier-Journnl. (Copyright, 1806, by W. R. Hearat.) M il. J. J. IIILL has recently given n most Interesting paper on the waste of the resources of the nation, nnd rightly estimates If the same reckless spirit of extrnvttgnnre nnd .Instruction of timber, coal and other sources of wealth to the 1:1111101 Stoles continues we shall become a bankrupt people. At the rate nt which we have been ex- hassling oar soil nnd mines of various min erals wo shall have expended their vast products In a little more than another half century, since eo little attention Is given to their reparation. In clearing the . —. ,,. , West—the giants of the splendid forests have fallen like blnilcn of gnus before the reaper's acyibe nr the bands of pioneers ami wouduieu. Yearn ago comparatively few of ibe great trunks of the trees ronlil lie transported either sawed or nnsawed to the market end were consequently rolled to- gether In piles ns high as human hands r-onld put them and were When burned to nsitee on the soil upon which they grew. As civilisation imsbeil Jta way to the Imundarlen of tbe 1. porlnlloii was 1 time to time sent primeval forests to cut timber for home end export consumption. Great fortunea have been amassed In the lumber trade. Thousands of emigrants have settled upon the lands cleared In this way nnd are be ginning to clamor for timber for use In erecting buildings, for fencing, fuel and otb**r purpoM InalBptnttble lu thu settle* meiit of § new country. Tho operations of tbe rest coal mines lo *• .e union hat- titles of he« ... foot* ftfcon terra uea 11 passage* nude In derelonlnc mine*. The ■apply of this class of timber tly reduced nnd a cry of dl*- 1 expected ^rom that direc- By MRS. JOHN A. LOGAN. occupied rich lands In many section* on such it bn*i* a* would enable them to sup- I*>rt their fiimlllc* while they erttablliilied Itemmncut home* and became revenue-pro- Mining citizen*. It I* to bo hoped that Mr. Hill** warning may attract the attentiou of tho**' who can afford to move In the matter of getting the people to embark In the work of tilling the ” 1 ud reaping tho harvest. Should Immigration continue In tin* pres ent ratio 1! would worn that Mr JIlll's pre diction * are not untimely, and that hi et-rleb theories 1 dishonesty In public and private : The tmte for agriculture—cultivation of the soli—the establishment of |>ernuiuoiit home* and personal Independence through tho Industry of the people and Ibe {Hisses- slon of property which governed tbe build ers of the nation have lajen supplanted by restlessness, speculation and tmpntlcut av arice. MItS. JOHN A. LOU AN. By CLAUDE NEALEY. The greatest and grandeet and moat unlveraally beloved personage In all the world today Is that good old man of mystery, Santa Claua—grizzly and generous and the supreme delight of the childish heart. And If anyone In this great city for any reason should doubt the popularity of the "good old man,” that doubting individual would only have to commit the "nixie” department of the Atlanta postofflee, to which place ail mall Im properly addressed and stamped finds Its way, and be convinced. It la In this ofllce that Santa Claua' "official" mall la deposited, preparatory to being for warded to Its Anal destination—the dead letter office In Washington. In the “nixie” office can now be (ound stacks and stacks of moll, representing thousands of letters addressed to ‘‘Dear Old Santa.” In the local postofflee W. B. Hunt nnd H. C. Saul, who are In charge of the "nixie’’ department, are designated Santa Claus. Messrs. Hunt nnd Saul take charge of all Santa Claus' mall and lo say that they have their hands full Just at this time Is but mildly ex pressing It. This genial and happy friend of the children, old Santa, la never bothered with mall but once a year—the beauti ful Christmas season—but during this time the old man Is simply swamped. And If he had to take time to answer his thousands and thousands of bright little correspondents, he would bo com pelled to employ a corps of secreta ries greater than the standing army of the United States. \ Santa Claus’ Letters. Every mall that has came Into the postofflee during the past few days has flmplv been loaded with theie highly unique lettefs,'airtelling the same story of childish I wants ar.d expressing be tween the lines implicit confidence that Santa will be amply able to nil these wants. This class of mall will continue to pour Into the postofflee In increased volumes until after Santa makes his annual tour, at which time the chil dren will realise their wants or beci-me convinced that the dear old man fulled lo receive their letter. After writing to Santa, the children, brim fpll of Joy and In a fever of ex pectancy, Impatlehtly await this time, eager for the great loads of presents. Earnestness, love and sublime faith In the Inexhaustible generosity 'of Santa can be detected In overy line, although | some of the appeals, penned by the I cherry Jtttle tols, ure almost Illegible. However, the children know that Santa Claua Is a great man and they (eel no fear that he will fall to discern any of their wants. • Tht letter* embrace requests for a varied assortment of toy* ami almost every conceivable article that would tend to tickle the childish fancy. The manner of expressing these requests is sometimes highly humorous, bringing smiles to the faces of those who petuss the letters, others, however, f*r from being laughable, express a sentiment Intensely pathetic anil cause the heart la throb with sympathy, arousing a de. sire on the part of the readers to take .Santa's place fur once anti supply the ' gifts themselves. For it may be that H.tntn, with his wide territory to cover und his great lond of presents to distribute, inny be come delayed and fall to reach the homes of some of the confiding little fellows, who have sought through tho mails an expression of his kindness. Every Kind of Addraaa. According to hi* mall, Santa Clau* I* provided with an abundance of homes. HU mail U addressed to a variety of places. Including the “North Pole,' "Fairyland," “Greenland,” "Atlanta," have even got Is at the "po lice station." Some of the children, realizing that everybody knows their friend and feeling confident the poat- oflice authorities will deliver their let ters properly, merely address them "Santa Claus.” This conclusion Is cor rect. The postofflee officials know where to deliver Santa’s malL It is all sent to the same place. ' In a batch of Santa's mall was found a letter bearing this unique address: “Santa Claus—Wherever he la” The writer, a little boy, was thought, ful enough to place his own name and address on one corner of the envelope, and It was this fact that saved his let ter from taking a trip to the dead let ter ofllce In Washington. The letter was returned to the child, with this Inscription across tlis envelope: “Can't be found.” Undaunted, the little fellow has probably sent another letter, with a more definite address. “I Have Been Goad.” The contents of these letter* are equally, If not more, remarkable than the striking addresses. While the ma jor portion of the letters bear simi larity, there Is one thing that stands out boldly above all others In nearly every letter. That I* the statement that the writer has been "good.” Par ticular stress Is laid on this word, us the children know It has special signifi cance w(,th Santa Claus. For Instance, this one from a bright little girl: “Dear Santa Claus: I am a good little girl, nnd I think you ought to bring me a dimon ring and fifty little tin trains nnd a pair of white kPI gloves nnd a doll with a red hat and dress and a doll house and a whole lot* of good things to eat. "YOUR LITTLE FRIEND.” Here Is one from a little boy: "dear Snnty, I wrote you la»t year but I gues you dldent get the letter for you dldent bring me all I ask for on 1 I will ask again, mama say* I am t good boy and she ortcr know. I want a pistol nnd some Sliding blocks l board to play some games on a book with plcters don't forget the candle mania snys mr woodward who Is our mayer alnt goln to let any fireworks be shop and so I done cars for any an.. - way.” Another from a little 6-year-old girl, tho writing of which wa» nlmpst Illegi ble, was deciphered something like this: “Dear Sants: I am six years old. I want you to bring me a parlor Bet of furniture and a automobile nnd a doll ns big as u lady and a buggy and horse and a little wagon. "Your loving sweet little friend.” A Pathetic Letter. The following from a little boy gives an Insight Into the pathetic aide and tells a story that no doubt prevails In more than one home In the city of Atlanta.’ Written on dlrt-b**meared paper and Inclosed In a muchly lin gered envelope, the letter makes a touching appeal: "Dear Santa claws mommer told mo If I wuld rite to you you might como to sjfte ine you havent been to see mu since too years mommer she Is sick and couldent rile hersef she has been •lek a month I alnt got no popper mum mer says she Is afrad you wont be ubel to And our hous I feel so sory o.ius mommers tick and dear santa If you can come It mite do her good mommer has to wurk and.alnt ube! to send me to skool much and I cant rite much hot door santa I try to bo good and I do luv you so much." One boy, fearing 8anta might mako mistake or overlook him. concludes Ills letter with these lnstructlons: "Come to the middle chimney on the left bond side of the Rouse. I will be In that room.” A little girl, who. evidently ha> an extensive capacity for wnnta. after enumerating many things, closes In this wise: Now Santa If you have anything I aim Is a good man but Mama la go er." 1 The hosts of little people will I mk forward unxluusly to a substantial on- swnr lo their letters, and It Is P> bo hoped good old Sunta will be able to visit nil and render bright and eheerrut on the happy Christmas morn the homes of rich and poor alike. OF A PERSONAL NATURE. Mrs. Itosa Lewi*, chief culinary artl-t of tho Cavendish betel, Isnidun, Is | .. re draw n larger oalnry than nny ether cook' la tho world. Mho Is paid 110,00 a It Is zonprslly agreed In Washington that viscount Slum Aaltl, amlisssadnr Ir.n in to tho United Ktates. I ploniat ever aeeu there. ’ too leas axiravaganre id uie won Ivsr, copper sad coal mines i strongly pictured, nnd ss n < ho ultimate oihauatlon of t u In light within Iona than “Not guilty. j whra questioned eoneernlqg . -- -- abo lo to wed a Freneh nohlemaa. In the light of recent occurrences, this seems to he shoot the most Moraeuee tho ultimate exhaustion of their riches seems In light within lew than nu- other ceotnry. These facts apparently make little Imprewlon on the present generation, who are wholly absorbed In their own In terests and therefore recreant In their duty to poeterity. They should call a halt In the needless waste that la rnnntag riot all over onr country. Home time ago I made an appeal to the millionaires of the nation to form a colo nisation scheme to transfer the ni awl Indigent of tbs great cities i W. B. HUNT AND H. C. SAUL, "NIXIE CLERK8.” Tha “Nixia" office is where the Hundreds of queer letters whose addresses cannot bo found arc sent Tho "Nixia” clerks are expert in deciphering strange addresses and many puzzle letters which would baffle tho ordi nary man arc sent to tho right address. executive mansion, hat will cmUna. _ live In hla bungalow In Untverally Park In order to be near tbe L'nlreralty of Denver, of which he will continue chancellor. Frank M. Nye, n brother of the late Nye. the humorist, Is one nr the new publican congressmen lu Minnesota. Manhattan opera bouse. New inlleat noted all nred before tbe neared before _ t | high heele nnd every other lid In ln> stature, he Is barely are foot high. stature, Colonel William KUlott BurwiK I in Increasing apotla cemeteries. He proposes t tbs fity until he locates the graves or else cenfludes that hla tux Is Impossible. The latest acquisition of the Imperial open hosae In Vienna la n former .-hiiu- ney eweep turned Llenson. He was si while eleanlne tbe chimney ,i rl h turner at Htattgart,' and bin need sits the attention of th« bouse owner, censed It to be trained.