DAMAGED AIR MAIL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19824, 29 December 1938, Page 7

DAMAGED AIR MAIL

SALVAGE FROM CALPURNIA DECIPHERING ADDRESSES (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, this day. The General Post Office, Wellington, usually presents a scene of bustle and haste over the Christmas and New Year period, but in one room this morning feverish activity was to be seen. Ten specially selected members of the staff are employed in the arduous task of sorting and deciphering the names and addresses on the mail salvaged from Imperial Airways' liner Calpurnia, which crashed in Lake Hablbaniya'h, 55 miles west of Bagdad, on November 27. There was a noticeable smell in the room of dried-up swamp, and the fact that all the mail had been fumigated does not lessen the rather stuffy atmosphere. Altogether there are 60 .bags of mail, some of which arrived last week, but the major portion by the Awatea on Monday. The mail on which it is possible to decipher the names and addresses are scaled and stamped “Received in damaged condition ex flying-boat Calpurnia.” This is ready for forwarding immediately, but a very great amount is tinable to be deciphered at a quick glance, and tins is being laid aside for closer examination later.

There i.s a .big probability that a quantity of the salvage will never find its owners as, in some cases, the articles have been separated completely from the coverings and it will be well-nigh an impossible task to put the wrapper and the article together. In such cases the matter will be removed to the Dead Letter Office, where the more or less unimportant articles will be kept for the usual period and important articles for .somewhat longer. After the authorities consider sufficient time has lapsed, the goods will be disposed of. It is 'hoped to have the decipherable portion of the mail cleaned up by the end of the week, but the rest will take a considerable time.