CALPURNIA’S MAIL

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 December 1938, Page 3

CALPURNIA’S MAIL

ARDUOUS TASK IN HAND IN WELLINGTON. ADDRESSES IN SOME CASES UNREADABLE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) SYDNEY, December 28. The G.P.0., 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 names and addresses on mail salvaged from the Imperial Airways flying boat Calpurnia, which crashed in Lake Habbaniyah. 55 miles west of Bagdad, on November 27.

There is a noticeable smell in the room of a dried-up swamp, and the fact that all the mail has 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. Items of mail, on which it is possible to decipher names and addresses, are sealed and stamped: "Received in damaged condition ex flying boat Calpuria.” This is ready for forwarding immediately, but in many instances the addresses cannot be deciphered at a quick glance and this part of the mail is being laid aside for closer examination later. There is a big probability that a quantity of the salvage will never reach its owners, as in some cases articles have been separated completely from their coverings and it would be a well-nigh impossible task to put wrapper and article together. In such cases the mail matter will be removed to the Dead Letter Office, where more or less unimportant articles will be kept for the usual period and important articles for somewhat longer. After the authorities consider a sufficient time has elapsed, 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.