Dec 30, 2020 23:00:00

People who have performed the amazing method of 'mailing themselves as luggage'

When traveling long distances, it is common to drive a car or board a train or plane as a passenger, but some people try unusual travel methods due to special circumstances. As a rare example, there is also a method of 'mailing yourself as'luggage'to your destination', and the overseas online magazine

Atlas Obscura explains the people who actually performed this method.

The Strangely Successful History of People Mailing Themselves in Boxes --Atlas Obscura
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-strangely-successful-history-of-people-mailing-themselves-in-boxes

There are various patterns of 'stowaway', and after the Civil War , train hopping that secretly jumps on the railroad and fulfills unpaid rides has increased, and in the early 20th century, people who stowaway by sneaking into the back of a ship or cargo compartment Has reached its peak.

Since the 20th century, some people have tried to stowaway by aircraft, but it seems that the act of stowaway hidden in the wheel storage room of an aircraft is extremely fatal. In 2014, a 15-year-old boy living in California sneaked into a wheel storage and reached Hawaii about 3700 km away , but in a 2019 survey, `` 77 of those who tried to stowaway in hiding in an aircraft. % is a 'death has been reported .

Even more special than these stowaways is the attempt to 'mail yourself as a package.' Once inside the box, movement is extremely restricted, but if done well, the risk of being found by someone is low. In addition, shipping companies such as FedEx and the United States Postal Service (USPS) ship packages in temperature-controlled pressurized warehouses, so it is relatively unlikely that they will die on the way like stowaways using aircraft. ..

Atlas Obscura describes the two people who actually went into the box and mailed themselves.

◆ Henry Box Brown
Atlas Obscura cites 'probably the most famous'person who mailed himself'' as Henry Box Brown , who was born in the United States in the 19th century. Living as a slave in Virginia, Brown planned to flee to Pennsylvania in 1849, where he had not adopted slavery.

To avoid people's eyes and escape to Pennsylvania, Brown adopted the means of 'mailing himself to the Emancipation Proclamation in Philadelphia.' Brown, who collaborated with the Emancipation Proclamation, went into the box with a bottle of water, a few biscuits, and a coarse blanket, and for $ 86 at the time (about 300,000 yen in modern value). He said he shipped himself.

After a journey of about 27 hours, Brown was delivered to an Emancipation Proclamation in Philadelphia, where he was able to live brilliantly and escape Virginia. After that, Brown began to give lectures based on his own experience, but Frederick Douglass , who was active as an emancipation proclamation in the United States at that time, said, 'A state that is not adopting slavery in a box. He was angry with Brown who didn't hide the technique of 'escape to.'

◆ Leg Spyers
More than 100 years after Brown succeeded in mailing himself, in 1964, Australian javelin thrower

Leg Spires spent a season in the UK to qualify for the Olympics. .. However, the results of the season were not good, and Mr. Spears, whose wallet was stolen, was left behind in England without a sentence.

Spires, who managed to return to Australia, came up with the idea of 'mailing a wooden box containing himself on delivery and paying the fee after returning to Australia.' Spires collaborated with his friend John Maxorley to create a 5-foot x 3-foot x 2.5-foot box. It was packed in a box with pillows, blankets, cans of food, bottled water, and empty bottles instead of toilets, and mailed to Australia as air cargo.

After overcoming difficulties such as shipping delays in London and a transit Mumbai that was too hot and almost dehydrated, Spears arrived in Australia after a three-day trip. Unboxed at Perth Airport , Spires said he pierced the airport wall, stole beer from the cargo area and hitchhiked home. In addition, Spear's plan was reported to the media by Mr. Maxorley who was worried about his safety, and the airline has canceled Mr. Spear's debt.

Spire's bizarre journey is summarized in the book Out of the Box: The Highs and Lows of a Champion Smuggler .

Of course, FedEx and the USPS ban the act of 'mailing themselves,' but Atlas Obscura writer Dan Nosowitz contacted both companies and USPS employees were asked to discuss the idea. He said he did. According to employees, some birds such as chicks and chickens, bees, some poikilotherms including children's crocodiles and chameleons, and scorpions can be mailed alive. It is not allowed to mail warm-blooded animals except for birds.

Also, the weight of your luggage is an obstacle to mailing yourself. FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS) have a weight limit of 150 pounds (about 68 kg), and USPS has a weight limit of 70 pounds (about 31 kg), so considering the weight of the box itself and food, it is not good to mail an adult. It may be quite difficult. On the other hand, major shipping companies in the United States have loose restrictions on the size of luggage, and it seems that it is quite possible to mail a box that can accommodate people.