Basement of Lehman Hall Repository For Running Pants And Symphony Tickets--Apted Tells of Booming Business

"Harvard men have been losing things for a long time and the procedure for returning them has become fairly well defined through the ages," stated Major C. R. Apted '06, Superintendent of Caretakers, yesterday. The Lost and Found Department in the basement of Lehman Hall, he explained, is one business which is still booming, even in face of hard times. Each day goodies, janitors, and Yard cops bring in their haul of lost articles, ranging from running pants to Symphony tickets.

Business is most brisk in glasses, galoshes, scarfs, and green bags, according to Apted. At the present time, the office is holding seven pairs of spectacles for possible claimants, and two and one-half pairs of gloves. Second-hand books are a constant source of trouble. Frequently, the name inscribed in the book is that of the owner once or twice removed. A few weeks ago, a postcard was sent to a student in regard to a book which he had sold at a second-hand bookstore four years ago. In another case, a student who came in to reclaim a lost book, caught sight of another one, which he was anxious to buy. On checking with the apparent owner, it was found that he had sold it to a second-hand bookstore the year before, but he cheerfully agreed to sell it again for $.50.

Banjos and mandolins have sometimes figured in the day's catch, and on one occasion, a victrola was gathered up after an initiation on the steps of Widener. Phillips Brooks House profits considerably from the forgetfulness of Harvard men, as unclaimed articles are given to them at the end of three months. On Friday, February 10, the date of its last consignment, the following articles were received: 47 felt hats, 2 berets, 27 notebooks, 78 textbooks, and one pair of running pants.

All lost articles are turned in at Lehman Hall, where a search is made for possible initials or names, and if found, a postcard is dispatched to the owner, telling him of his loss. In case the owner cannot be found, the article is kept in the basement office for three months, after which it is generally passed on to Phillips Brooks House or some charitable institution.