The Nevada journal., 1861-10-18
4,tIE NEW POSTAGE STAMPS.
HOW THEY ARE MKDE-AsD WHAT THEY ARE
LIKE

HOW THEY ARE MADE-AND WHAT lnEi AnH
LIKE.
In a late number of the New York Eoen-
ina Post, we find an interesting Description
of the new designs and the method BY winch
they are manufactured;
THE NEW DESIGN.
There are eight classes -one, three, hVe,
ten, twelve, twenty four, thirty and ninety
cent stamps, embracing line engraving
heads of Washington, Franklin and Jeffer-
son, from Portraits painted by Stuart, Trun-
huu and Houdon. The head of Washington
-frohrt view ana profle-is used in the
stamps'of Eve different denominations Each
stamp contains on the upper end the words
"U. S. Postage" and at the upfe@ corners
the denomination or value i'll figures, and
the value is also expressed in letters on the
lower erd, with "U" on the left, and 5
on the right handcorner,
The one cent stamp, printed in tint OF
pale tltramarine, has 2 profile bust OIL
Franklin, which, like all the heads IN tnc
dieerent stamps is on geometrical lathe
work ground as a security against coun-
terfeitinp. The design OF the three-cent
s,amn is the best of the new issue. The
uortrait is from Ioudon's Lust, and the oo-
long background is elaborate and artistic
The tint is delicate carmine.
The FIVE cent stamp is very handsome,
and is graced by spirited portrait OF JET
farson. from Stuart soriginal, at Richmond,
virginia. The fgHre is oval, surrounded
by lathework, anG the tint is brown.
The ten, twelve, and twenty -four-cent de-
nominations contain likenesses of Washing
ton. from StGarts %ell-known painting,
duplicate originals" Senate Chamber at
Hartford, Conn. 1t has been more gene:-
ally copied and engraved .han my other
norira5t of Washington. Tie ten-ceht
stamp is print, in green. The twelve IS
an oval surrounded by latheTork, ana
printed in black and the twenty-tour-cea Mt
stamp is an ornamental shield, printed IN
purple.
Tbo-e of the valu. Of 50 cents cchtain
bust Of Franklin, in 4 circle surrounded
hy appropriate ornaments, and are printed
in orange.
The last-the n;nety-cert stamp-bears
Trumbulrs head of Washington, in an evaf,
oru.. nrentcd d, ana the color is ja~h ultra.na-
rine.
THE Pre- CESS OF HASUFAcTURE.
As in bank rota plates, :ha desig. is on
gra,ed upon steel plate, wh;cl is ha7c-
ened and taken tip" Gil dccar5onIzed
cylinder, which in trru IS Hardened, aau
then transferred by Presses of enormous
power to the plate from which the stamps
arc fnal1y printed. All ti'e resources ..
first class engraving establishment are en-
ployed; the work must be artistic, aud SUR
| rounded with those securities which add
20 the beaatr of the design, and at the same
time render their imitation expensive
rot Impossible.
The employment Of transferring machine
allows the repetition of tEe same design tt
IN indefaitc eatent, and the cyhudrlca
dies, as in Tie case of bank note vignetteS
are used 20 produce new plates, or to re
touch those worn IN the process ofprinting
Thus, a single die IS repeated on slngl
plate, by I6 inches, 2e0 times and tn
plate when finished is ready fer the printer
The process Of printing is the same as ii
ordinary copper or steel work. The ink
applied so as to fill the lines of the engraT
ing, the plate is wiped clean, the dampene'
paper applied, and the impression taken O.
a cylinder press. There are nine presses
this establishment, six of them driven b
steam, and now running night and day t
meet the demand for the new stamps.
THE CUNNING PROCESS.
From the press the sheets are taken 7
the dry in room and dried in an atmospher
heated to about one hundred and twent
degrees, after which they are gummed III
adhesive applied is 4 secret of the inventor
but for the benefit of those who wet ia
stamps on their tongues, (Which is matte
of taste,) it may be stated that the neV
gum is an Improvement upcn what ha
heretofore been used, and contains small
quantity of sugar. The gum is applied b.
hand. In drying the gummed sheets NJ
less than $500 snall frames, with canva
coverings and each containing two sheet
of stamps, are employed. They ave lait
upon each other, making huge piles, anC
almost filling the large sized room devoted
to this department of the manufacture. TIL,
smoothing of the sheets in a hydraulic pres:
completes the process. The work i'll thi:
room is performed almost e1c!nsii ely by
girls.
/ PERFoRATIor.
The perforation of the spaces between
the stamps, so Us 20 facilitate dividing them
as well as to promote by the roughness d
the edges, their adhesion, is rapid and Pc
culiar operation. 1t is done 5y means Of re-
yolying cylinders, armed on the surfaces
with rows of circular cutting instruments
and which, as the sheets pass, cuts rows of
holes. Each sheet IL drawn twice through
the machine, in different directions, cutting
completely around every stamp.
The sheets are afterwards divided, leav
ing 100 stamps on each half:
1t Il