Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-05-06
WHOLE NUMBER s..
lIannfaataEs 3 - -.


@ 1 l1 s-4-e-
F THE designs for the stamps are 6Fst eagrav.
ed on dies, taken up on rolls, and thea l1ans-
terred to . large steel plate BY the process Of
multiplication. the hardening roll beng aap-
piled excessively to every portion Of the sur
face till the dies Of two hundred stamps arc
made. The plate being now hardened, gees
TO the printing room. The process Of PRINT
ing IS very simple, the plate being mixed,
then laid in the press the moistened sheet
being placed on it, the roll passed once over
it, and two hundred postage stamps are print
ed At one operation. A weak oils used. 80
that the stamp may not be saturated, as the
paper is not SO highly sized as that used for
bank notes. Carmine gives the red color to
the 3-cent stamp, pale ultra-marine ths bide
TO the penny stamp, chrome green the tint to
the lO-oent stamp while the 5-eent denomi-
nation is printed on brown, the l2-eeng in
black, tho 24-eent in purple, the 3O-cent in
orange, and the 9O-cent IN intense ultra-ma-
rine From the press the sheets 20 to the
drying-room, where they are piled in canvass
covered frames or racks, so arranged that each
days work, and even each mans task is kept
by ITSELF They go next to be gumned--la-
Dor which is entirely performed BY girls.
The sheets are laid in piles, face down; each
girl has a copper basin Of gum and soft Cat
brush, with which she finishes sheet with
few strokes. Each girl gums Loo sheets. Or
100000 stamps in day. &
The gum used for this purpose Is prepared
by one man only, WHO keeps the formula Of
its manufacture profound secret. The gum
med are placed in racks similar to those used
in the drying-rOom, and piled up in the room
for half day, or 3 day and hall, as the At
mospheFe may be more or less dry, and when
thoroughly dried are laid between paste board
leaves and subjected to powerful pressure.
The sheets are now cut in halves, 30 as to
leave one hundred on sheet and are then
taken into another room, where the holes be-
tween the stamps are perforated By machin-
cry. This operation IS performed by passing
the sheets 6rst in one direction and then
across, between two sets Of narrow brass
cylinders on shafts, the upper set being fur
nished with small steel punches, and the 9th
er perforated with holes or dies to correspond.
The operation is instantaneous, tie whole
eleven rows holes being made at once.
The cylinders are adjustable on shafrs, so that
stamps Of any size can be perforated by the
same machine. E1I
The stainps are now finished, the onlysrs-
naming duty Of the attendants being to count
md inspect them, after which they are placed
n the safe, and sent in packages wherever
Government directs. Each machine, worked
y girl for twelve hours, periorates 10000
tamp day one way, or half that number if
he holes are made in both directions. Last
ear the Postofice Department used ZIG 06O-
90 postage stamps Of al denominations. while
his year the increase win not fall far short Of
0, 100000. sr5'7 asF
OF all the denominations Of stamps the red,
+ Scent ones, are most in demand, about
lree times as many Of ihen being used As
the penny stamps, Next to the penny
le lO-cent denomination is most in request;
ext, the II cent then the 24-cent and 50 on
-the 90-cent one, Of course, being required
IS THAI any other. Stamps being really the
= 50 much money, the great
II care Is taken to gnard against dishonesty
? Inc part Of the workmen; and so perfect
the system Of checks that the loss Of
ngle penny stamp can be detected with ab-
lutte ertainty.-ScisEtifc AB1erioGH.