The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-08
PROPOSALS.
PROPOsALs.
PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOCKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT., [
WAsHINeToS, ID. o., Sept. IL, 1873. )
PROPOSALS
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS

Will be received at this Department until IL
o'clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE-
GENDER, 1873 for furnis hing. under separate
contracts, two different kinds of padlocks and
keys one for the sole and exclusive of regis
tered through mails, and the other for the sole
and exclusive use Of street letter bores.
Every proposal must be accompanied with du-
plicate samples Of the locks and keys thereby
offered to be furnished one Of each kind of
sample lock to be riveted up and finished, and
another to be open or unriyeted, SO that its in.
ternal structure and arrangement may readily
be examined. Each sample should be plainly
marked with the bidders name, and If the
same, or any part thereof, be covered by a pa
tent the name of the patentee must be attached
thereto. 1t must also be such as shall be war.
rented to not infringe on any patented invention
of which the bidder is not the patentee or as.
signee.
[ The Internal plan or arrangement of the locks
offered, and the particular form of the keys re-
quisite to open them, must not be like any now or
hitherto in public or private use, and must not
have been exhibited, described or exposed, in
any manner tending to impair their security and
usefulness for the mails and it will be an i'm.
portant consideration In favor of any lock and
key submitted it, being otherwise suitable, 1t
shall have been invented Specially for the pur-
pose for which it is offered.
Locks suitable for the registered mails, or for
the street letter boxes, should not exceed eight
ounces each in weight, and should possess high
degree of security, strength ana durability.
Every such lock, while it must be secure from
being opened by any other means than by its
peculiar key, (unless designedly broken by ex-
treme and obvious violence) must be devoid of
any intricacy in opening with the proper key,
and be capable of being securely shut without
the use Of the key. The shape or size of the
locks for registered mails should be such as to
make them dstinguishable at glance from the
locks of the street letter bores and both should,
by their external shape, be instantly distinguish.
able from the mail locks now in use.
The Registered Mail Locks should be made of
hard and tough brass, excepting the shackle and
rIvets, which must be iron, the latter we'll
shouldered, couutersunk, and headed at both
ends. The shell or case of such locks must not
have sharp angles, and must be free from
knobs, escutcheons, or other appendages likely
to be compressed battered, or knocked out Of
order by the peculiarly hard usage Of the service
Each lock Is to have outside upon its face, in
letters sufficiently large and distinct, "U s. Re-
giStered Mail,p and also such number, lin
figures, EACH not less than Ole of an inch long,)
as may be ordered !. a different number, not ex-
ceeding four places of figures in any case, being
required ON each lock-. Such words and figures
are to be sunk by stamping, If the shell be made
of wrought or sheet brass, or to be raised if the
shell be made of cast metal. All the locks for
regis tered mails are to be uniformly alike, ex-
cepting the numbers marked on them, and all
their keys, which should be case-hardened iron
and nickel plated, are TO be also alike, SO that
any one of all the keys which may be furnished
for them shall easily lit and readily open any
one and all of the locks. The keys should have
shank nearly two inches long between the bit
and the bow, and the bow should be solid, with
small hole through 1t, and have stamped on
one side the words, "U s. Registered Mail,'
and upon the opposite side such number lin
figures not less than one-eghth of an inch long,
as may be ordered; every key to have different
number of which none will exceed four places
of figures.
The locks for the Street Letter Boxes are to
be made of hard and tough brass, and the key
hole of each lock should be in the lowest part of
the wall of the shell or case, when the lock is
| hanging by its shackle, and should be sheltered
by sufficient juttng out of the upper and lower
rim around that part of the wall. The interior
| mechanism Of the lock should be in position
somewhat remote from the key-hole, and be
| operated easily by its key, which should be nat,
| made of steel, and be of convenient length and
sufficient strength and stiffness. The bow of the
key should be solid, with q small hole through
| it, and is to have "U s. Letter Carrier" stamped
| on one SIDE ard such figures and letters stamped
| on the opposite side as may be ordered. Inc
face of each lock is to have upon it W 8. STREE
Letter Bor'' in either raised or sunk letters, and
any other letters besides not exceeding three that
NAV be ordered. All the locks and keys of the
| same letter or letters are to be adapted TO each
other, and no lock is to be opened by any key mol
marked with the same letter or letters.
The lock of each kind contracted Tor must be
delivered according to order, at the Post Once
Department, at the risk and expense OF the con
tractor, put up in pasteboard boxes OF five locks
each, and packed in strong wooden boxes con
tair ing not more than two hundred locks each
The KEYS to such locks are to be strung by th'
natural series OF numbers, on wire rods, each con
tanning one hundred keys, and are to be delivered
to an agent of the Department specially author
ICED to receive them and convey the same from
the mandatory to this Department, where Doll
the locks and keys are to be inspected and ap
nroyed as comfortable to the adopted sample
before they shall be paid for.
From the sample locks and keys submitted
!. under this advertisement, the Postmaste
II General will make a selection for contract, ua
less he should deem it proper for the interests
the service, to decline accepting any OF the pre-
posals and samples presented. Therefore tn
right to reject any and all the proposals an
, samples is hereby reserved to him.