The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-22
PROPOSALS.
PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOCKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, I
WASHINGTON. d. o.. Sept. II, 1873. !
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS

SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS
viii be received at this Department until IL
O'Clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE-
CEMBER. 1873, for furnishing. under separate
contracts. two different kinds of padlocks and
Keys: for the sole and exclusive use of regts-
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 riyeted up and finished, and
another to be open or unriveted, 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 pa
tent, the name Of the patentee must be attached
thereto. 1t must also be such Us 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; aud 1t will be an i'm.
portant consideration in favor of any lock and
key submitted it, being otherwise suitable, it
shall have been invented specially for the pur-
pose for which 1t 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 and durability.
Every such lock, while it must be secure from
being opened by any other means than by its
peculiar key. (unless designediy broken by ex-
trerne and obvious violence) must be devoid OF
any intrieacy 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
ocks for registered mails should be such as to
make them distlnguishable at glance from the
locks Of the street letter bones, 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
riyets, which must be iron, the latter well
shouldered, couatersunb, and headed at botf
ends. The shell or case of such locks must no
have sharp angles, and must be free from
knobs, escutcheons, OF other appendices likely
to be compressed. battered, or knocked out o
order by the peculiarly hard usage of the service
Each lock is to have outside upon its face, Ii
letters sufficiently large and distinct, az. s. Re
Gtstred Mail" and also such number, III
figures, each, not less than Ole Of an inch long,
as may be ordered different number, not ex
seeding four places of figures in any case. beinI
required on each lock. Such words and figure
are to be sunk by stamping, If the shell be mad
OF wrought or sheet brass, or to be raised If tn
sneh be made Of east me al. All the locks 70
trsistered mails are to be uniformly alike, ex
oepung the numbers marked on them. and III
saeir Keys, which should be case-hardened iro