The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-30
PROPOSALS..
PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOCKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, I
WASHINGTON, ID. O.. Sept. II, 1873. )
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS

WASHINGTON, ID. u, sept. IL, 1873.
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS
Will be received at this Department until II
O'clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE-
GENDER, 1874, for furnishing. under separate
contracts, two different kinds of padlocks and
keys one for the sole and exclusive use of regfs-
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 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 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-
qnisite to open them, must not be like any now or
hitherto in public or private use, and must not
have been exhibited, described OF exposed, in
any manner tending to impair their security and
usefulness for the mails aud it 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 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 and 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 violcnee) 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 distinguishable 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, countersunk, 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 appendices 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-
Clustered MALI and also such number, Tin
figures, each, not less than Ole of an inch long)
as may be ordered different number, not ex-
ceedng 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
mails are to be uniformly alike, ex-
cepting the numbers marked on them, and all
their keys, which should be case-hardened iron
and nickelplated, are TO be also alike, so that
any one of all the keys which may be furnished
for them shall easily fit and readily open any
one and all of the locks. The keys should have
a shank nearly two inches long between the bit
and the bow, and the bow should be solid, with
a small hole through it, and have stamped on
one side the words, "U. S. Registered lfai1,''
and upon the opposite side such number lin
figures not less than one-eighth of az 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 shacke, and should be sheltered
by sufficient jutting out of the upper and lower
rim around that part of the wall. The interior
mechanism of the lock should be in q position
somewhat remote from the key-hole. and be
operated easily by its key, which should be fat,
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 The
face of each lock is to have upon it "U s.. Street
Letter Bor'' in either raised sunk letters, and
any other letters besides not exceeding three that
may be ordered. All the locks and keys of the
same letter or letters are TO be adapted 10 each
other, and no lock is to be opened by any key not
marked with the same letter or letters.
The lock of each kind contracted for must be
delivered according to order, at the Post Office
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-
taiI ing not more than two hundred locks each.
The keys to such locks are to be strung, by the
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.
lied to receive them and convey the same from
the mandatory to this Department, where both
the locks and keys are to be inspected and APP
proved as comfortable to the adopted sample
before they shall be paid for.
From the sample locks and keys submitted
under this advertisement, the Postmaster
General will make q selection for contract, un-
less he should deem 1t proper for the interests OF
the service, to decline accepting any of the pro.
posals and samples presented. Therefore the
right to reject any and all the proposals and
samples is hereby reserved to him.
A decision on the several proposals and various
samples submitted will be made on or before the
second day of February, 1874, and within thirty
days thereafter the bidder or bidders whose pro.
posals may have been accepted must enter into
contract with bond and sccurity as hereinafter
specified.
The contracts which may be made will be for
the term of four years from AID after the first
day of January, 1874.
The contractor for Registered Mail Locks and
Keys will be required by contract to furnish said
locks and keys in such quantities, and at such
times, Us may be ordered by the Postmaster
General, and must agree, and be able, to furnish
three thousand of such locks and six hundred of
such keys, if so ordered, within three months
thereafter any further quantities of such locks
and keys as the same may be ordered. On enter
ing into this contract the contractor must exc
cute bond in the penalty of ten thousand dol
lars with two sufficient sureties Certified by the