The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-10-29
PROPOSALS.
PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOOKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Sept. II, 1873.
PROPOSALS.
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS

SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS
viii be received at this Department until IL
o'clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE-
CEMBER, 1878, for furnis hing. under separate
contracts, two different kinds Of padlocks and
keys one for the sole and exclusive use of regis
tered through mails, and the other for the sole
and exclusive use of street letter boees.
Every proposal must be accompanied with du-
plicaie 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.
sgnee.
The internal plan or arran cement of the locks
offered, and the particular form of the keys re-
qnisteto 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 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. M IS
| 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-
| IRENE 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 te
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 o.
hard and tough brass, excepting the shackle and
| rivets, which must be iron, the latter well
| shouldered, countersunk, and headed at botf
ends. The shell or case of such locks must no
have sharp angles, and must be free from
knobs, escutcheons, or other appendages likel,
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, il
letters sufficiently large and distinct, 80. s. RI
Clustered Mall and also such number, iii
figures, each, not less than bl6 of an inch long
as may be ordered a different number, not q,
ceeding four places of figures in any case, bein
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 tt
shell be made of cast me al. All the locks e
registered mails are to be uniformly alike, Q,
: cepting the numbers marked on them. and u
their keys, which should be case-hardened ire
and nickei-plated, are TO be also alike, so thi
, any one OF all the keys which may be furnshe
/. for them shall easily fit and readily open an
: one and all of the locks. The keys should ha,