The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-12-12
PROPOSALS.
PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOCKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT,
WAsHIssTos, ID. c.. Sept. II, 1873.


SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS
win be received at this Department until IL
o'clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE-
OEMBER, 1873 for furnishing, under separate
contracts. two different kinds Of padlocks and
keys one for the sole and exclusive use of regis
tered through maits, and the other for the sole
and exclusive use of street letter bones.
Every proposal must be accompanied with du-
pllcate 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.
ternai 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. It 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
stgnse. gss 81 Nt
The internal plan or arrangement of the locks
offered, and the particular form of the keys re-
auIsite to open them, must not be like any now or
hithsrto 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 1t will be an i'm
portant consideration In favor of any lock and
key submitted 1t, 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 and durability
Every such lock, while it must be secure from
being opened by any other means than by Its
peculiar key, (lnless desgnedly broken by ex
treme and obvious yiolence.) must be devoid o
any intrieacy in opening with the proper key
and be capable of being securely shut withoa
the use Of the key. The shape or size of thu
ocks for registered mails should be such as U
make them distingnishable at glance from tn
locks of the street letter borss, 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 c
hard and tough brass, excepting the shackle an
riyets, which must be iron, the latter wei
shouldsred, countersunk, and headed at bot
ends. The shell or case of such locks must nc
have sharp angles, and must be free froi
knobs, escutcheons, or other appendices lkel
to be compressed. battered, or knocked out
order by the peculiarly hard usage Of the servic
Each lock Is to have outside upon Its face,
letters sufficiently large and distinct, ~ s. r
gtstered Mail.'' and also snch number,
figures, each, not less than Ole of an inch long
as may be ordered a different number, not e
ceeding four places of figures in any case, beil
required on each lock. Such words and figur
are to be sunk by stamping, il the shell be ma
Of wrought or sheet brass, or to be raised il Z
shell be made of cast mefah An the locks I
registered mails are to be uniformly alike, .
cepting the numbers marked on them. and |
their keys which should be case.hardened II