The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-11-01

PROPOSALS
FOR MAIL LOCKS AND KEYS.
POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, !
WASHINGTON, ID. O.. Sept. II, 1873. }

WASHINGTON, d. o.. Sept. H. 1873. }
SEPARATE SEALED PROPOSALS
Will be received at this Department until i
o'clock noon, the FIFTEENTH DAY OF DE
GENDER, 1873, for fumis hing, under separate
contracts, two different kinds of padlocks ane
keys one for the sole and exclusive use of regis
tered through mails, and the other for the sol'
and exclusive use OF street letter bores
Everyproposal must be accompanied with du
plcate samples of the locks and keys thereby
offered to be furnished /; one of each kind o.
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 pa
tent, the name of the patentee must be attslthed
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
Guy hidliileI tnelr security ana
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 1t 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 to
make them distinguishable at glance from the
locks of the street letter 5ores, 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 well.
shouldered, couatersunk, and headed at both
ends. The shell 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, ~. s. Re-
Clustered Mail" and also such number, Tin
figures, each, not less than 5-l6 of an inch long
as may be ordered; 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 me al. All the locks for
registered mails are to be uniformly alike, ex-
cepting the numbers marked on them. and I'LL
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 solld, with
q small hole through it, and have stamped on
one side the words, gu s. Registered Mail,"
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 a 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 jutting out of the upper and lower
rim around that part OF the wall. The interior
mechanism of the lock should be in a 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 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 gu s. Street
Letter Ror' 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 TO 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.
taxing 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.
lieu W iccciNo uiiu Coufty tnt ShIi6 lIOl1
the mandatory to this Department, where both
the locks and keys are to be Inspected and APP
proved comformable 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 selection for contract I'M
less he should deem it 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.
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 security as hereinafter
specified.
The contracts which may be made will be for
the term of four years from and 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, as 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
after the receipt of such order, and to furnish
thereafter any further quantities of such locks
and keys as the same may be ordered On enter
H. 80