The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1875-01-08
Postage Stamps.

the same day in 1878. That was fo
three terms Of four years each. Th'
Continental Bank Note Company a
that time Offering to do it for one-hal
the amount required by the other com
pany, the contract was awarded to them
The Office Of the Continental is at the
corner Of Greenwich and Liberty
streets, but as it was desirable to have
the postage stamps made in perfectly
| fire. e.proof building, the fifth story of the
Equitable Life Insurance building, Oh
the corner Of Broadway and Cedar
street, was rented for that purpose.
The Office here is for the use OF Mr..
Daniel NJ. Boyd, the government agent,
and Mr.. Charles T. Steel, the agent
and superintendent appointed by the
company. The facts given in regard to
the making OF the stamps were obtained
by your correspondent from Mr.. Henry
Bowen, Mr.. Boyd's assistant. Two
passenger elevators run to the top of
the building, and on leaving them, the
only entrance to the postage stamp
rooms is by means of q door which is
constantly kept locked and guarded by
a janitor, who always sits inside to an
swer the bell which is just outside. On
the right hand side are the Office and
printing room, and away to the left, at
the front of the building, are the other
rooms used in making the stamps.
In printing, steel plates are Used, on
which 200 stamps are engraved. Two
men are kept hard at work, covering
them with the colored inks and passing
them to man and girl, who are equally
busy at printing them with large rolling
hand-presses. Three of these little
squads are employed all the time,
although ten presses can be put into use
in case of necessity. After the small
sheets of paper upon which the 200
stamps are engraved have dried suff-
GENTLY they are sent into another room
and gummed. The gum used for this
purpose is peculiar composition, made
Of the powder of dried potatoes and
ether vegetables mixed with water,
which is better than any other kind, for
instance, gum arabic, which cracks the
paper badly. This paper is also of
peculiar texture, somewhat similar to
that used for bank notes. After having
been again dried, this time On racks,
which are famed by steam power for
about an hour, they are put between
sheets of pasteboard and pressed in
hydraulic presses, capable of applying
a weight of two hundred tons. The next
thing is to cut the sheets in half each
sheet, of course, when cut, contains a
hundred stamps. This is done by girl
with large pair of shears, cutting by
hand being preferred to that of maehin-
cry, which method would destroy too
many stamps. They are passed to two
other squads, who in as many opera
tions perforate the sheets between the
stamps. Next they are pressed once
more, and then packed and labeled, and
packed away in another room, prepara-
tory to being put in mail-bags for dis
patching to fulfill orders. If single
stamp is torn, or in any way mutilated,
the whole sheet of one hundred is
burned. About five hundred thousand
are burned every week from this cause.
For the past twenty years not a single
sheet has been lost, such care is taken
in counting them. During the process
of manufacturing the sheets are counted
eleven times.
There are $4,000 postoflces through
out the country, and they use in the
course of one year 100000, 900 postage |
stamps. A week or two since 64, ,O00,-
600 finished and $1,000, COO unfinished |
stamps were put into the safes. The
New York post-offics alone uses 120,- |
000, 900 year, somewhat over one-sizth
of the whole number used, or equal to
the amount required by 5000 other
Offices. Four times year the different
post-ofices send an order for the num-
ber of stamps they expect to have ocea-
sion to use during the coming three
months. Of course, if they run out
during that time, they are at liberty to
send for more. The Office here in New
York is supplied differently. Twice a
month an order is sent for about 5000 |
of various denominations. Three cent
stamps are, of course, in much greater
demand than those of any other
value. In answer to the orders
the stamps are made and sent to
the offices, and there counted i'm
medi- tely in the presence of
witness. An accompanying blank re- !
ceipt is filed up and sent to the third |
assistant postmaster at Washington,
who has charge of this branch of the
post-office department.. The pay of the
MAORI of postmasters is not by any
means extravagant. The holder of that
position in Guthrie, Ind, receives the
small salary of 81 per annum, and
there are many others who get the
same. Others get two, three, four,
five, and SO ON mp to $4,000. Al
though a salary OF few dollars is
not in itself of importance, the holding
of such an Office generally is. For in
stance, in a little village the postmaster
is almost always the owner of the gro
Gerry store, AMI TIE villagers, while wait
ing for the mail, find it convenient to
lay in stock Of provisions, SO that the