The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-01-09
Postage Stamps.

Every United States postage stamp in
use is made here in New York. The
contract was held by the American Bank
Note Company from July 1, 1868, until
the same day in 1873. That was for
three terms of four years each. The
Continental Bank Note Company at
that time offering to do it for one-half
the amour. req uired 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 proof building, the fifth tory of the
Equitable Life Insurance building, on
the corner of Broadway and Cedar
street, was rented for that purpose.
The office here is for the use of Mr..
Daniel M. Boyd, the government agent,
and Mr.. Charles F. 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 a door which is
constantly kept locked and guarded by
q 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
he front of the building, are the other
poms used in making the stamps.
I'm printing, steel plates are used, on
witch 200 stamps are engraved. Two
me- are kept hard at work, covering
theA with the colored inks and passing
then to a man and girl, who are equally
busyat printing them with large rolling
handpresses. Three of these little
squad are employed all the time,
althouh ten presses can be put into use
in case of necessity. After the small
sheets paper upon which the 200
stamps re engraved have dried sufi-
GENTLY thy are sent into another room
and gumned. The gum used for this
purpose ispeculiar composition, made
of the posder of dried potatoes and
ether vegetables mixed with water,
which is better than any other kind, for
instance, gun arabic, which cracks the
paper badly. This paper is also of a
peculiar texture, somewhat similar to
that used tor hhk notes. After having
been again died, this time on racks,
which are fannd by steam power for
about an hour, they are put between
sheets of pastehard and pressed in
hydraulic presses capable of applying |
a weight OF two hQdred tons. The next |
thing is to cut theheets in half each |
sheet, of course, Then cut, contains a |
hundred stamps. his is done by q girl
with large pair oshears, cutting by
hand being preferreSto that of machin-
cry, which method sould DESTROY too
many stamps. They're passed to two
other squads, who mas many opera.
tions perforate the 'shs IT'S between the
stamps. Next they al pressed once
more, and then packed Id labeled, and |
packed away in another pom, prepare
tory to being put in maibags for dis
patching to fulfill orderss IF a single |
stamp is torn, or in any wa. mutilated, |
the whole sheet of one undred is |
burned. About five hundres thousand |
are burned every week from lis cause.
For the past twenty years noa single
sheet has been lost, such cares taken
in counting them. During theorocess
of manufacturing the sheets are Suuted |
eleven times.
There are SO, 900 postoffices thiueh-
out the country, and they use II the
course of one year 700. O00, 600 poas9e
stamps. A week or two since 64,OO.-
600 finished and $1,000. 900 unfinisAd
stamps were put into the safes. Te
New York post-office alone uses 126
600, 900 year, somewhat over one-sixtl
of the whole number used, or equal I'd
the amount required by 5000 other
offices. Four times year the different
post-offices send an order for the num-
Der of stamps they expect to have occa-
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 q
month an order is sent for about SOC, 900
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 stan-. are made and sent to
the offices, and there counted inn
medi tely in the presence of a
witness. An accompanying blank re-