Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1875-05-04
How Postage Stamps are Made.

- tN - 80 '''S S'S SAteSAS'
How Postage Stamps are Made.
In printing, steel plates arc used on which
two hundred stamps are engraved. Two men
are kept hard at work covering them with the
cOlored inks aud passing them to a man aud
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 bo put into use in
case of necessity. After the small sheets of
paper upon which tho two hundred stamps are
engraved have dried enough, they arc sent
into another room and Gummed, The gum
used for this purpose is n peculiar cOmposiS
tion, made Of the powder Of driod potatoes
and other.vegctables mixed with water. which
is better than any other material, for instance,
gum arabic, which cracks tho paper badly
This paper is also of peculiar texture, some>
what similar TO that used for bank notes.
After hnving been again dried. this time ON
little racks, which are famed by steam power
for about an hour, they aro put in between
sheets of pasteboard and pressed in hydraulic
presses, capable of applying weight of two
Thousand tons. Tho next thing is to cut tho
sheets in half; each sheet; of course when
cut, contains hundred stamps. This is done
by girl with large pair of shears, cutting
by hand being preferred to that of machinery,
which method would destroy too many stamps
They are then passed to two other squads,
who, in as many operations perforate the
sheets between the stamps. Next they are
pressed once more, aud then packed and la
beIled, and slowed away in another room,
preparatory to being put in mail bags for dis
patching to fulfill orders. II single stamp
is torn, or in amy way mutlated, tho whole
sheet of ono hundred is burned About Eve
hundred thousand are burned every week from
this cause. For the past twenty years not
single sheet has been lost, such care has been
taken in counting them. During tho pros
gress Of manufacturing, the sheets are count
cd eleven times.
o. Tho Washington correspondent 6f the Bal
timOrc Sun says: Some OF tLo best relief sOcio
ties in the country tn aid the colorcd population
of the District are now being organized in Mary
land and Virginia. Ihor meet in the open fields
Mt regular Intervals, 20 from lnjor to rCITesh-
moot. bavo three square meals per day and COM
Portable lodgings; their weekly benefits will
support n laborcr and his family. and their motto
Is Tho labOrer IS worthy of his biTe.' Their
principal implements are the plow, tho hoe, the
scythe and the spade. They arc no 'GailIlean
fishermen to wait for miraculous drauRlts of
fishes, but are expected work with a will
Any farmer in the neiguboring counties Is IN
cruits for 10 left here Saturday in charge OF Gn
agent of one of the VIrRnlu railroads"
G1- The ANIMAL meeting OF tic Northwestern
Branch of the WOmcn's Presbyterian Board of
Foreign Missions was bcld at Milwaukee n few
days ago. when in response TO an appeal for con-
tributloUs toward CentOunial Memorial Mis-
sion Fnnd. lady passed up gold ring. This
little episode, sGvs tho Chicago ITiLume, wos
the spark to klndIO flame of religions aud
charitable fcTvOT among the indies present -
Purses were cmpted in a twinkling, and por-
tect bonanza of IingR. brooches, earrings and
iewelry of all sorts were hastily taken from tho
persons of the wearers and sent to tho platform
The excitement did not stop here. Among tue
articles pledged were numerous valuable dresses,
to be cold for tho benefit Of tic cause.
0o- The Russians arc discussing tho coustruc-
ton of canal 10 join together the Cnspiau and
Black seuB. TIE Ca piaD is Ealf lnke. from 100
TO $50 feet depth of water, Which is cOBiderably
below tho level of that of tho Black, owing to
the copiOus evaporation under tho fierce summer
heat. the canal is proposed TO be 55O mites long
thus constituting 1t q far larger and cOStIer en-
terorise than the Suez uanal Russia actually
has coastinR fleet of 500 vessels, Of Cs 80 ton
mage, on the Caspian, and is it's exclusive mis-
treSs. with tho exception of n few Persian skifs.
tB- Tho CinciHoaa Eaqutty throws cold waser
on whati 1t reRn.ds rs movement Of tine New
York democracy to crowd Governor Tilden on
the party its presidential standard-beaTcf in
1876. It SAYS that New York has had it's full
share of such hOnnTs: that II had General George
B. Mcclellan in 1864. HOratio Seymour in 1903,
and Horace Greeley in 1872 and that it 70 about
time that New Y0rkers should learn that there
are faithful democrats outside of the great State
of New York.
eJ- The coal lands of West Virginia a,e COM
ing into great value. Mr.. J. G. W. TIompkins,
residing at Charleston, has sold ,O35 acres Of
land on the north side Of Kaunwha river. to tho
Supply Coal and Iron Company Of Boston, at
5000. Tie improvement Of the KnnaWha
river BY the app ODriatioH recently made by Con-
gress, so as to facilitate navigation. will add
greatly to the value of the mineral lOndsin that
section
00-At meeting of ez- Confederate soldiers in
Memphis. Tenn. to arrange for decorating the
graves of CODfedeTates on MaV 22d, resolution
was uuaIEimously adopted a.tEiDg all cz-fedcraI
soldiers to participate IN tDc ceremonier. Among
those present at the meeting were e1.PresIdent
Jefferson Davis, ex-governor 1sIam g. HaFI1sS
| aud Generals Cotton. GreSn ana 0'rdoD'
nrtThere Is not d1n kTDg saloon IN But chins,
! Towa. Ttere used to BE- four5 but the widow of
! n man who froze to death after getting drDnkin
/ them sued the proprietors. and gained y verdict
! of $3.50 against each. The liquor business is
beeou1ilig Improbable IN Iowa since the passage
| of the ciVII damage law
NJ. A little girl only nine years old Travelled
sione from Pennington, MINI, TO searsport Me-,
her passport being letter from AasODiciodge
| stating tbat her father was mason ard she an
age,,H lo-- nira 0or sIo-,r o1,o