Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-01-02
POSTAGE STAMPS
How They Are Made and Distributed.

rNsv York Letter to the Buffalo Exprexs1
Every United States postage stamp 10 use is
by he American Bank Note Company from
July /, 1861, 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 il for one-half the amount re-
sHired by the other company, the contr act was
awsrde to them. The Office of the Continent
st. eets, but it d. sirabe to have the ,st.
age sta ps made In perfectly Dire proof build
ing, the fifth story Of the Equitable Life Insur-
ance building, on the corner of Broadway and
Cedar street, was rented By the company for
that purpose
The office here is for the use OF Mr. Daniel
NJ. Boyd, the government agent, and Mr. Chas.
f. Steele, the agent and superintendent sp-
pointed by The company. The facts given In
regard to the making OF the stamps were OBJ
tsined by your corresl oL dent from Mr.. Henry
Bowen, MIR. Boyd's assistant Two passenger
elevators run to the top of the building, and
upsn leaving them, the only entrance TO the
postage stamp rOoRs Is by means of a DOOR
which l. constantly kept locked and guarded
by jsnitOr, who always sits inside 70 answer
the bell which is just outside. On the right
hand eide are the office and printing room, and
away TO the left, st the front of the 6uilding.
are tbs other rooms used in making the stamps
In n hitting steel plates are used, on viii Ia 200
sta Ups are engraved. Two men are kept hard
at work covering them with the eolOred mas
and passing the IN to a man ana a gIrl who are
equally busy at printing them with large roll
ing hand presses. Three OF these little squads
are employed all the time, although ten presses
can he put into use in csse OF necessity. After
the email sheets OF paper upon which the 200
ami 6 are engraved have dried Efficiently they
are sent INTO another TOOn and gummed Tn.
gun used for this purpose If peculiar Cocipo.
st'Cn, made of the powder of dried potat es
and other vegetables mixed with water, which
is bet tier than any other kind, for instance gum
arabic. which cracks the paper badly. The
paper is also of a peculiar texture, someVhst
similar to that for bank notes. After having
been again dried, this time on little racks,
which are famed by steam power tor
about an hour, they are put between
sheets of pastebOard and pressed in
hydl aulic presses, capable of applying a weight
OF 200 tone The next thing r to cut the sheets
In half; each sheet, of course, when cut, con-
tatns hundred stamps. This is done by girl
with large pair OF shears, cutting by hand be-
ing preferred to that OF machinery, which
method would destroy too many stamps. They
are then passed to two other squads, who, in rs
many operations, pertOrate the sheets between
the stamps. Next they are pressed once more,
and then packed and labeled, and slowed away
IN another room, preparatory to being put in
mail bags for dispatching TO fulfill orders. II a
single stamp Is torn, or in any way mutilated,
the whole sheet of 100 is burned. About 500. 900
are burned every week from this cause. For the
past twenty years not single sheet has been
lost, such care is taken in counting them. Dur
ing the process of manufacturing the sheets are
counted eleven times.
There are $4,000 post Offices throughout the
country, and they use in the course of one year
700 COO 0C0 postage stamps. A week or two since
81 GOO finished and 81 900, 600 unfinished stamps
were put into the safes. The New York post
Cfhce alone uses 120 100000 a year, somewhat
over one-sixth Of the whole number used, or
equal TO the amount required ~ 6O00 other
Ofhces. -Four times q year the different post
Offices send an order for the number OF stamps
they expect TO have occasion TO use during the
coming three months. OF course, IL they run
out during that time, they are privileged TO
eeDd for more. The Office here in New YORK
is supplied differently. Twice month an order
is sent for about 100000 of various deuOmina-
tons. 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
Immediately in the presence OF witness. An
accompanying blank receipt If filed up and
sent to the Third Assistant Postmaster, at
Washington, who has charge of this branch OF
the Post Office Department