Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1877-09-28

plates by two largo Hoe cylinder presses,
which print forty cards on each sheet at
single impression. The presses regis
tor each sheet as it is printed, and the
company is compelled to give an account
10 the Government of every sheet regis
tered. The number of sheets printed,
multiplied by forty, gives the number of
cards, to which the number packed and
boxed each day must correspond Hence,
precautions are taken that none shall be
lost or abstracted, and visitors to the
rooms in which the manufacture is car.
ried on are not admitted freely. If any
cards are blotted or defaced in any way,
or spoiled in the cutting, they are not
thrown away, but are retained and
handed over to the Government inspector,
who destroys them. The printed sheets,
after being allowed to dry for two days,
are ready for the cutters, of which there
arc three in use. The first of these is a
rotary cutter, which divides the sheet
crosswisc in ten strips containing four
cards each. The sheets are fed one at a
time, as rapidly as one can follow an
other; they pass through the cutter with
almost lightning speed. The strips are
next collected in packages of 100 each,
and are now placed on the iron tables of
the other cutting machines, both of
which are of the pattern known as the
"undercut." These cut the ends of the
cards, while the top and bottom are cut
by the rotary apparatus. Ten packages
of 100 strips each-4, 600 cards in all
are placed at once on the table of the
" undercut, especial care being taken that
the edges are exactly even and rectangular;
by pulling lever the machine is set in
motion, wheels and belts revolve, and up
comes ponderous knife with diagonal
motion on-forcibly reminding the spectator
of the guillotine -severiDg 400 United
States postal cards as though they were
no thicker than a shaving. t
At first, the superintendent informed
me, the undercut" machines alone were
used, but the Government objected to
these on account of the " "feather" pro-
duced by the diagonal motion of the |
knife, which caused the cards readily to |
adhere to one another; and soon the |
e undercut" is to be abandoned alto
gether and the rotary machine used for |
the cards in both directions. |
When the cutting is completed the cards |
are collected in packages convenient to |
be handled, and pass into the hands of |
eighteen girls, by whom they are counted |
out into packages containing twenty
five cards each. These packages are
by bands of adhesive paper,
and are placed in pasteboard boxes
which hold twenty packages apiece.
These again are slowed in wooden boxes
from 1000 to $4,000 cards
each, and in this shape they are placed
in the hands of the Government. The
manufacturing company is required to
deliver the cards at the New York
postoffice-thc great distributing center
Of the country for cards and stamps
but there the responsibility ceases.
Many improvements in both quality
and appearance have been made since
he first cards were manufactured, more
han four years ago. Those were coarse
md porous and difficult to write upon;
n an emergency one could be used for
,lotting-pad. The buff color has not
1een changed, although before award
ng the present contract the Government
or some time considered the advisable
y of using paper of different tint. 1t
s not unlikely, however, that a new de-
ign will soon be substituted for that
which is now so well known.
As one gazes around the rooms where
he business is carried on and sees the
presses doing their rapid work, the girls
patiently counting their never ending
packages, and hundreds of boxes filled
With cards piled up in an adjoining
.partment, it requires an effort of the
to realize that within year
more than 300,000,000 of these familiar
tits of paper will be manufactured and
ent out to every State in the Union
'ut postal cards have become a national
ecessity, and many wonder how they
o long did without what now seem in
Christian Union. 4