Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-11-25
How Postage Stamps are Made.

The number of ordinary postage
stamps issued III 1861 was 954, lbs, 450,
and valued at S24 04o ,643 The method
of printing postage stamps is as follows:
The printing is done from steel plates,
on which two hundred stamps are en-
grayed, and the paper used is of a pc
culiar texture, somewhat resembling
that employed for bank notes.
Two men cover the plates with the
colored inks and pass them to man
and girl who print them with large
rolling hand presses. Three of these
little squads are employed all the time,
although ten presses can be put in
operation, if necessary. The colors
used in the inks are ultramarine blue,
Prussian blue, (green), vermillion, and
carmine
After the sheets of paper on which
/ the hundred stamps are engraved have
been dried, they are sent into another
room and gummed. The gum used is
made of the powder of dried potatoes
and other vegetables mixed with water.
Gum arabic is not desirable. because it
cracks the paper badly. The sheets
are gummed separately, they are placed
back upward upon a fiat wooden sup
port, the edges being protected by
metallic frame, and the gum is applied
with wide brush. After having been
again dried, this time on little racks,
which are famed by steam power for
about an hour, they are put in between
| sheets of pasteboard, and pressed be-
tween hydraulic presses, capable Of
applying a weight of two thousand
| tons.
The sheets are next cut in halves;
each sheet, Of course, when cut con
tains hundred stamps. This is done
by girl with a large pair of shears,
cutting by hand being preferred to that
of machinery, which method would
destroy too many stamps. They are
then passed 10 the perforating machine.
The perf0rations between the stamps
are effected by passing the sheets be-
tween two cylinders provided with a
series of raised bands which are ad
justed to distance apart equal to that
required between the rows Of perfora-
tons. Each ring on the upper eylin-
/ der has series of cylindrical projec-
tions which tit corresponding depres-
sions in the bands of the lower cvlin-
der by these the perforations are
punched out, and by simple contriv-
ance the sheet is detached from the
| cylinders, in which it has been con-
Quoted by an endless band. The rows
running longifudinally of the paper are
| first made and then by q similar ma
| chine the transverse ones. This per-
| forating machine was invented and
patented by Mr.. Arthur in 1852, and
| was purchased by the government for
| $50, Goo The sheets are next dressed
| belsd and slowed away in another
room, preparatory to being put up in
mail hags for despatching to fulfil
orders. If single stamp is torn or in
any way mutilated, the whole sheet is
burned. Five hundred thousand are
burned every week from this cause.
The sheets are counted no less than
eleven times during the process of man
ufacturing. and so great is the care
taken in counting that not a single
sheet has been lost during the past
twenty years.
Life in Asia may have It's attractions,
but its perils are fearful. Leaving out
of consideration the evils arising from
overpopulation and despotic govern
ment. the dangers are fearful. A tor
nado in he western section of ToDquIn
has just destroyed over 1900 buildings,
rendering many thousand persons
homeless. In India last year only 10 less |
than y, 600 persons fell victims TO wild
beasts or snake bites. In Bengal alone |
$50 persons were killed by tigers, and |
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