San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1881-10-13
How Postage Stamps are Msde.

postage stamps y as follows: The pripS
ing is done from steel plates, on whicI
two hundred stamps are engraved, ana
the paper used is OF peculiar textur
somewhat resembling that employee
for bank notes. Two men cover H.
plates with the colored inks and pa
them to q man and q girl, who priui
them with large rolling hand presses
Three of these little squads are en-.
ployed all the time, although ton pre-.
ses can be put in operation, II neces
sary. The colors used in the inks en-
ultramarine blue, Prussian blue, chroms
yellow and Prussian blue (green), ver.
million, and carmine. After the Sheet
of paper on which the two 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. Gun
arabic is not desirable, Because Il
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 ap-
plying weight of two thousand tons
The sheets hre next cut in halves; each
sheet, of course, when cut containsa hun.
bred stamps. This is done by q girl
with large pair of shears, cutting by
hand being preferred to that OF mach.
merry, which method would destroy too
many stamps. They are then passed
to the perforating machine. The per.
forations between the stamps are effect. \
ed by passing the sheets between two
cylinders provided with series Of
raised bands which are adjusted to q
distance apart to that required between
the rows of perforations. Each ring
on the upper cylinder has a series Of
cylindrical projections which fit CORE
spending depressions in the band Of
the lower cylinder; by these the per
forations are punched out, and by
simple continuance the sheet is detach-
ed from the cylinders in which it has
been conducted by an endless bands
The rows running longitudinallysof the
paper are first made, and then by
similar machine the transverse ones.
This perforating machine was invented
and patented by Mr.. Arthur, in 1852,
and was purchased by the government
for $4,000. The sheets are next
dressed once more, and then packed
and labeled and slowed away in another
room, preparatory to being put up in
mail bags for dispatching to fulfill
orders. If single stamp is torn, OF
in any way mutilated, the whole sheet
of one hundred is burned. Five hun,
bred thousand are burned every week
from this cause. The sheets are count.
ed no less than eleven times during the
process of manufacturing, and SO great
is the care taken in counting, that not
a single sheet has been lost during the
past twenty years.
The postage stamps would seem to
be only humdrum sort of article,
which fulfills very useful, but withal
extremely prosaic, purpose. Yet we
learn from the Chicago Inter- Ocean
that it can be made delicate and sub.
tie medium of delightful Irritation or
romantic love, when skillfully manipu.
lated by the sender of letter and
intelligently interpreted by the receiver,
who by one swift glance at the stamp
may instantly learn, from the manner,
of its affixture, whether to expect bliss
or misery from the contents of the in.
closed missive. The explanation OF
the whole matter as given by the inter-
Ocean, is as follows: "Some Ingenious
persons have discovered a meaning to the
location of a postage stamp on letter.
For example, they say that when stamp
is inverted on the right hand upper cor
ner it means the person written to is to
write no more. If the stamp. be placed
on the left hand upper corner and in
verified, then the writer declares his
affection for the receiver of the letter.
When the stamp is in the center at the
top it signifies an affirmative answer to
o question, or the question, as the case
may be; and when it is at the bottom.
or opposite this, is negative. Should
the stamp be on the right hand corner,
at right angle, it asks the question if the
receiver of the letter loves the sender;
while in the left hand corner means
the writer hates the other. There iss
shade of difference between desiring
ones acquaintance and friendship, for
The stamp at the upper cor
ner on the right expresses the former
and on the lower left hand corner
means the latter. The learned in this
language request their correspondents
to accept their love by placing the
stamps ON line with the surname, and
the response is made, if the party adj
dressed be engaged, by placing the
scamp in the same place but reversing