Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-04-09
MENDlNc THE MAIL POUCHES.
How Uncle Sans Mail Bags Are Repair
ed-25O,OO Locks Renewed.

Once in eight years all the locks on
United States mail bags must be
changed, if not oftener This is be-
cause after while good many lost
keys get around, and they are not very
safe to have so distributed Just now
the Equipment Division Of the Post
office Department is making over $50, e
600 old locks, merely for the purpose
of rendering them different
At first it was suggested that all
| these $50, 900 locks should be thrown
away. The junk men were asked how
much they would give for them and
they said 20 cents a hundred pounds.
This did not seem very large, mas
much as the postoilice had originally
paid 81 cents apiece for the locks,
Therefore it was concluded to make
them over again, and this is being
| done now at the repair shop on G
street, at a cost of 81 cents per lock.
II is very pretty sight to see the
workmen cut the old contrivances
apart, polish them up on rapidly-re-
volying grindstones, which give out
showers of sparks, recognizing the
tumblers, and putting together the
pieces into as good shape as the new
lamps which the magician in the story
of Aladdin exchanged for old ones.
These locks, as has been said, are to
secure mail bags, but even more inter-
esting are mail bags themselves and
their histories. Naturally, in the
course of human events, these recepta-
cles wear out now and then. This be-
ing regarded as inevitable, in former
times they were turned over promptly
to the junk men. Now, however, it is
all very different. According to the
regulations, as fast as the bags show
symptoms Of wearing out they are for
warded to Washington from all over
the United States Thus one finds in
the equipment shop on c street great
rooms heaped with enormous stacks of
mail sacks in all stages Of use, decay,
and, one might almost say, of decom-
position.
Upon arrival they are conveyed by a
big elevator to the third floor, where
| 10 women sit sewing with' coarse
thread. The bags are made of iute.
Some of the women wear duuce-caps
of brown paper on their heads, and all
are busy as so many bees. They are
all sewing upon mail sacks, and when
ever one has finished her task she holds
up her hand. At once the foreman
in charge goes to her. takes the bag
she has finished, and lays it on a pile.
In exchange, he gives her another,
which he takes from a stack near by.
The sacks in the latter pile are in all
stages of delapidation, and the rule is
that each worker must take the one
that is on top. A wooden partition
shuts of the women from sight of the
pile, because some complained a while
ago that it was possible for others to
see when there were good sacks on top,
and so escape bad ones. 1t is like the
system of stakes" in a newspaper Office.
Thus far only the jute bags have
been spoken Of. But there Is another
room in which the leather mail pouches
are mended, twenty-five workmen be-
ing employed for the purpose. This
system has grown up within the last
four years. So snort q time ago only
eight women and three leather work
ers we're employed to do the work.
But il is believed that a great economy
would result from devOtlng attention 10
the mending OF Old sacks, and this has
proved so far true that many thousand
fewer bags are made annually now
than were required in 1891 although
the postotiice business has increased
one-quarter since then. The bags are
manufactured in New York State.
When the mending Of each bag is
finished it is inspected by man who
is the only person in the United States
with whom the decision lies as to when
a mail sack is worn out and shall be
used no longer. CONDEMNED ones Are
all used in one fashion o. another. Tie
best parts Of them are used for the
bottoms of sacks that have TO be re-
paired, while other portions serve for
patches, the ragged bits being slashcd
off with sharp knives. HaSt tHgton
Star.