The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-05-25
FORTUNE IN wArrINo.
Indelible Ink a Valuable Invention for
Unole Sans Postage.

lJ mas Deen Trying 10 nnQ Sucn an
article for ever so long. A while age
it called into consultation two learned
chemists, one from Yale and the
other from Harvard Each of them
agreed to prepare a canceling ink
which could not be erased Without
the knowledge of either stamps
marked with the ink which Professor
A produced were handed over to
Professor to see if he could wash
them, while Professor BIS product
was submitted to like test at the
hands OF Professor A. Both experts
| sent back the stamps perfectly clean.
The fact is that there is no abso-
lutely indelible ink except pure car
bon, and that cannot be applied with
q stamp. Marshall Jewell, when he
was postmaster-gGne advertised
for canceling devices and materials,
which were offered to the depart
ment by the bushel Some of them
dispensed with ink by picking or
punching the stamps, but none was
of any use. Mr.. Jewell himself had
pretty taste for chemistry. When
minister to Russia he was taken
through Russia leather factory at
st. Petersburg. The composition
used in the manufacture of this
product being a secret he dipped his
thumb slyly into pot of it and had
the stuff analysed after he got home
Another postmaster-general once
stated in a report that the govern
hnent lost million dollars yearly by
the washing and reusing of postage
stamps This was great mistake.
AS matter of fact, this fraudulent
industry is practiced only on very
contemplate scale. No skilled chem
lists make a business of It, Employees
in paper mills have been known to
cut the least defaccd stamps from old
envelopes and cleanse them. When
it is noticed that the stamps which
person puts on his letters commonly
look worn and dirty, the postmaster
is apt to keep an eye upon that indi-
vidual Anyone who uses second
time even a stamp which has received
no canceling mark in going through
the postoffice is liable to u $500 fine,
or one years Imprisonment, or both.
That the washing of stamps is
common practice is said to be proved
by the known fact that stamps are
sold in great quantities at discount,
writes the Philadelphia Times corre-
spondent. The fact is that stamps
thus disposed of are put on the mar
ket by firms which receive more than
they can use. Seedsmen and dealers
in certain other small wares are
Hooded with postage stamps, sent to
them in payment for goods At !
Marblehead, Mass, one scotsman
sends out and receives one-third of |
the mail of the town. Yet he never
buys any stamps, receiving more than
he wants from customers. This cir
lessons by one-third the
salary of tho local postmaster, whose
stipend is a per centage on sales of
stamps. New York uses $3,O00, 900
worth of stamps annually, which are
not bought in the metropolis. Mer-
chants sell them, through brokers or
otherwise, at discount of three per
cent. Millions of them are disposed |
of in that way
The pOstotlicc department is
obliged to redeem an enormous number
Of stamps which get spoiled in the
hands of postmasters. In warm
weather nearly 100 packages day
Of damaged stamps come in to the
stamp division. During the winter
few are turned in.
Most of them arrive from the South !,
and Southwest, where stamps find the
climate most trying. The parcels re-
ceived run in value from q few dol
lars to several hundred dollars. Their
contents must all be counted. Usual
ly they are stuck together in solid .
masses, which have to be put into
hot water and steamed. If they come
out in full sheets the task of reckon
ing them is easy, but the worst work
is when a postmaster keeps his
stamps he knows not how, the play
full cockroach roofing among them
and eating the muciIdge off. Some
stick, others tear, and they make no
end of Yr0uble
The department does not particu-
larly admire the practice of collect
ing stamps. People who save them
are sometimes tempted to wash them.
1t is almost appalling to consider
that the business of philately sup
ports $50 publications in this country,
employs $1,000 900 of capital and en-
cages the attention of 100000 col
lectors. The stamp gathering cranks
bother Uncle Sam. A few years ago
o postmaster general ordered a re-
print of a scent stamped envelope in
an obsolete design. This action be-
Ing recognized as a mistake, the en-
tire issue of 10000 was called in. A
New York collector got wind of the
order before it was sent out and
bought 1000 of the envelopes, selling
most of them at So each to other
stamp maniacs. Another collector
who tried similar dodge was not so
successful Learning that the issue
of certain stamp was to be limited,
he attempted to corner the market
by purchasing $4,000 worth of them.
I.,ll