Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-11-05
POSTAGE STAMPS.
HOW UNCLE SAM LOOKS AFTER THE
LITTLE SUCKERS.
Intricate Work That Must Be Performed
by skillful Hands-Most Important Fart
of the Entire Operation Is Polishing the
| PIates-How They Are Gummed.

nually 1000, 900 sheets, each contaihihS
100 postage stamps.
The printing is done on queer looking
presses, each of which produces LOCO
stamps a minute, or about 1oo,0oO an
hour. Each press has an endless chain
that carries four plates, on which the dc
signs of the stamps are engraved. On
each plato 400 stamps are represented
The sheets printed from these plates are in.
tended to be cut into quarters eventually,
in which shape they will be sold to the
postoffice department. Each plate Is car
rjed by the endless chain first under an
ink roller, from which it receives a coat
bag of ink of the proper color. Then 1t
passes beneath pad Of canvas, which os'
cllatcs so as to rub the ink in. Next it
pauscs for moment under the hands OF
a man who polishes the plate
Finally sheet of white paper is laid
upon the plate, both pass under roller,
and tho sheet comes out on the other side
400 printed postage stamps. The plates
revolve in a circle as it were. More &C
curately speaking, they move around tn"
four sides Of q square in horizontal
plane
While one is being linked another is bs.
ing rubbed by the canvas, another is be.
der the printing roller. The circuit takes
about "a minute, during which four sheets
of 400 stamps each are printed.
The most important part OF the worK,
recurring the greatest skill, is the polish
ing. 1t is done with the bare hands no
other method being equally efficient The
object is to leave exactly enough ink for IL
good impression and no more. One girl
laws the white paper sheets upon the
plates, while another young woman re
moves them as fast as they are printed
and stacks them up in pile
This process gives the results of hand
press work. Half dozen presses working
together, each turning out 100, 600 stamps
an hour, can produce good many mil
lions in day. Three hands are required
for each press-the printer, who does tho
polishing, and two girls.
The printer must account for every sheet
of blank paper that he received. These
sheets are counted in the wetting division
before they are delivered to him. After
they arc printed they are counted before
they are sent to the examining division,
where they are counted again.
Spoiled sheets arc counted as carefully
as perfect ones, because they represent
money. If lost or stolen, they could be
used On each sheet appears the special
mark of the printer who turned it out.
An allowance of ! q per cent is mado to
him for spoilage.
If he exceeds the allowance, he must pay
for tho extra loss at the actual cost OF pa
per, ink ana labor represented. If the per
son responsible cannot be found, the divi-
sion which last handled tho sheet must
pay.
No loopholc is left for the loss of sin
gle / cent stamp. After being examined
the sheets are counted again and arc put
between strawboards under q hydraulic
press to make them lie fat. Thus they are
counted moro easily and can be made up
into smaller bundles.
After undergoing this process they arc
counted once moro and are sent down
stairs to be gummcd and perforated. The
method of cumming is u novelty being
wholly different from that utilized hither
to in such work.
1t is much moro rapid and efficient, and
before long will doubtless superscdo the
old plan, which is even now applied to the
cumming of cigarette stamps for the in
ternal revenue. The paste is applied to
the cigarette stamp by hand with brushes.
AS fast as they are gummod they are laid
sheet by SIlCCU on SIallCu lIdillts, WHICH
are piled in stacks.
The stacks are wheeled on trucks into n
room where they are placed in front of
electric fans, so that the cool air may dry
them. Hot air would accomplish the pur
pose moro quickly, but it would be hard on
the worlswuincn FOR this reason the
slower process is adopted. The new meth
cd to be applied to the postage stamps
h., In,
way.
Tho machines for this purpose have just
been set w. There are two Of them, OK
nctIy alike, and one will do for descrip-
ton. Imagine a wooden box nearly go
feet long, 4 feet high and feet wide.
From end to end runs what might be TAX
en- for the skeleton of a trough.
This skeleton projects from tho box for
n few feet ut either extremity. The box
is travcrsed by two endless chains, run
ming side by side, two feet apart. Into
one end tho sheets of printed stamps arc
fed one by orc. As it is fed into the ma
chino each sheet passes under a roller like
tho roller of n printing press, to when a
gum made of dextrin is slowly supplied.
The sheet takes up a coat of this muoi-
lage on its lower side and is carried on by
the endless chain through the long box.
This box is u hot air box, being heated 10y
steam pipes. At the other end of 1T the
sheets are delivered at the rate of is n min
ute Just one minute is required for
sheet to pass through the box, and 1t Is
delivered perfectly dry.
The gummed sheets thus delivered are
passed over to long table, where girls
pick them up in pairs, and placing the
gummed sides together put them between
LAYERS of straw boards Arranged in This
way they are placed under steam press TO
natten them the mucilage having caused
thcm to curl somewhat.
On coming out of the press they are
counted again, and now they go to the
pcrforating machine that make the PIN
holes by which it is rendered easy to tear
the stamps apart.
The perforating machine is an arrange
mcnt of little wheels revolving parallel TO
zach other and just far enough apart to
make tho porforations as one sees them in
sheet of finished stamps fresh bought at
The postchice. After the perforations have
been made across the sheet one way by
one machine the sheet must pass through
a second machine for the cross perfora-
tions. Washington Star
Not Surprising.
A youns woman lately returned from