The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-05

The postoffice department requires an
nually 40, 900, 600 sheets, each containing
100 postage stamps.
the printing is done on queer looking
presses, each OF which produces 1,600
stamps a minute, or about 100, an
hour. Each press has an endless chain
that carries four plates, on which the de
signs of the stamps are engraved. On
zach plate 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
.ied by the endless chain first under an
ink roller, from which it receives a coat
ing Of ink of the proper color. Then it
passes beneath pad of canvas, which os-
rillates so as to rub the ink in. Next it
pauses for moment under the hands Of
man who polishes the plate.
Finally a sheet of white paper is laid
upon the plate, both pass under roller,
and the sheet comes out on the other side
400 printed postage stamps. The plates
revolve in circle, as it were. More &c
curately speaking, they move around the
tour sides of square in horizontal
plane.
While one is being linked another is be-
ing rubbed by the canvas, another is be-
Ing polished, and the fourth is passing un.
der the printing roller. The circuit takes
about minute. during which four sheets
Of 400 stamps each are printed.
The most important part of the work,
requiring 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 a
good impression and no more. One girl
lays 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, 900 stamps
an hour, can produce a good many mil
lions in Gay. Three hands are required
for each press-the printer, who does the
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
ihey are printed they are counted before
they are sent to the examining division,
where they are counted again.
Spoiled sheets are counted as carefully
IS 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 ! = per cent is made to
him for spoilage.
If he exceeds the allowance, he must pay
for the extra loss at the actual cost of pa
per, ink and labor represented. If the per.
son responsible cannot be found, the diyi
zion which last handled the sheet must
pay.
No loophole is left for the loss of a sin
gle cent stamp. After being examined
the sheets are counted again and are put
between strawboards under a hydraulic
press TO make them lie fiat. Thus they are
counted more easily and can be made up
into smaller bundles.
After undergoing this process they are
counted once more and are sent down
stairs to be gummed and perforated. The
method of cumming is a novelty, being
wholly different from that utilized hither
TO in such work.
1t is much more rapid and efficient, and
before long will doubtless supersede 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 gummed they are laid
sheet by sheet on Slated frames, which
are piled in stacks.
The stacks are wheeled on trucks into
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 more quickly, but it would be hard on
the wOrkwomen. For this reason the
slower process is adopted The new meth
cd TO be applied 10 the postage stamps
will be an immense improvement in every
way.
The machines for this purpose have just
been set up. There are two of them, ex-
actly alike. and one will do for descrip
tion. Imagine wooden box nearly 60
feet long, feet high and 3 feet wide
From end to end runs what might be TAX
en- for the skeleton Of trough.
This skeleton projects from the box for
u few feet at either extremity. The box
is traversed by two endless chains, run
ming side by side, two feet apart. Into
one end the sheets of printed stamps are
fed one by one. As it is fed into the ma
chine each sheet passes under q roller like
the roller of a printing press, TO which a
gum made of dextrin is slowly supplied.
The sheet takes up a coat of this muci-
lage on its lower side and is carried on by
the endless chain through the long box
This box is a hot air box, being heated by
steam pipes. a the other end of it the
sheets are delivered at the rate Of Is min
ute. Just one minute is required for a
sheet to pass through the box, and it 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 strawboards. Arranged i'll this
way they are placed under IA steam press TO
Gatten them, the mucilage having caused
them 10 curl somewhat.
On coming ont Of the press they are
counted again, and now they so TO the
perforating machine that make the PIN
holes by which it is rendered easy TO tear
the stamps apart.
The perforating machine is ar arrange
ment of little wheels revolving parallel to
each other and just far enough apart 10 /.
make the perforations as one sees them in /.
4 sheet of finished stamps fresh bought at /
the postoflice. After the pertorations nave /.
been made across the sheet one way by /
one machine the sheet must pass through I
second machine for the cross periora- /
Observation-Disclosures Star.
He Was SoCisl.
The Rochester Post Express tells of a |
slergy man whose sermons were Of the best, 1
but Who was reserved and bashful. You 1
must be more social, - the deacons limited. /
To his Sunday school came the children Of
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