The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1899-04-08

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Washington Star: Uncle Sam print
ed just u few postage stamps during
the year 1898. The number of 2-cent
stamps issued during the year was
$500, 100000. Such a number, obvious
ly, is beyond the grasp of the human
mind, but perhaps the matter may be
made mor clear by putting it other
wise.
An ordinary s-cent stamp is exactly
one inch long. From this fact, by u
little calculation, it is easy to discover
that the number of stamps of this de-
nomination issued in 1893, placed end
to end, would extend a distance con
siderably exceeding 10000 miles. In
other words, they would make n con
adorned with the head of the father of
his country, stretching in a belt more
than once and a half around the
equator.
Of course, though the 2-cent stamps
are those principally used, there are
others. Enough 1-cent postage stamps
have been issued during the year 1898
to stretch from New York city, by way
of Europe and Asia, to Bombay, India,
if similarly arranged in one strip. Ali
other stamps, as to production and
sales, r of minor Importance COM
paratively speaking, but it is interest
ing to know that almost exactly one
mile of 81 stamps We're manufactured
for the demand of 1898. OF SIS stamps
the production was equivalent to n lit
tie more than half a furlong, or about
one-ffteenth of q mile.
Now, if all the postage stamps print
cd by the United States government
in 1898 were placed one on top of an,
other, as neatly as might be without
putting them under pressure, how
high do you suppose the pile of them
would be? There is no use guessing;
you would never get it nearly right
unless you went to work to calculate
it for yourself. The $500, 100000
stamps of all denominations printed
during the current year-the state
ment, of course, is approximate
y aid tower to an elevation of twenty
one miles. This is more than three
times the height of the highest noun
tain in the world-Mt. Everest, in tn,
Himalayas. If the same number o
stamps was piled up in the form o
an ordinary sheet of 100 each, it fol
lows that the stack would be over al
eighth of a mile high.
During the year 1898 the number o
special delivery stamps sold was abou
%5,250,OO0. 1t is only reasonable to sup
pose that the average journey of TIL
special delivery messenger is half
mile. Indeed, that is an absurd under
estimates; but let it go at that. o.
this assumption the total distance
travelled for special delivery in 1s9
was about 2,625, 900 miles. That is
very considerable space to traverse, n
may be realized when it is considers
that a messenger boy, in order to &C
complish that total distance, woul'
have to go about 1,100 times aroun'
the world, or five times to tbs moo
and back.
1t appears, from figures furnishes
by the postoffice department, that tn
average person in Massachusetts,, il
GLIDING men, women and children
spends $3.50 on postage per annun
New York comes second with an es
penditure of $2.27. The District Of Ce
lumbia third with $2.16. Colorado
fourth with S1.93, and Connecticut
fifth with $1.SO. The states rankin
lowest in this regard are South Care
lima, with rs cents per capita; Missi!
sippi, with 81 cents; Alabama, with
cents; Arkansas, with 81 cents, an
North Carolina, with II cents.