Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-08-17
POSTAL CARDS.
Uncle Sans Enormous Supply II Made
at Piedmont, w. Va.

ne modest plant that turnS out NIL
Hons Of postal cards every month TO
Uncle Sam Is located in little Yves
virginia mountain town. high up J.
the Appalachian range, not far frosI
the border line Of Maryland.
The town Is Piedmont, Mineral coun
~, w. Va, and here the busy factor,
Is at work six days in the week, max
ing the little oblong sheets OF card
board on which so many messages o
all sorts and kinds are written by al
conditions OF people, Here the card
board Is made from the freshy sweet
spruce trees. here It is cut- into thu
requisite Sizes. and here the cards arr
printed. packed and shipped, eventual
ly finding their way into every state
city, town and hamlet In the country
and to Cuba. Porto Rico. Hayaii ant
the Philippines Islands.
The paper out OF which the postal
cards are manufactured ID all made al
the large sulphite and paper mills locat'
ed here. and adjoining the postal
works. This IS the largest pulp and
paper mill in the United States, and
has branch plants at Davis, w. Va.
Covington. Va. and Tyrone, Penn.
The U. S. postal card works were To-
Gated at Piedmont on Dec. 1, 1897, hay-
ing been transferred from castleton
N. Y. Hon. Albert Daggett Of Brook
Ign, N. Y, has the contract for the
term OF four years to manufacture all
the various kinds of postal cards re-
quired by the government. Mr.. Dag
gett held the contract under the ad-
ministration of President Harrison
but lost 1t On the advent of the admin
istration Of President Cleveland.
The postal works proper are situated
ut Luke. "A suburb Of Piedmont, on tn.
banks of the north branch Of the Poto-
mac river.
The postal card works are located in
two-story fireproof brick building
with a cement roof. and in which ara
patent automatic fire sprinklers, with
an abundant supply Of water at all
times for fire protection. The build
ing is not large--100 by 60 feet
The power to run the machinery is
furnished by the plant Of the paper
company. whose large plant adjoins
that of the postal works. The building
is lighted by electricity and in winter
is heated by steam. Neither matches
nor smoking Of pipes or cigars are al
lowed on the premises. The front door
of the works is always under lock and
key. During the summer months large
lattice doors are used, with lock and
key during the day. a time register
ing clock is used at night. which the
watchmen have to touch at regular in
tcrvais in their rounds.
Mai. Il. II. Shook, the T. S. agent
and inspector, takes the greatest care
and precaution to guard against theft,
fire and visitors interfering with either
the cards after or during the process
of manufacture and with the employ
es while at work.
The first floor of the building is used
for pressroom, casing room and a
dryroom fer the printed postal cards.
There are two presses in this room
and each press has capacity of 1900
impressions an hour.
The size of .the sheets of paper used
on these presses is 80 by 50 inches, and
each sheet contains 30 postal cards ready
to be cut and packed when it comes
from the press. The dies used on these
ment. Four men work at the presses.
The men all work eight hours day.
One man is used in the casing part of
this room to put together the knocked
down pine boxes in which the cards are
packed for shipment. The boxes are
made OF pine grown in West Virginia
and are shipped Knocked down to the
contractor. The boxes vary in sizes,
holding 5000, 1o.co0, 25.oO0 and 100000 cards
respectively.
The contractor has to pay the gov
eminent for the use of the dies and also
give bond for the care and custody of
these plates. The size of the H cards
.the card in general use by the public
reply postal card. is az by 81. inches;
postal card manufactured. is Isle by
! 15-ls inches; the International F. or
double card. is 81 by So inches and sells
TO consumers at four cents eacn, and
the e International card is 81 by 5.e
inches and is sold at two cents each.
three ounces per 1000 cards, and the
r, or return postal cards, weigh Il
pounds and six ounces per 1900 cards.
Everything appcrtaining to the postal
works is under the direction and charge
OF Hon. Edwin c. Madden. third assist
ant postmaster general at Washington.
On the second floor of the works are
located three cutting machines and one
Sitter. The cutters are operated by
Young women experts and the ''slitter"
by male experts The Sitter first cuts
into single strips the sheets of 80 postal
cards as received from the presses on the
first floor. and then into strips of 10 pos
tai cards. Afterward these strips of 10
cards each are taken to the cutting ma
chimes, which are in close proximity to
I he 'slitter. and are there cut into sin
gle postal cards. The cards are twice
a utoma tically counted into packages of
3 cards each as they come from the ma
chimes. At the cutting machines the
cards are received by II young woman,
who places a paper band around the
Deckascs of q. and these packages are
1t Into pasteboard boxes, 500 cards to
The box.
ting together 'knock-down' pasteboard
boxes. and in one day OF eight hours this
employee will put together more than 1000
boxes, ready to receive the packages or
cards. These boxes are made by box
factory in Connecticut.
There is a fire-proof vault on this floor
which has a capacity for holding a re-
serve more than 40.Oo0000 pastel cards.
The daily capacity of the cutting ma
hines. running for the period of eight
hours, is 100000 postal cards per ma
,hine. or 100000 postal cards for the
hree machines a day. But the present
ards. The, .ofiicial report of the. third
assistant ~ master general states that
here was ned during the year ending
Iune 80. 1897 postal cards as follows:
single cards. domestic ........ 5l7.7oO5oo
l. .