The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-09-13
Washington Star.

| pound.
The room where the stamps are gummed
| is airy and well lighted; it is eighty by fifty
feet and contains at present eight gum
ming machines. The stamps, after being
| printed, reach the cumming room from the
examining room in sheets eighteen and a
| half by twenty-three inches, each sheet
containing 400 stamps. The sheets to be
gummed are fed by women operatives on
an endless chain belt, held by grippers.
This chain belt passes under glass gum
ming roller, which is automatically coated
with the exact proportion of mucilage TO
be received by the sheet. This mucllaSe
Is fed TO the roller from small tank just
above. The gummed sheets are then car
ried by the endless chain belt into cover
ed drying box nifty feet long, which con-
tains coils Of steam pipes, which produce a
temperature Of 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Inc
sheets of stamps, after a slow journey OF
one minute, emerge from the other end OF
the drying box with the mucilage perfectly
dry.
UNDER a TRAINED HAND.
The machine automatically delivers the
sheets on a table to a lady operative, who,
by passing her experienced hand over the
gummed surface, determines if the sheets
are properly gummed and If they are run
ming through the machines at just the
right degree of speed TO insure their being
properly dried. The woman who receives
the gummed sheets can, if desired, touch
an electric button which telegraphs 70 the
operative feeding the sheets to the machine
at the other end of the room telling her 10
increase or diminish the speed of the chain
belt, or she can signal by a prearranged
code In regard TO any defect OF the gum
med surface requiring immediate attention.
In this connection II might be interesting
TO state that the automatic machines and
chain belt are operated by electric motors
running at varying degrees of speed to
ha -
phere, as the drying boxes will not dry
the gummed sheets of stamps as rapidly in
damp as I'm dry weather.
After being gummed the sheets are rolled
TO take out the curl of the paper, and are
again inspected to see if there are any de-
fectS in the cumming. If they are found
to be perfect they are then counted and
pressed and sent TO the perforating room,
the process of perforating being in itself
an exceedingly interesting one.
The care taken to insure perfect uniform
ity in the cumming of the stamps is not the
least interesting part of the work. Every
morning when the machine presSmen report
for duty they are each given blank FORM
which they must fill out during the day as
their work progresses. On this blank is
kept an accurate account of every ounce
OF gum given TO the pressmen and of every
sheet of stamps gummed on each machine
The workmen are also required to state on
this blank just how many ounces of gum
have been distributed on each 1000 sheets
OF stamps during the day. Each small tank
is filled by weight of fifty-two pounds of
liquid gum, exactly enough TO gum 1000
sheets Of stamps. In this tank there is a
graduated scale, which indicates at any mo-
ment just how much gum has been used. y
record is also kept on the blank form of the
number of printed sheets of stamps gum
med, so that the foreman, by a glance at
the graduated scale and the number of
printed sheets gummed, can tell at any mo-
ment if each sheet is receiving its exact
proportion of gum.
A CHECKING SYSTEM.
This system is an elaborate check on the
gummed sheets, and was designed to insure
the proportionate quantity of gum on each
sheet of stamps. Every afternoon the
workmen are given credit for the amount
Of gum they return to the government, and
the balance is struck between the gum used
and the total number of sheets gummed.
Careful experiments and exact scientific
calculations have determined the proper
ton of gum and paper.
The varying degrees of humidity in the
atmosphere present many difficulties to the
operatives in the cumming room. Expert
ments have shown that the Mississippi val
ley, south of st. Louis to New Orleans is
the most trying part of the United states
to furnish gummed stamps TO by reason Of
the excessive humidity which prevails there
at nearly all seasons, causing the sheets to
stick together. The stamp experts at the
bureau are OF opinion that stamps which
will meet the requirements of New Orleans
will be suitable for any other part Of the
country Another interesting matter in
connection with the cumming OF stamps
is the atmospheric condition of the room
in which the stamps are gummed. This
has TO be very closely watched. Expert
ments have demonstrated that 1t is neces-
sary TO keep the room at a temperature of
so degrees and 90 per cent humidity. The
temperature and humidity are taken each
hour of the working day and the results
are recorded on a blackboard made for the
purpose so that each emplOye may see
what the conditions are.
tIn Df of
seasons Of the year the quality OF the gum
is changed four times during each year
The winter or soft gum is used during the
months of November, December, January,
February and March. The summer or hard
gum is used during the months of June
July, August and September ana the
spring and fall gums are used in October,
April and May. The summer gum Is the
hardest and best resiSts the humidity dur
ing the hot months OF summer, likewise
preventing the sheets OF stamps sticking
together in the postOffices of the country
The winter gum Il used to enable the
stamps to resist frosty weather, which Of
ten causes the stamps TO curl and crack
The intermediate gum is used to meet the
conditions of half warm and half cold
WHAT THE GUM is.
OF course, the most thorough precautions
are taken to begin with in procuring the
very best quality of adhesive postal gum
This gum is derived from dextrine, a prod
uct secured in the process of making starch
from potatoes, corn and cassava root. The
starch obtained from the foregoing vegeta-
bles is treated by being roasted at a tenn
perature of about 800 degrees in its early
stages, when it later turns to dextrine
which is later converted into postal gum
If carried further than postal gum il
changes TO grape sugar or glucose. The
best postal gum for stamps is that which
contains the least unconverted starch and
little if any. glucose.
The material used for the purpose of
making stamp gum looks very much like
flour except in color. and is perfectly clean
and wholly vegetable When the pOstal
gum il delivered in bulk at the bureau bv
the contractors il is contained in double
sacks Of go pounds each Before using
every consignment is carefully inspected
and is subjected 10 a microscopic examtna-
ton and chemical analysis by the bureaus
chemist. This is TO discover if the gum is
OF the best quality and I'D to the standard
furnished by the successful bidders ii is
next tested 10 see If it meets the working
requirements Of cumming stamps. The
qualities required by the government i'm
OF grit neXibiity, resistance TO humidity
and color If the gum does not meet all
these requirements h is rejected. At The
present time about $40 pounds of dry gum
Is used daily, and the contractor for the
present fiscal year will be required 10 fur
cost OF the dry postal gum is about cents
per pound and thus the daily cost To the
government of gum for stamps is about
ENTIRELY SAFE TO LICK"
Down in the basement of the bureau
there are three big steam jacketed kettles