Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-04-05

ular" series Of postage stamps ana mas
decided TO surprise the public with an
entirely new set While the postoiilce
department has issued three series OF
commemorative stamps-the Columbi-
an, Transmsslssipp and Pan-American
its small, familiar regulars now sold
at all postoHices have been in uninter-
rupted use since 1890,
Work on the new series has already
been commenced at the bureau OF en-
craving and printing, in which the gov
eminent Instituted its great postage
stamp mill eight years ago, when II
took the work OF manufacturing its mil
lions OF little engraved sticking plas-
tiers out Of the hands Of a private COM
pany
am going TO give you some idea of
the the enormous task which this ON
cial stamp mill now has before IT, This
will be the first new series Of regular
stamps which Uncle Sam VIII have
launched into the market for himself
A Harrison stamp will be something
brand new 10 Chief John r. Hin, OF the
bureaus engraving division, and his en-
tire stan OF skilled artists are now en-
gagged upon the new designs for 10 de-
nominations ordered changed. While
the faces OF the same national heroes
honored upon the present issue Will
with one exception, be retained for the
establishment OF the new, entirely DIFF
ferent portrait yignettes viii be made,
In all cases. Thus the profles OF Frank
lin, Washington, Jackson and Jefferson,
on the l, 2, 3 and 50-cent stamps will
give way 10 three-fourths or seven
eighths fIlll-face portraits. New Wig
nettes OF Lincoln Grant, Garfield, Sher-
man, Webster, CLAY, Madison and Mar
shall are being selected for the remain
ing denominations The face of Farra-
gut will be substituted for that Of Perry
on the 81 stamp.
NEW HARRISON STAMP.
A Harrison stamp will be something
brand new TO phiatelists. new de-
nomination has been selected 70 bear
the portrait OF the last president OF
that name. This Is 10 be "A lS-cent
stamp, and will represent the cost OF
sending a registered letter Of ordinary
weight 70 any foreign point within the
international postal union. Mrs. Har-
rison has been asked to furnish what
abe considers to be the best portrait OF
her distinguished husband and this will
be given 10 the engrayers.
The first step in the preparation OF
the new Issue Is the submittal by the
corps Of artists OF various designs.
These are altered according to sugges-
lions made by the postmaster-general
and the director OF the engraving bu-
reau. Those selected will be enlarged
many diameters, until they appear like
giant stamps, big enough TO frame and
hang upon the wall. Each Of the ac-
cepted designs Is then reduced, photog-
raphlcally. TO the desired size Of the
finished product. These photominla-
lures are printed upon white paper and
distributed among the engrayers. The
enlarged designs and the original por-
traits OF the subjects are placed in the
view OF the engrayers that they may
attain greater exactness OF detail and
expression. Several OF the most expert
engravers work upon the portraits
alone. These are the first TO copy the
designs In steel With mGgnfylng
glasses TO their eyes they first etCh the
figures in outline Next they add the
finer delineatlons and shadings.
The portrait yignette on each new
stamp having been engraved, the steel
plate bearing II alone Is next handed to
a letter engraver, who adds the wording
and figures. Then 1t goes to another
worker, who adds the border design.
The result so far Is a small slab Of steel
bearing In the center the minute form
OF single stamp.
ORIGINAL PLATES NOT USED.
These original plates will never be
used. AS each IL turned out by the en-,
graver, II undergoes a careful harden
ing process. 1t Is then clamped, face
up, in a large machine which rolls over
II, with enormous pressure, a sylinder Of
sort steel The lines previously In in
tagllo upon the hard plate now appear
In relief upon the SOFT cylinder. The
latter Is next hardened and replaced In
the transfer machine. Under the same
pressure as employed before II Is rolled
over huge plate OF soft steel until Il
mas made twenty rows OF impressions,
twenty In a row, These 400 impressions
are exact reproductions Of the single en-
CRAVING made on the small slab
OF steel by the hands OF men.
Each OF the large plates
thus made Is hardened and many such
plates are made from the same cylin-
der. The original hand engraved plates
and the cylinders made therefrom will
be stored away in vault as soon as
the necessary number OF Implications
shall have been made.
The plates for any OF the new stamps
having thus been finished and made
ready, the next step Is the counting OF
the large sheets OF white paper upon
Which the little rectangles are to be
printed, These sheets Will be furnish
ca, under contract, by a private firm.
The counting will be done by n corps
OF women. The counted sheets will be
imoistened by laying between them, az
intervals OF twenty cloths previously
wet with water. The cloths will be
LETT in place over night. The next
morning the sheets win be ready for
the printing room.
The presses upon which the new
stamps viii be printed are queer-look-
'p5 machines, different from those used
y any other line OF work. In the cen.
Pr OF each stands a printer complete.
~ surrounded by an endless chain con-
hnuaily moving and carrying with Il
four stands. Upon these stands four OF
the new plates-each bearing the en-
graved lines Of 400 stampB-will be
placed. In other words these plates.
set horizontally, WIZ occupy the four
Sides OF the square surrounding the
printer Carried by the endless chain.
they VIII move at a moderate rate of
speed, stopping one after another. first
beneath an ink roller, then under a
mechanical rubber removing most OF
the INK next under the hands Of the
printer whose palms polish the plate
leaving only the Ink which is within
the engraved lines. ana finally beneath
me iair hands of pretty girl who
deity spreadli n sheet of the white
dampened paper over the pate and al.
lows q dry clOth-cOyered roller 90 trav.
el across It's face aud do the actual