Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1902-11-13
MANY MILES OF STAMPS.
VAST NUMBERS WE'RE PRINTED
DURING 1898.
Enough Of the Two-Centers to Go Near
~ Twice Around the Earth--
Nearly Four Billions Of
Them Printed.

Uncle Sam printed just a few post
age stamps during the year 1893. The
number of 2-cent stamps issued during
the year was about $500, 000,O0 Such
a number, obviously, is beyond the
grasp of the human mind, but perhaps
the matter may be made more clear
by putting it otherwise, says the
Washington Star.
An ordinary 2-cent stamp Is exactly
one inch long. From this fact, by a
little calculation, 1t 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 $1,000 miles. In
other words they would make a con-
tlnuous strip Of stamps, each one
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 1893
to stretch from New York city, by way
Of Europe and Asia, to Bombay, India,
II similarly arranged in one strip. All
other stamps, as to production and
sales, are OF minor Importance, CON-
p~aratively speaking, but 1t is interest
Ing to know that exactly one mile Of
81 stamps was manufactured for the
demand of 1893. OF IS stamps the
production was equivalent to a little
more than half a furlong Or about one
fifteenth Of a mile.
Now, II all the postage stamps print
ed by the United States government in
1898 were placed one on top another,
as nearly az 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 1t nearly right, unless you
went to work to calculate 1t for your
self.
The $780, 100000 stamps Of all de-
nominations printed the current year
the statement, of course, Is approx
mate-would tower to an elevation of
twenty.one miles. This Is more than
three times the height of the highest
mountain In the world-M0unt Ever
est, In the Himalayas. If the same
number Of stamps was piled up in the
form Of the ordinary sheets Of 100
each 1t follows that the stack would
be over a fifth of a mile high.
During the year 1898 the number of
special-dellvery stamps sold was
about 5,250,0O0. 1t is only reasonable
to suppose that the average journey OF
the special delivery messenger Is half
a mile. Indeed, that Is an absurd IN
derestimate; but let 1t 60 at that. On
this assumption the total distance
travelled for special delivery in 1898
was about 2,625,OO 0 miles. That is a
very considerable space to traverse, as
may be realized when 1t Is considered
that a messenger boy, in order to &C.
compllsh that total distance, would
have to go about LOO times around
the world, or five times to the moon
and back.
1t appears from the figures furnish
ed by the postofice department that
the average person in Massachusetts,
including men, women and children,
spends $3.50 on postage per annum,
New York comes second, with an ex-
penditure of 1927, and the district Of
Columbia third, with $2.16. Colorado
Is fourth, with $1.93, and Connecticut
is fifth, with $50. The states rank
ing lowest in this regard are South
Carolina, with Is cents per capita;
Mississippi, with "a cents; Alabama,
with 80 cents; Arkansas, with IT
cents, and North Carolina, with Al