Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-13
piled and the indicator shows the

piled and the indicator shows the
value Of the sheet
The blind mans test" or German
test, Is the third. and it Is denigned
to show whether the surface of tho
oard Is properly rssined, sized or fin.
1shed. 1t is an application of vigor.
GUS pen and ink, Should the ink be
absorbed the surface is inferior In
Its glaze. When the markings are
plainly apparent to the touch with
blind eyes" the calendaring is salts
factory. Each sheet OF stock fed into
the printing press Is registered auto.
matically, SO that an exact tally can
be kept of all cards printed. The
two presses have Il united capacity Of
100000 cards daily.
The girls who gum the packages
together have TO be very spry. With
, a dozen gnmmed edged fingers hover
over the straight edged packs of pos
tai cards like humming birds till, with
dash and flutter, the band is In
place and n second packet is in real..
ness for band.
One young woman is behind each
machine to box these packets, and
others are kept busy folding tho
pasteboard boxes in which they are
packed, 500 In box. The pasteboard
packages are placed In wooden boxes
OF different sizes. They hold 5000,
10000 and $4,000 cards. The boxes
are very strong and are nailed to-
gether at the postal cards mill by
machinery.
The postal card craze has no eff.
feet in Rumford Falls. There Is no
busy season in the card mill The
same amount Is printed day after
day. The government requires that
n certain amount be one hand ut the
factory. These are kept In n fire
and burglar proof vault, which has n
capacity Of 100,Oo0,00O.
But this is not all the money I'm.
Gle Sam puts into the Golfers OF Maine
manufacturers. A dozen miles from
here, at Mechanic Falls, all the paper
for the millions and millions of post
age stamps used In the United States
every month Is manufactured. The
company began It's contract July l.
The contract expires July /, 1907.
Once month, and sometimes of.
tener. q requisition is received for
/ 100000 sheets of paper. Each sheet
will make 361 stamps. The sheets
are Is 1-2x20 ga inches and OF the
best quality OF paper turned out OF
the mill. 1t is made OF spruce and
soda pulp.
Each sheet is marked with the let
tiers u. 8. p. s. Omitted States post.
age stamps), running lengthwise. The
dandy roll used to make these let
tiers. Is the property of the United
States government, and must be given
up at the expiration of the contract.
This roll of brass wire Is ninety lnches
long. The marks are made Ly the
heavy raised letters of metal placed
at equal intervals on the surface. Tho
paper is made in rolls, Weighing 100
pounds and the width OF seventy four
inches Is divided four times into
sheets as specified above.
The next step Is to mark the sheets
SO that the workmen In Washington
shall have no trouble in keeping them
right side up. G., with all the let
! tiers upright and running In vertical
. lines from top to bottom. For this
part OF the work the sheets are very
J carefully piled with the edges exactly
together and just as they are to be
handled in Washington.
| Then comes the sorting process, for
none but the perfect sheet Is ne.
cepted by Uncle Sam. This work Is
done by girls, who handle each sheet
separately. holding 1t up and looking
through 1t toward the light, by which
means thin places and other defects
are quickly discernable. The reject
cd sheets are thrown upon the floor
and one hand Is kept busy raking
them together and gathering them up
to be returned to the pulp room to
be reground.
4 From start to finish the work re.
quires the greatest care and preci-
sion, for there must not be single
defect in a single sheet sent 10 Wash
ington, where the stamping, srun-
ming and perforating are 'lone.
4 --Fss--s--s.----
M Mot Nan+ Neoro Gauoer