Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-07

gistered mail cars. Such cities as
Boston and New York consume about
two carloads a day. After the spruce
logs from the Maine woods have been
chewed and chemically treated. the
pulp flows into a big vat called the
digester. Here the pulp looks like
rich churning, but it is in reality the
solution from which the cards are
made-cards that will later carry
messages all over the world. The
wood pulp is flowed out on a screen
of such fine mesh that the paper IS
long in gathering, and the result or
this more than ordinary shaking IS
firm, smooth card of the famlllar
cream yellow, free from inequalities
of texture and from all takes or
shadows when held to the light. In
the big finishing room, where the moor
is Uttered with q clutter of book anu
news paper, sit a score of neatly-at-
tired women, smoothing the great
sheets Of book and postal stock lhto
piles. The least defect in the surface
is detected at once by their supersen-
sitiye finger tips, and sheet after sheet
is rejected for any blemish. Great
trucks carry the postal paper to the
printing establishment, but before the
presses are set in work each LOAD must
be inspected by government ihspt'-
tor. This inspector first applles tne
bulk gauge to prove that the posldi
card is up to the standard III thich-
ness. The contract requires that each
sheet be one eleventh thousandth part
of an inch in thickness. The secon
reouirement is that every sheet snail
endure the test OF 50 pounds pressure
to the square inch. SO INTO the
strength tester goes the sheet lIoui
the truck load: the pressure Is appliHd
and the Indicator shows the Value VI
the sheet. The blind mans test or
German test, is the third ana IL IS
designed to show whether the surface
of the card is properly reSlned' sl"ea
or finished 1t is an application ol
vigorous pen and ink Should the INK
be absorbed. the surface is inferior IN
its glaze. When the markings are
plainly apparent to the touch. or win
"hlind ewes" the calendering is salts
factory. Each sheet of stock fed INTO
the printing press is registered aulo-
matically so that an exact tally can De
kent OF all the CdIQS VI ililcp' AA'N
presses have a united capacity OF o.
600 900 cards daily. The girls VINO
gum the packages together nave 10 pe
yerv spry With a dozen gummed
sticks between their lips, their trained
fingers hover over the straight-edgad
packs Of postal cards like hummin3
birds, till with a dash and a ilutter me
band is in place and second packet
is in readiness for band. One young
woman is behind each machine TO poA
these packets and others are kept pussy
folding the pasteboard boxes IN when
thev are packed 500 in a box. Inc
Dashboard packages are placed m
wooden boxes of different sizes. IheS
hold 5000, 10000 and 10000 cards. me
boxes are very strong and are nailed
together at the postal cards mills nN
machinery. The postal card craze has
no effect in factories of this sor1.
There is no busy season. Inc same
amount is printed day after day. me
government requires that certain
amount be on hand at the factory.
These are kept in fire and burglar
proof vault which has a capacity Of
100 900 900 cards.