Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-07-28

pouches. and the Alaskan pouches. for
dog sled transportation Of the mails.
AS in all government departments. all
the material is utilized. Those bags
that are condemned are sent to two
men to be cut up. The good parts are
put together and practically new bags
are made. while the useless material is
sold as junk. Last year the amount re-
ceived for this junk was more than thir-
teen hundred dollars. while the sum re-
ceived through the sale of such material
during the past thirteen years amounts
to more than S133,S0O-
One of the big features of the repair
shop here is furnishing mended bags to
the various departments. In addition. the
shop has standing orders to send daily
coo pouches and 200 sacks to the Union
station, and 100 sacks to the city post
office, that number being increased to
1890 Saturdays.
The mail bag repair shop was establish
ed about 1876. Prior to that time the
work OF mending the bags used in Wash
ington only was given out as piece work.
But with the establishment of regular
repair shop the work was brOadened to
take in practically the entire country.
At first all the work was done by hand.
but about twenty years ago the machines
were installed, beginning with a single
one and increasing to the present num-
Der. Thomas p. Graham is in charge of
what is known as the division of equip
ment, consisting of the mail bag repair
shop and the mail lock repair shop. Di-
rectly in charge OF the work of the mail
bag repair shop is George II. II. Moore.
The work Of repairing the mail sacks
and pouches is about all that is done by
the government In connection with those
articles AS far as the actual making OF
the sacks and pouches is concerned, that
is done by outside firms. working under
contract. AT the present time the mail
pouches are made at Lyons, n. ", and
the sacks baltimore
Closely allied with the mending of the
mail bags is the work done by the mail
lock repair shop. This
Mendlng shop is located al. a..
LIST street northeast, and
AoeNS' can truly be said to be
one of the "sanctum sanctorums'' of the
whole government. Here not only are
the mail locks repaired. but manufac-
tured as well, while in addition here also
are manufactured all the metal parts used
in the mail sacks and pouches These
parts are shipped from here to the man
ufacturers of the sacks and pouches and
used by them when the sacks and pouches
arc made.
TO know the mechanism of the locks
IL
the ability to rifle the mail pouches. Con
sequently the work done by the shop is
carefully guarded, and visitors are far
from welcome. The doors are kept lock-
eel. with mo admittance' signs promi-
nently displayed while the windows are
barred. Once inside the little two-storied
building, however. some idea of the real
Importance Of the work can be gained.
On the lower floor are manufactured the
various metal parts used in connection
nj ,nI r1,r
rings inclosing the eyelets through which
the cord is run, known as grommets:
the cord clamps. the label cases, small
metal holders for the cards which give
me destlna ton Of the bag; staples. burrs.
mail pouch clips and mail bag end fasten-
ers are all made here in enormous GUAM
titles Inc output of these little articles
in single year in the aggregate reaches
up in the millions. For instance, take the
single item of mail bag end fasteners
They are nothing more pretent:ous than
metal bands which are slipped on the
emo OF the cord run through the sack to
keep the ends from fraying. OF the large
ana small size together the output for
year was nearly 332.OD. More than
100000 grommets are made each year.
While almost 5000 pounds Of staples are
turned out OF the cord clamps. con-
trivances used TO hold the cord after the
Dag mas been pulled closed more than
i,rnOo are made each year, while there
is an annual output of about 30. 600 label
cases.
The manufacturing of the locks used
in the postal service is the real work of
this shop. OF these there
MAKING are six which are what
Toolx, might be called the reg
ular locks, while special
locks for specific purposes are also made.
Of the regular locks there are two kinds
of padlocks used on the outside of letter
boxes. and two used inside locks-that
is the regular lock made in the box in
distinction to the paddock passed through
a staple The other two kinds of regular
locks are the pouch locks and the registry
locks. The last-named lock is the most
sacred OF all those made The parts of
this lock are produced in the same room
in which those for the other kinds are
made, but the work of assembling the
registry locks is done in a special room
on the first floor, which is open to .abso-
luteiy no one but the men engaged IN
putting them together, one ordinarily,
and three during rush, and the heads of
the shop.
1t is on the second floor that the locks
are made. In one end of the room Is
the machine shop, where practically al
rious parts of the locks is constructed.
At the other end are the machines which
turn out the parts themselves.
The lock used on the bags holding reg
istered mail is the most modern that
science can devise 1t is what is known
as a rotary lock. On one side is a space
covered with glass through which can
be seen a series Of numbers When q
registered bag is filled the lock to be used
on It is examined before the bag Is closed,
and the number noted. A slip bearing
this number is then put inside the bag:
The bag Closed tho lock is attached ana
snapped When the postal clerk at the
other end receives the bag he opens 1t
with his key. which causes the number
on the lock to increase by one. lie then
examines the slip on tie INSIDE OF tltc
bag, and If the two numbers disagree ny
more than one he knows the bag has been
tempered with. and Immediately notihes
the proper authorities
The chief factor which prompted the
establishment OF a government shop was
the lack of uniformity of the locks made
nv the ordinary factories. At the shop
here when old locks are sent PACK
to be repaired they are taken apart. and
the good parts picked out and put into
piles When the work of reassempl ns
commences the parta are chosen at ran
dom but always with the result that the
lock is perfect
The output of locks, while not as great
as the metal parts for the mail sacks and
pouches, is nevertheless large In one
wear almost 1900 registry locks We're
made and more than 1000 were repaired
OF the padlocks. both kinds, nearly 5000
were made and almost 5000 repaired. or
the inside locks, the number made reach
ed 5000 odd.
Tho working force at the lock shop is