Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-08-19
A MILLION POSTAL LOCKS
BY l.. VI. In nm.

IL takes more than a million locks 10
protect tho United States governments
letters while in transit The ponular
Mechanics Magazine tells how. rho do
Partment makes and kccps in rcpair
t not ohlS all or these locks. but all
fastening devices used in tho mail SER
wee Previous to 1859 everything OF
TINS nature was furnished and rcnnIrcb
pF contract at great expense In that
year II was decided TO repair the locks
ana II small shop was installed nj
nShinttoh After experimenting u
"hiie II was found that the depart
ncht could do the work not only chcaD-
er than by contract, but better Tho
ioilowlng year it was decided to enter
INTO the manufacture of locks KEYS.
ana mailbag attachments, as II was be-
eu ~ would be great advantage
TO the department to have its own shop
where orders could be filled more
promptly and with less danger of KEYS
getting into the hands of those not
entitled to them.
From the small room with one drill
press ana one stamping machine and
employing half dozen workmen the
shop has grown until now il is n com
plcte factory, equipped with tools and
machinery necessary for the CONVERTING,
OF sheet steel and brass and other ma :
terial into locks and keys and the
Among other features. the present fac
tory contains press room with four
teen stamping machines, a lock finish
ing and assembling room, n misccl-
lancous room where cord fasteners arc
assembled and other equipment made, a
department where hundreds of postal
scales arc repaired, and q timing plant
where all mailbag attachments arc
timed to prevent rusting.
shortly after the shop was cstab-
lishcd defect was found In the mail
lock, and steps were taken to design a
lock which could not be Jared opcn,
with the result that the Eagle" lock,
later called the Double Star" lock. was
designed. More than 1000 900 of these
locks have been made and put into SER
vice since that time. Although this
Eagle lock- has given the best service
of any lock ever used on mail bags, It
is now being gradually withdrawn on
account of it's weight, and replaced by
still later lock known as the La"
weighing only two and four-fifths
ounces, or about onc-half the weight of
the Double Star, and costing less than
one-half as much to manufacture. AS
the carrying of the mails is paid for by
weight, the La lock will result I'm a
large saving to the government in
transportation cost. besides which much
time will be saved In tho locking and
unlocking. This is an important feat
Office clerks, where every moment
counts.
One Of the most important and inter-
esting locks in use In the postal ser
vice is the registered mail lock. COM
monty called the rotary" This lock is
equipped with registering mcchan-
ism having four dials, each numbered
from to ., which indicates the num-
Der of times tho lock is unlocked. Each
is also provided with 81 serial number
stamped on the outside of the case, no
two bearing tho same number. Pouches
containing registered mail are lock ed
with these and a record kept OF both
the serial number of the lock and the
registered number as shown on tho
dials If any lock reaches its destina-
ton showing n different number on the
dials 1T is ut once known that it has
been tempered with. As each clerk who
handles the pouch is required to re-
cept for the same, it is practically i'm
possible to tampcr with the contents OF
the pouch without detection. These
locks were formerly made with cast
cases and We're purchased blythe gov
crnment at $3.50 each. An improved