Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1861-11-16
SIOUX CITY, IOWA. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER IT, 1861
HOW BANK NOTES ARE MADE.

The New York Evening Post informs
located in that city, is the most extensive
establishment of the kind in the world. 1t
employs some of the Of the best artists in
the country in sketchRg designs. In
some eases the artists send original sketch
es, but generally embody the ideas sug.
gested to them. barley designs are fre.
qnent -. oa. hank note circulation. and
are at once recognized by those who are
familiar with his style. The yignettes are
combined with portraits Of individuals
and the letters and lathe work which make
up bank note. The drawings are sent
from one design room to the pictorial en-.
employed in this department. and there
are fifteen men. each at his own desk, who
work eight hours per day, and earn from
$1,000 to $4,000 per year. Some of them
work exclusively upon "heads;' others
upon human figures. In some cases
vignette which comprises landscape, sky,
architecture and figures will pass through
as many different hands, and the separate
parts of the work, finished by artists who
have made that stle q speciality, make
the whole as perfect as possible; indeed, q
tirSt.ciass vgnette, unless portrait, is
hardly ever by one hand, and portion of
it is "bit in" with acids and afterwards
finished with graver. The portrait en-
gravers become so skilful that they pro.
duce perfect likeness from photograph,
painting or engraving, and whatever work
IS in hand is given to the artist who is best
qualified to make q finished picture of
the kind required. All Of the vignettes,
and much OF the larger letter work, are
engraved on separate pieces of stell. from
which proofs only are printed. These
pieces are taken to the hardening room,
where two men who are experienced in
handling steel harden them, by heating
and plunging them into water or OIL
The hardened plates are placed under
presses of enormous power and are ia,
ken up upon decerbonized dies of cy-
lindrical form. which are afterward har
dened, and are used 10 transfer the i'm
preston to the plate from which the notes
are printed. The shading Of the letters is
done by machinery, and in this way also
is executed that curious, complicated aud
from which the tints on the face and back
ST snes~ are printed. Such is the acca
rscy and uniformity Of the geometrical
lathe work and cycloidal ruling, tina, it is
impossible to initiate them by hand. The
production of these lace Ike figures is
the result of mathematical problem
worked out beforehand 40 many turns
of certain wheels will produce a certain
figure, which can be multiplied by the
transferring process indefinitely. The ma
chimes are very complicated and extensive
(though to one unacquainted with them
they seem cheap and simple and require
great skill and experience in their manage
ment and operation. We were shown in
this department a geometrical lathe, not
twice as large as an ordinary sewing ma
chine. and less than half as noisy which
was three years in building, and cost about
$4,000. These machines ar, never pat
ented. as the secret OF their construction
is worth more than a patent, and improve
ments and alterations are made from time
to time, while their great cost prohibits
their coming into general or improper use.