Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-10-19
IInr nnnIl Norrn N nIh.ln.


The New York Evening Post speaking
Of The American Bank Ncts Company To-
Gated in hat city, says;
Il is the most extensive establishment Of
the kind In the world. II employs some Of
the best artists the country in sketohing
designs. In some cases the artists send
original sketches, bat generally embOdy
the ideas suggested to them Darleys de-.
signs are frequent in our bank note oircu-
lRtion, and are at once recognized by those
who are familiar with his style. The Wig
nettes are combined with portrsits Of indi.
viduals and the letters and lathe work
which make up o hank note. The drawings
are sent from the design-room to the pioto.
rial engraving department.. The best ar,
lists are employed in this department. and
there are fifteen men, each at his own
desk, who work eight hours per day, and
earn from s., 900 to 81, 900 per year. Some
Of them work exclusively upon " heads"
others upon human figures.
In some cases vignette, which cOmpris-
es isndseape, sky architecture, and fig
ures, will pass through as many different
hands, and the separate parts Of the work,
finished by artists who have made that
style q specially, make the whole as per-
feet possible indeed, first class vignetie,
unless > portrait, is hardly ever done by
one hand, and q portion Of il is nbit in"
with acids and afterwards finished with q
graver. The portrait engrsvers become so
skilful that they produce perfect likeness
from photograph, painting, orengraving,
and whatever work is IN hand Is given to
the artist Eho is best qualified 10 make s
finished picture Of the kind required. All
Of the Yignettes, and much OF the largest
letter work, are engraved on separate
pieces Of steel, 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, are "taken up
upon decarbonized dies Of cylinder from
which the notes are printed. Thus the
work is doubly transferred before it is
printed. The shading of the letters is done
oy machinery and in this way also is ex-
ecuted that curious, complicated, and
beautiful groundwork for the figures, aud
from which tints on the face and back of
the note are printed. Such is the aecura-
cy and uniformity Of the geometrioal lathe
work and eyoloidal ruling that it is i'm
possible to initiate them by hand. The pro-
duetion Of these lace like figures is the re-
suit of a mathematical problem worked cut
beforehand; SO many turns Of certain
wheels will produce certain figure, which
can be multiplied by The transferring pro-
cess indefinitely. The machines are very
complicated and expensive Though TO one
unacquainted with them they seem cheap
and simple, and require great skill and
experience in their management and oper-
alton. We Wers shown in this department
3 geometricsl lathe, not twice as large as
an ordinary sewing machine, and less than
half as noisy, which was three years in
building, and cost about $4,000. These
maehises are never patented, as the secret
OF their construction is worth more than
q patent and Improvements and alterations
are made from time to time, while their
great cost prohibits their coming inte gen
eral or improper use. u'-- ti