New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-11-11
OUR NATIONAL TREASURY.
The Biography Of Grcenbsch.-Contmue
Number Two.l

Before going further let US take bref retrospect
When the Government undor the financial pres
.nre which tho enormous expenditures incident 20
the prosecution Of the war entalce npon the Tea
,ury found itself compelled TO suspend specie pay
Niente and pledge the credit Of che Nation 'or the
redemption OF its paper promises to pay there
were not less than fifteen hundred banks and bank
ing assoc atoms in the county. The Not's Of these
banks ranged in value oil she way from 10 cts. to
100 c.s on the dollar, and it was estimated that
there were more than five thousand c0untcricits on
them. In such q state e tho currency bGnk-note
Reporter or a money expert was as much q CONNER
eisl necessity as the banks themselves and woe to
The man who cashed the floating currency ii the
country " az sight" or without certifying hmseiI
Of its real character. Now We have an altered ana
much improved state Of things Except III New
York and other large commercial ceuters, where the
notes of GONE Of the older and weather. BANKS sun
circulate any other than the Government money Is
seldom seem
The number Of dangerous counterieits Is eI-
tremely small. their real character being easily de-
teeted ss soon as circulation is attempted. Indeed
a"bogus' treasury note is almost as hard TO find
now as a good bank note out West was before the
We are largely if not mainly indebted TO the artistic
And mechanical skill which is bestowed upon the
various issues of Government money. This periee-
ton has been attained by slow degrees. To quote
the words OF late writer, Nothing can be more
yade than the Massachusetts, notes issued in 1000
the first American paper money" Hardly better
Are the Continental Bills first issued in l175 These
were engraved by Paul Revere, the best OF the -four
bDgrayers then in the country. A comparison OF
any of these with United States Treasury Note Of
1864 will illustrate the progress Of the at during
he interval.
There is perhaps no engraving SO fine, or which
requires much time and labor 10 execute, rs that
an the plates now being prepared for National Note
printing. We have given, III a previous chapter,
. brief description Of one-perhaTs the largest aud
most elabors,e-of them. We Will, renew our
subject where we left it.
At another desk in the
PICTORIAL ENGRAVING ROOM
we find an engraver putting the finishing touches TO
sfne portrait of the Hon. VIM. Pit, Fesseuden,
She new Secretary, which will, when finished, en-
helsh one or other, perhaps ELL of the Department
Issues. Attached to the Art room which we have
lust left is Photograph for reducing letters and
machine was constructed and PIT up in the Machine
shop Of the building already noticed.
We may ] ave occasion, in following up our sub
ieet, to visit the Art or Pictorial room again. At
yresentwe will accompany attentive guide TO the
LATHE ROOM,
where certain parts Of a note are executed by
machinery with delicsey and precision altogether
hIattainable by the human eye or hand. by this
machine ell the elaborate lathe-woIk which forms
10 noticeable feature on almost all the Department
money issues is DONE 1t is a most admirable and
lngeniously eontriyed machine and was built by
Albert Tichenor, Of Newark, aided by other expert
mechanics, and is now owned by the Government.
The machine work OF the die having been executed
the letters and figures which represent the dcscrip-
ton and denomination of the note, and which are
Necessary TO designate its value next engraved
upon it by hand.
The original plate or bed-piece having now been
prepared tmustnext 60 through the process of hard
snng in order to fit il for the purposes OF trans
FER For the immense issues of the Department,
frequently amounting TO millions in a single day, il
will readily be conceived that single plate OF each
Of the different issues would be altogether made
puate for the use of the printers. From such plate
it would, of course, be impossible TO furniah the
requisite number of impressions. 1t is, you have
seen from your explorations in the Art engraving
rooms, equally impossible to have the requisite num-
Der of plates engraved. 1t becomes necessary there
fore, 10 repeat or duplicate them in another way.
How shall it be done, becomes the next question
Follow US and we will show yon the
TEMrERING ROOM.
1t in the subbasement Of the building. II isa
small apartment, with furnace occupying one en-
tire tide of it. On the top OF the furnace placed
snumber of Crucibes fitted with sliding covers,
which, by means of rope and pulley Gun be ad-
jnsted to the desired temperature.
The die or bed-pece, whether engraved By hand
OF machinery is made Of sofiened steel. /; is then
placed in one Of these Crucibles filed up with ami
nal carbon, and Theoretically closed. The carbon
volstilized by the intense heat combines with the
steel and completely hardens it. From three to
fonr hours are ordinarily required 10 accomplish this
operation Now let Us look into the
TRASsFER ROOM
where the plate is thoroughly hardened for the
"transfer process. This process is already pretty
well understood, the press which is used in conduct.
ing il having been in more than thirty years.
There are two rooms devoted TO the process OF
Transferring. In one We found fourteen, in the
other three presses built by Poole & Hunt Of Belt
more-large imposing some Of them fitted
sith lever wheels. and looking like so many Parrot,
guns
The plate or die o. spftened steel of the size re-
CURED put in the press Immediately under roller