Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-28
oar ..ereeenbacks How shey are
aGreuud OUT I'm Washington.

oar .ereeens.ek. flow they are
ssCreund Out I'm Washington.
In good old times--sAy about four years ago
the annual report Of the secretary Of the treasury
comprising full statement Of the entire receipts
AID expenditures Of the United States govern
ment for the current years could be printed IN
one or two columns Of = newspaper. la this
in all other matters pertaining 10 the admins
tratioB Of Affairs. re have progressed slightly,
and il nov requires . pOrty pamphlet OF one
hundred and eight closely printed octave pages
10 simply tell us how, and how much Il costs, to
print different kinds Of currency aud treasury "a
sues. Such pamphlet has jgsi been ISSUED,
which - mOdestlv called II letter from the sec
retary in answer TO a resolution OF the House OF
Jan "a, in regard TO the printing bureau OF the
treasury department"
rHK rxrsriso BUREAU.
This printing bureau il one Of the lew and
numerous bureaus created by the eIigencies OF
the time, and. like all other bureaus. affords an
opportunity for the screwing on of numerous
handles in the shape OF officers and employees
The bureau must have been busy last year, for
Secretary Fessenden says that he did not allude
70 this bureau in his annual report, because the
bureau report ''wss not ready IN time for such
mention" He therefore includes il in the pres
ent pamphlet. and il is supposed TO comprise all
the matter Of interest in this branch Of the tres
sury department except the very interesting and
entertaining matter relative 70 some Of the Re
male employees "a this matter was thoroughly
ventilated before = committee and was extensive
" printed in the papers last summer, she omis
sion ofibe report IS not material.
The sUREav HANDLES.
The frat division of the currency bureau is d.
nided into thirty one subdivisions, and employs
1--WE husdred and twenty seven operatives, two
hundred and twenty two Of whom are males,
and three hundred and FIVE females. They are
all said to be engaged in engraving, printing and
preparing for issue the various securities and cur
reDcy authorized Dy congress, which are too IA
milisF 10 the public 10 need a more minute des
cription. Berides this labor. they print the cir
culars, blank forms. envelopes, and other letter
press printing required by the department. It's.
in fact, pet printing and engraving Office for
the treasury department
ITS ORIGIN.
Ii grew up il an attempt. two years ago. TO
trim and separate treasury notes by machinery
Up 20 that time the greenbacks were engraved
and printed in New York-most IL not all of
them By the American Bank Note company, and
we're cent in sheets of four notes 10 W ashington
where they were signed bT the treasurer and reg
isier Of the treasury, and then trimmed and cut
apart With shears. The inpossibility Of manip-
ulating these notes "a fas, as they were ground
out Was soon apparent. The hrst relief came in
the congressional authority TO employ seventy
signers fst 81 900 each per annum) TO sign the
notes These seventy were not sufficient, and
the next Improvement was sealing the notes and
printing the fac strnile signatures Next, two
machines for trimming and emitting notes were
made - for trial. aud reported 70 Nj.
Chase a failure
The frst work Of the bureau was the prepare
a Ill.
notes the work being authorized by Mr.. Chase.
August -, 1862 Mr. CLARK 81 once went 10
work and IN six DAYS had set up a steam engine
and the necessary machinery. lie began with
one male assistant ard four females. Mr. Clark
says that. if he had supposed the business would
grow under his charge Ito it, present enormous
magnitude-thc current issues having sometimes
exceeded sixteen millions Of dollars in single
day, handled by more than FIVE hundred opera
tives"-he should have been compelled TO
shrink from the task aud sbandOn the attempt.
As early as January ), 1853. lie could turn out
thirty six thousand impressions in eight hours
work. The figures on the impressions might
carry the daily issues TO an enormous amount.
but with constant Improvements and increased
facilities. with hydraulic presses at work night
and day. the department could only issue enough
representative money TO pay the contractors,
Iron clad and others, while the gallant armies
in the field waited months and months for their
paliry pay-small to individuals but in tho sg-
gregate. of course, enormous.
DETAILS
Mr.. Clark's report is filed with minute details
altogether too voluminous to give in our col
umns. but nevertheless extremely interesting.
He infinitely details all the expenditures on ex
periments. which. in many cases. cost more than
the estimated value of the matter printed, and
gives his difficulties With the bank note engrav-
ers Iosses-that is stolen notes find place
Once an unfinished sheet OF twenty dollar five
per cent. two years notes was missing. and "sus-
pcion attached 70 a scrubbng woman" Four
sheets OF fractional currency, amounting 20 forty
dollars, went next No trace WAS found; then
ten sheets; then sheet of four dollar
pound interest notes went and so on But the
loss OF one hundred one thousand dollar coupon
bonds $500 .000) did not occur in this division
but the losses are supposed 10 be Offset BY GER
tain savings, which come next in the report
FACILITIES
The department has been al sa with the pri-
vats bank note companies ever since the estab-
iishment Of its own engraving and printing bu
IL Is claimed however. ihst the work is
now done AZ less cost, snd with greater celebrity
aud security. We trust tia, the department has
at least this merit and that IN ITS proposed sys
ten OF "checks" some check may be suggested
and enforced TO the frightiuly enormous issues
OF all sorts of greenbacks, down to the latest and
last three cent shnplaster. which now fairly food
The whole country