Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-09-20

MYSTERIES OF THE TREASURY ENGRAVING
AND PRINTING BUREAU--HoW UNCLE q.
{ ~ SAM MAKES MONEY. -
Washington Correspondence of the New York
Tribune.
In the engraving room We find half a
dozen workmen each with shade over
his eyes, intently peering through his mi
croscope at little plate of softened steel,
which shines like mirror. With BURN
Ia delicate pencil of hardened steel point,)
he is slowly blowing finest, minutest fur
rows, which the naked eye can barely see.
We lean over the shoulder of one, and find
him copying on steel sketch from the
paper before him, with two groups--one
cutting wheat with the sickle Of old; the
other with our great reaping machine. A
little thing that you could cover with two
silver dollars, yet he may spend year in
engraving it.
Each workman does only small portion
of note. He is to follow exactly the
sketch given him, and yet-maryellous in
dividuaIity !--even in these infinitesimal
lines, an expert will detect their author,
lust as we recognize hand writing. In both
steel and wood engravings for books, for
eign nations excel U.S.. But on this work
we are far in advance of them. American
bank notes show the finest steel engraving
in the world. The best workmen in Gov
eminent service are paid about $4,000 per
year. In private employ they sometimes
earn $4,000.
But portion of the engraving is me-
chanical. Fifty years ago Yankee named
Asa Spencer invented a curious machine,
called the geomet. iclathe. The apparatus
is intricate, the principle old and simple.
The steel plate is fastened firmly upon a
bed. Then the BURN, grasped by strong
muscles of steel, is moved over it by ma
chinery, blowing its little furrow wherever
it goes. This engraves any desired scroll,
network, or other or regular and intricate
devices, with an exquisite fineness, min
uteness, and mathematical precision, OF
which the human hand is incapable. The
elaborate, involved ornamentation (hoaI
elaborate and involved only the microscope
reveals) upon the back and about the
Counter" of our fractional and green
back currency, is engraved by this process
Hand limitations of it are most tedious and
clumsy. A geometric lathe costs from
three to eight thousand dollars - another
difficulty for counterfeiters
A copper plate will print eight or ten
thousand impressions before wearing out
steel plate about thirty thousand. Cop
per was formerly used, because softer and
cheaper to engrave. But mark the mod
ern improvement by which the number OF
impressions we can get from one steel
plate is absolutely limitless The single
flat plate, so laboriously cut by the en-
graver, say for one SIS greenback, is never
used to print from. 1t is called the "bed
piece" After the last touches of the
I,
to gain adamantine hardness. Then it is
laid ON the bed of a press--another giant
of iron-and under heavy weight (only
5000 pounds, but all converging on the
point of contact), little cylinder of soft
ened steel is rolled over it backward and
forward. After the first faint impression
the workman takes out the cylinder to see
where harder or lighter pressure is needed
When he puts it back to roll again, the
variation Of one hair breadth from its ole
track wonld blur and ruin both die anC
plate. But the nicely adjusted machinery
under his exact eye, makes no mistakes. Ii
an hour or two the cylinder, or "die,
bears perfect impression in relief, OF thu
face of the SIS note, down to its finest lin'
and most delicate shade. Ia
Then the little original plate is locked
up in the safe to repeat this process when
ever needed. The cylinder hardened il
the fire, becomes perfect die. Next ;
lagye, smooth plate of softened steel i
placed on the press; the die is rolled owe
it again and again, till the plate bears .fou
impressions of the So dollar note. Thel
the die also is locked up ready for simila
use in future The new plate is now ready
to print the " fives,' four at time. Plate
for the smaller. fractional notes, coupons
and beer stamps, each bear from dozel
to forty impressions This most ingeniou
transfer process" by which the origina
steel plate is multiplied indefinitely. wa
devised early in this century by one Jacol
Perkins, OF Newburyport, Mass, the in
ventor of steel engraving ITSELF
Now, into one of the printing rooms. A
we open its door, the clatter OF forty -fou
poisy presses break upon u.s. Each ha
three attendants-one man who carefull
INKS the large, shining plate, and, when ii
interstices are filled rub The rest of its SUI
face clean and dry; second, who lays tn
plate upon the bed, shoves it under tn
tympan for its mighty pressure, and the
returns the plate to be linked; and CIR
who laws on the blank sheets and remove
them after they are printed, placing lea
of brown paper between each two, to kee
them from plotting. Each press throw
off about $50 sheets per hour, but i
emergencies its products can be largely il
creased. From one flies q national flag, i
commemoration of 5000 impressions ono
obtained from it in seven and one ha
hours.
The plates are artifcially heated, th
pressman handles them nimbly, and the
would blister anaccustomed fingers. l
these vernal days the great room is like a
oven. Precipitation streams from worl
men, and the girls keep their large pall
fans in motion. This labor is exceedingl
hard and trying. The old mode of prin
ing was upon wet sheets, which came OF
like the damp morning newspaper. Clarl
against strong opposition, has introduce
dry printing. 1t promotes security; DIR
sheets are easily kept in the counted pacl
ages of 1000 each. Wet, in large unequ'
masses, must often be changed from on
pile to another. Dry printing is twenty
five per cent. cheaper, and its labor is LEI
severe than the old mode which ofte
causes rupture in pressmen.
In printing from types, stereotype plate
IL he cod off q