Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-10-06
Where and How Bank Motto Paper is
Made.

Whcro and How 3ank Noto Paper is
Made.
4 correspondent Of the Boston
Tan$ctiIt, who has visited Ike
factory, near Philadelphia, in which
the government bank note paper is
made, describes the process rs fol
lows:
Ny first visit was to the boiler
room, where, in q large rotary boiler,
the stock Of which the paper is
made (new lincn) is boiled for iours
with lime to extract the color glut-
in. From the boiler room we pro-
ceeded to the engine room. Here
the stock, after it has been sufficient
~ boiled under a steam pressure Of
sixty pounds, goes into the washing
engine. 1t is then ground or beat
en- about twelve hours in the wash
ing engine. At first water is let in
at the bottom Of the engine, and is
ta' e" ont at the top by revolving
c.ii:,sl@r covered with " ire cl, til,
which process goes Oh till the dirt
and color, as far as il can be done
by lime and water, il, removed.
Dtae.. eacM:eHls are then added,
and he half stuff" as the sub
;;.a.aa j'su called, Is thrown int,
ta.>, wAeit Il is allowed 10 drain
.,ad .iewh.
From these watts it goes into the
beating engine, where by a long
process Of grinding or beating it is
reduced to a line pulp Or stuff" AS
it is technically termed. Great care
is taken, ain Informed, that the
fibre Of tho iincH is not cut short
during the process Of grinding, tho
object being to beat it into its finest
parts rather th&n to cut it short, as
is done with book and writing pa
pers. It is that which gives to
bank note paper It's peculiar
strength and bladdcrly appear
ancc.
At this stage Of Tie process the
redistribution" fibre is Introduced.
Through the whole body Of the pa
per,a long and comparatively coarse
red fibre may be discovered. 1t is
substance usually supposed to be
siIll-it is not silk-ws.at it isl
WAS not informed. 1t is cut into
lengths Of about an inch, and weigh
ed into the beating engines q short
tine before the beating is c olnple-
ted. When tie stuff is fine enough,
it is let down by a valve at the
bottom of the engine, to the stuff
chest i'll the machine room.
The 'iocalized fibre" is prepared
in essentially tie same way, and is
usually Of blnc color-that is let
down to separate chest on the ma
chine. The stuff'or pulp containing
the distribution fibre, passes on to
the machine i'll the usual way, while
that containing the localized fibre,
~ an ingenious contriyance, is
made to tiow in continuous parallel
lines, through the whole length of
the continuous sheet. These lines
are 50 contrived rs to bring the To-
callzet iibre into Il particular part
Of the bond or note, and the pres
ence OF this fibre in the bond or
note il! evidence Of its genuineness.
The paper, while en- the machine,
passes under calender rolls, and
over steam rolls, till it IS dry. It's
then slit up lcngtl1W-;se, and passes
through an animal size-attcr that
il is cut up by machinery into
sheets, and goes into the ''lay boy
After the paper has been sized it
Will not DO to dry it by steam cylin-
ders; it therefore goes to the dry
ing loft, where il is hung on poles
to dry.
From the driving loft tie paper
goes to the finishing room. where
it is calendered and cou,ted by the
manufacturers, and thence it passes
to the upper loft Of the mill, which
is really g branch Of the Treasury
Department. Then the paper is
trimmed, examined, counted, caSed
and sealed. Some twenty or more
women are here employed cxamin-
ing and counting; each package,
containing one thousand sheets, is
first examined, and ali imperfect
sheets are rejected. They are then
counted by one lady twice, and
her count is verified by another.