Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-02-19

note, is work of Time Originally every line
or dot of picture, and every stroke Of letter
on each plate had to be cut one by one in piece
of copper or steel One man at a time only
could work on such plate. To produce one
would involve the work of many weeks. At
first one engraver executed whole plate. In
this way were produced all the plates for our
early currency up to about 1914 | saw at the
office of the American bank note company a
complete series of all United States bank Pr:..s
for many years. They were measured by our
present standard, very rude, and liable to easy
imitation; f1i no one man can make anything
of this kind of which some other man cannot
make close counterfeit. Gradually it came 10
be recognized that diversity of talent must be
employed upon each bank note. 0ae man
could engrave portrait in the best manner,
but could not do a landscape as well as
some other; neither of them, most likely, could
execute the lettering as well as some third per-
son. So in course of time some of the best en-
gravers associated together in order to produce
the plates for bank notes; each one executing
thai part which he could do best. About 1910
| our United States bank notes FIRST fairly began
to assume something like their present artistic
character-which is one of the main safeguards
against counterfeiting. Fifteen years ago there
were nine such associations, all doing good
work, but none Of them the best. That is, each
| enc could do a part of note better than any
other; but no one of them could do the whole
in the best manner. In 1858 these nine COM
panes united themselves into one association
which thus embodied all the best talent in all of
| them. This association, with very large adj
ditions in every department, constitutes the
present American bank note company. Since
then two other similar associations have been
formed: "The National" and the Continental.
There has been, of course, much rivalry between
these companies, but it is a rivalry of the most
generous character. ''rhe National and the
Continental" said our friend of the American,
care in every way first rate organizations. Both
do excellent work, and are in every way re-
liable" The American is however by far the
largest of these. | suppose that its business is
double that of the other two. To these should
be added the government establishment at
Washington, which executes part of most OF
our various kinds of currency. These four es.
Establishments, either separately or in con
junction, make the whole of our paper money
from the time when it comes into their hands as
so much blank paper to that when it comes into
our hands duly authenticated as Currency,
The process of producing the plates has in
various ways been simplifed and expedited by
mechanical processes. Let me take two as
prominent examples of money. There are sew
eral things which any one of many banks
| tcbo
are portraits of some representative men: say
Washington or Jefferson, jackson or Taylor,
| Douglas or Lincoln. Hundreds of each of these
would find place on different notes of different
banks. There also are pictures of every kind,
liberty or justice, railroad train or a group of
cattle, and so on without end Then there are
the ornamental figures, infinitely varied, which
denote the various denominations, from 81 up to
500, or even higher. Each one of these if
separately engraved, would demand the labor
of days, not unfrequentiy of weeks Some of
them, as shall show, could not be executed by
hand work at all.
Each one of these pictures-portraits, Wig
nettes, checks or counters-cal them what you
will, when once engraved, can be in few min
utes reproduced upon any plate and IN any re-
quired position on that plate Let me tell just
how this is done.
| The picture, whatever it may be, is first en-
| graved upon bit of soft steel. That bit of
steel is then hardened by fire; process familiar
| to everybody. Then a roller of soft steel is
passed over this plate under a powerful press
Every line Of the plate is thus impressed upon
| rOller Onl hot 10 &,
the plate is raised on the roller, and rice versa.
The roller is then hardened, and when passed
over another plate, gives the exact impress of
the original, line for line, point for point. This
is of course done by machinery, which works so
| accurately that there is not the slightest varia-
| ton detection of hairs breadth would
| spoil everything. These rollers are the dies of
| which we spoke, whereof two million dollars
worth we saw in one vault, not larger than a
closet. "Ho@ many of these dies have your" l
asked of my guide. 81 cannot tell without con-
sulting the register, was the reply. Ten years
ago asked the same question, and was told
that there were then about 20 900, of which some
5000 were portraits and mathematical figures,
as many more vignettes, and 10000 checks and
counters of every form and modification. al
dare say that was about the number ten years
ago" said our guide. eve have now many
more than we had then, and from cur register
we can lay our hands upon one at ten minutes
notice" did not think ii worth while to put
the matter to practical test; but from what l
saw elsewhere have no doubt that the thing
would have been done had | asked it.
| have spoken of the checks and counters up
on which, as understand experts greatly RELY
in deciding upon the genuineness of any note.
These are all engraved by machinery, and with
precision which no human hand can ac-
eomplish. Ten years ago / spent quite
two days in watching the working of
the "geometrical LATHE" one of these machines.
Atmy request this lathe cut for me all sorts of
intricate combinations, few of which gave in
my magazine article [ may here say briefly,
that believe now, as I then did, that no human
hand can execute the checks made by this ma
chine, in such manner that an expert would
not at glance distinguish the genuine from
the counterfeit. saw my old friend the other
day. 1t is about twice as large as a common
sewing machine. To construct it cost three
years time, and its expense was $4,000. Such
a machines lies wholly out of the reach of coun-
terfeiters. The various dies made by this ma
chine enter largely into the two million dollars
worth which saw in one vault.
| But apart from the loss to the public which
might arise from the possible misrepresentation
of plate, is that which might happen from the
larceny of an impression on paper taken from a
genuine plate. There are employed by this
company fully 800 persons, any one of whom
might by possibility abstract one or a score of
printed notes, complete in all except the actual
signatures; and any one Of which would most
likely pass from hand to hand The company,
OF course, does its best to engage only honest
employees. But among half thousand there
may be some one or more liable to temptation.
To provide against the posi- bility of any such
abstraction of a single printed sheet, a most
stringent system of checks and counter-cbecks
is instituted. Every sheet of paper given out
for printing is noted; and every person who re-
celves such sheet must return it at the close of
the days work. If it is spoiled in printing it
must he produced just as it is. Every sheet has