The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-04-03
Restoration of Burned Currency.

The Identification and restoration of
notes which have been burnt is difficult
and interesting operation. Every one has
observed that printed paper after having
been burnt, if not subjected to strong
draft or roughly handled, retains its origi-
nal form, and that the printing is distinct
and legible, and appears as if it had been
raised or embossed on the paper, but that
If it is touched never SO gently it orumbles
into dust. Notes in this condition are fire.
quently received at the Department for
redemption. The counter subjects each
note and fragment of note to a careful
inspection in strong light, under pow
erful glass, until she determines the de-
nomination and issue, and then pastes it
upon piece of thin tough paper in order
that it may De safely handled. But this
pasting, by destroying the raised or en-
bossed appearance, at once and forever
precludes all chance of again identifying
the kind or denomination of the note.
Henceforth it is but plain, black piece
OF paper, giving no Indication that it ever
represented money. 1t is therefore very
necessary that the counter should be quite
sure that her judgment is correct before
the note is pasted upon the paper. She
must also,-a most difficult task,-deter-
mine whether the note is genuine or coun-
terfeit. And yet aounterfeits are discov-
remains of notes with almost as much
certainty as among perfect notes. Charred
notes OF National banks have occasionally
come into the possession of tile Depart
ment, and have been restored in this man.
ner and returned for redemption to the
banks which issued them, accompanied by
the affidavts of the counters that they
were the remains of notes of the banks
to which they were returned. In most
how ,,,I al,a r,1I,
redeemed. But occasionally surly bank
officer, unable or unwilling to trace any re-
semblance to bank notes, or at least to the
notes of his bank, in the plain black pieces
OF paper returned to him, and influenced
by desire to effect little saving for the
stockholders, refused to redeem and chal-
lenged the Department to the proof. All
positive ocular proof having been destroy
ed when the notes were restored and
pasted, the Department was compelled to
submit to the loss.
Once some of the experts were granted
leaves of absence, without pay from the
Government, for the purpose of restoring
a large quantity of burnt money belong
ing to the Adams Express Company.
This was permitted partly because it was
known that there was no one else who
could perform the service, without which
:he company would be subjected to great
iooo, pto piliClpdliy DSCdItSc luC COllpdlly
offered to pay them much more for their
time and labor than they were receiving
from the government, and it was thought
that their long and faithful services justly
entitled them to this addition to their
meager salaries. The money was taken
from safes recovered from the wreck of
burnt steamer which had been lying for
four or five years at the bottom of the
and the notes We're so burnt,
decayed, and damaged as to be absolutely
unless identified and restored.
ct nearly every note of the one hundred
and eighty-one thousand dollars in United
States and National Bank notes recovered
was restored with unerring certainty and
redeemed at its full face value. The Chi
cago and Boston fires have for the last
year and half furnished burnt notes
enough to keep all the experts of the
office pretty constantly mployed.-Scrib-
ner's for April.