The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-01-06
WORN-OUT MONEY.
What IL Done with the Redeemed Cur-
rpncy.

the treasury, are very pretty to look at.
Their crispiness is particularly attract
tive feature, and the bright green and
moderate quantity of rose color are very
pleasing to the eye. The engraving,
too, Is really artistic, and, taken in its
entirety, Uncle Sans money when new
may be pronounced very pretty money
indeed. But, unfortunately, the ma
tional bank note and the modest ten,
twenty-five or fifty cent fractional cur
rency pieces are subjected to very hard
usage. First they may be handled by
the dapper bank clerk who understands
their manipulation perfectly, and from
whose hands they pass none the worse
for the contact But the man who re-
ceives them next may be grocer's clerk,
| who, disregarding their beauties, uses
unwashed digits that may few mo-
ments previously have been engaged in
handling Il nice fitch of bacon, to count
the bills. The pork-butcher may be the
next one to have temporary possession
of the representative of value, and while
in his custody they are sure to take more
or less of the badge of his calling. Pro-
badly they repose next in the wallet of
fashionable lady, and the odors of the
grease are neutralized by musk, wang
wang, or some one of the many popular
perfumes. Next they may fall into the
hands of careless young man, who
uses no pocket-book, but makes his vest
pocket the neutral ground where green
backs, cigarettes, and euds of all kinds
meet on friendly terms. The vicissi-
tudes of currency are many and varied,
and there IL little room TO wonder that
the presses in the treasury department
| find constant occupation as they do in
turning out fresh supplies of paper that
only too soon becomes really "filthy
lucre." The destruction is very rapid,
and one of the chief occupations of n
large force in the treasury is that of
subjecting the condemned cash to the
process by which 1t is finally wiped out
OF existence. About two years since it
was the custom to burn the redeemed
bank-notes, bonds, and fractional cur
rency, but more economical and in
every way more acceptable plan is now
pursued. On the White lot, Immediate
ly In front of the treasury, may be no.
ticed two brick buildings. The largest
of these is the machine-shop, carpenter,
and general repairing establishment of
junct, and il known as the macerating
IL
some currency, after it has been made
worthless by reason of too much abuse,
ia converted into pulp that finds its way
TO the paper manufactures, where it is
recOnverted into paper. Here also the
bond rendered useless by redemption at
expiration or some other cause, is made
indistinguishable from, let us say NOR
tar, by an extremely simple process.
| I'm hA traf ha al
is subjected to most rigid scrutiny and
count for the purpose of detecting colln-
terfeits, and then it is turned over TO
men who with Il machine cancel each
note so efiectually that by no possibility
could II ever be used again; another
count is then gone through with for the
purpose of checking the operators of the
machine, and preventing them from
appropriating any of the condemned
money. After the canccllimg the money
is next cut in half, and once more the
separate halves are counted, and when
ascertaned to be all right are placed in
boxes for the purpose of removing them
to the macerating building before allu-
dcd to. These boxes are securely locked
while in transit from the treasury To the
macerating establishment, where they
are opened in the presence of three re-
prcsentalivcs of the treasury, one acting
in behalf of the secretary. another for
the treasurer, and the last for the regis
ter, for each batch l. usually accompan-
led by Il quantity Of bond-. From the
boxes the bonds, which are cut and can
cellcd thoroughly, and the fractional
currency are cmplicd into the macera-
ting cylinder, which il also locked with
three separate locks, the KEYS of which
are held respectively by the officers
named above. The process of macera-
ting is very simple. The macernting
cylinder is revolved by sixty-horsc
d power and at the same time Jets OF
steam are Injected into it which speedily
soften the mass of paper. The moist
encd paper by its own gravity keeps
dropping, and is reduced to n pulp by
T the sharp ridges which form the inside
of the cylinder. After being subjected
10 this treatment for about thirty-siN
hours the cylinder is unlocked By the
officials and the pulp is then allowed Ia
fall on an elevator, which conveys il
to large tub, where il is thoroughly
cleansed, and all fatty matter removed
by the agency of quickime and soda.
: Tho washing of tho pulp completes
the process, and Ii Is finally dumped
into a heap to lie until purchased. Yes
terday about four million five hundred
, thousand dollars worth of fractional
currency was placed i'm the macerator
This was an unusually large batch, tho
average "burnings," as the maccraiing,
are known, being much less. There l.
now all immense quantity ofthc pulp OF
hand, probably several hundred tons
This will be sold TO paper manufacturers
, The rate usually paid for the pulp is il
/ the vicinity of So pei ton, and the prin
; cipal purchaser is Mr.. John +. Hin, OF
: this city, who manufactures from il tho
/ very nice article of paper at his mills il
: Georgetown. An approximate esti
+ mate of the quantity of pulp annually
Q made out of fractional currency or bond'
= at this establishment Is 6n tons. The
/ proceeds resulting from the sale of thi'
q may be accounted as net gain over thu
old method, as the burning of the mon
ey or bonds required the expenditure o
as much labor as does the present macer
ating system, and consumed great dea
I of coal. The whole work of converting
the played-out money at this place int
b pulp is under charge ofCapt. -, anC
i under the immediate supervision o
@ - Barnett. The national bank-note
i are converted into pulp by tho centrifu
= gal process inside of the treasury build
# Ing, the method adopted being almos
! in every respect similar TO that pursue'
Y with the fractional currency and bonds
il as described above. The improvement
Il on the burning plan Is too obvious t.
III need extended mehtion. Extraordlnar.
e precautions were required To keep tn
g destroyed money from flying ont of tn
e furnace chimney, and the odor Of tn
@ burned money was an intolerable nui
e sance, and was very injurious to th
II health of those residing in the neighboI
d hood Of the place where it was carrie,
Ie ON. This last reason would have bee
It a sufficient one for changing the method
n If the additional one of making an absO
r lutte saving to the government did nc
=. n,.nocnct iisnlg rNfn ;,...l... ~ - 4.