The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-08-01
Wat the New York Engravers
are Doing.

York, but as they have employ cd
skilled workmen from. all countries,
for d term Of years. they are Obliged
To keep them at work. So they are
trying to advance the art OF eneraN-
ing. The engraveTs are given fine
drawings III crayon or Indian INK,
which they are required to reduce III
notes, and TO eugrave them with great
care. Plates are thus being accumu
latedthat are worth far moretiIan their
weight in gold, 10y reason OF the Labor
expended on them. some OF tine org
inaI drawings are the work OF ON
met artists. One Of the of
the National Bank Note Company
was at work recently upon d sketch
representing s~teanl-spiritS of fire and
water propelling Il wheel over d rail-
road track. The qualities of Velocity
and power were portrayed So forcibly
that several artists who saw the sketch
protested against having L used on a
bank note. Nothing is too good fuI
ii bank note, replied the artist. Mr..
Macdonough, who is a trustee ana a
vice-president of the company. EN-
pensive engraving has been made ne
ceSStry Oh q of the extent To
which bank notes rave been counter
feited. Skill in counterfeiting has
nearly KEEP pac. with skill in engrav-
ing. and the bank note companies
have found that the only safeguard
against counterfeits is to make THEN
notes of 50 elaborate designs that the
| couuterfeiters are unable, except at ii
ruinouS cost, To produce limitations
that cannot be readily detected. In
the rapid execution Of these elaborate
designs, That wonderful piece Of ma
chincry, the geometric lathe, is OF
great importan e. 1t is able to pro
duce. i'll a few hours, designs that
would require several months of care
full labor if produced by hand. BY
means of eccentriclties. attached to
moving aXles, curved and circular mo-
tions, in we'll nigh endless variety,
are given to the steel-plate in contact
With the cutting tool of the machine.
"A looking at the machine in opera
lion, it is hard to believe that it is fol-
lowing any design, SO uncertain do
the motions of the plate appear; but
when tn, plate is taken from the ma
.tine there is found to be traced upon
il Il beautiful figure made up of end
less curves and interviewer lines.
Most of the elaborate designs which
are displayed freely on bank notes are
now produced by the geometric lathe.
\ great number of eccentricities. diff
fering in size and shape, accompany
each machine, and each change III the
arrangement of the ecentricities pro
duces a new figure or a modification
of the original figure. A geometric
lathe costs more than so. coo, and is.
therefore. beyond the reach of most
counterfeiters. AS all designs produced
by the lathe are determined by mathe-
NAUTICAL calculations, the machine can
w 1 oiiS " WIN
men.
The National Bank Note Company
is perfecting an invention by means Of
which any number of distinct colors
may be printed on a bank note at a
single impression. Specimens are
shown III which fifty distinct colors.
arranged To look like MOSAIC work, are
printed at a single impression on a
common hand-press. The lines Of Sc
paration are SO sharply defined that it
is easy to perceive the difference be
tween such printing and photographic
work or colored prints produced by
several impressions. The trustees OF
the company believe that their inyen-
ton will prove Il new safeguard
against counterfeiting. while will it
also serve To improve the appearance
of bank notes.