National Republican., 1880-08-10
UNCLE SANS MONEY MILL.
The New Bureau Of Engraving and rrint'
ing Eulldlng.
How Grecnbacks are aIadc - Precautions
Against Counterfeltimg-
of the New Structure.

Against Counterfelting-D
of tho New Structure.
The bureau Of engraving and printing Is
handsome specimen OF architecture, simple,
chaste aud grand, forming In its rod brick as
fine a specimen of building rs any marble
structure in the city. There Is q harmony be-
tween its solid, simple, massive proportions and
tho uses 10 which It is devoted that banishos
any regret experienced when one looks for or.
namontal architravcs, Corinthian capitals,
clustered columns groined arches, festoonod
entablatures or mullioned windows. This
building is a temple erected to the purposes Of
use, and disdains the merely ornamental,
with which IL has nothing primarily 10 do.
From Its deeply archcd doorways and from
under its high massive roofs issncs that which
can always command the ornamental, and the
building, like sentient thing, roposes solidly
and stolidly upon sense of this power.
There is something In tho aspect OF money
| and Of places consecrated to the making or ex-
changing of money which enforoos this idon
| Df severe, unadorncd simplicity That which
can be convertodeuto all manner OF beautiful
| things has no need to bo beuutfull itself. IL
| represents tho naked abstract idea of the
power Of commercial civilization, q ciYiliZs-
tion wh.ca, beyond all othors, creates and
| covets the beautiful, but knowing its power
disdains to deceive itself Money in itself is
neither value nor beauty. II is, however, the
most cXchangeablo representative of the ono
aud the most potent creator of the other.
| Commercial civilization knows this aud with
Il sense Of the fitting, which perhaps WAS but
| the prelude TO the doctrine of the survival Of
the fttest, makes It's coins and currency Of the
plainest form, and builds its banks and its
| be n a
| ment. mint Of any moro ornate style of
architecture than the DoriC would olend tho
sODso of the harmonious. 1t would soon be
converted into a casino or concert saloon.
This explains why tho Greek, with all his
subtloty of perception, never invented bill
Of exchange or discovered the laws Uf com
pound interest. Hence the Crock was IN
capable of modern civilization. His mercury
was poet, and in his sharpcst transactions
strung his Tyre TO a higher chord than cent
per cent.
The bureau of engraving an1 printing,
therefore, is handsome builang-massive
not alone with material grandeur but with
promise of crumenal power. As you enter the
wide portal in tho base of its lofty tower you
sec from the specimen bricks around you the
character of the entire structure. All is clean,
neat, simple and unadorned. No strength Is
wasted in unnecessary display. At the door
way the most courteous OF gate-koopers in
vites you into q neat ante.roonl, MS fresh and
clean rs new, crisp bank.note aud hands
you card, on which you write your name
aud business. limo has u commercial value
. in all monetary institutions, and You are
permitted to see that neither is wasted
, here. Ere you have sufficiently admired the
magnificent specimens Of bank'noto cngrtv'
ing that hang on the walls the only orna'
!, ments in the room, and when are in strict
: keeping with the character of the great tompl'
, you seek 10 penetrate. messenger escorts yor
to the presence of the master mind, undoi
whose quiet, Doisoless, srgaCiOus and thorough
supervision this immense establishment runs
ON with tho prOmptEess, tho accuracy and tI'
speed of cock-work. A minute or two will
him makes you feel as pleasant as you wonlt
after an interview with a bank-tellcr VIII
E pronounced your check all right and asks yOt
how you will have it cashod. Then the chic
turrs you over to the pleasant cOurtcsies of th
most agreeable and accomplished gont'emal
you have met in long while, Hotcc bcanti
fully does this escort do tho hOnors of TIN
building only those can tell, who liNo TIL
NATIONAL REPUBLICANS representative yes
terday, lind themselves enjoying tho graceful
and nimtable manner in which the mysterie
OF tho building are explained.
THE ENGRAVING DIVISION.
You first enter the engraving department
which is under the charge Of Mr.. George w
Casilcar. There Is net work OF green irOi
milings in this room protecting the artisi
from the too curious gaze or touch OF the Wis
iiors popularity Of the building is th'
4 great quantity of iron railing In the variou
Q rooms, separating the employees from the out
, side world. 1t reminds you of notices yOl
have seen somewhere don't handlo.' A
this room is the artistic one the railing !
, painted green. You observe also that the foo
outside the railing Is oil.clOthed, This is tn
, utmost concession that can be made to art
There is also in this room the most complete
aud valuable library on art to be found in th
; ; world. 1t wns selected by Mr.. Casilear au'
numbers treasures which would delight alik
!, the bibliopolc, the dilettante and the practlca
! business man. In this department are thirty
six employees There are nine "trnstc
pre- sses" aud four proof presses" tho latter o
which are employed TO take proofs of each di
when it is completed. There are min
y ongrayers here. The first step in tho work O
tho bureau is tho engraving in this room OF
"do" or "bod-piece." This Is done by hand.
requires not merely mechanical skill, but brains
Up TO date machines cannot think. Machnor!
4 has no imagination and Is utterly devoid o
r, fancy. This is inconyenont somewhat, bu
r for tho present there is no help for It, an,
- here, at least brains arc supreme. This di
is the starting point In all the work. whetho
q it bo of internal revenue stamps checks o
o whatever kind, United States notes or bonds
/, or national currency. Tho design OF tho di
q is, of course, engraved, reversed like the mega
" tive of photograph. The "die" Is made Il
/ the first place OF decarbonizsd or soft steel
/. When the engraver's work is done it is pu
I. into the fire aud hardened, tho fire restorin
i. the carbon to the steel After this recarboni
!. zniou IL is put on Il soft steel roll and placo
h in one of The "transior presses" whose notice
a able feature is an immense circular sweep o
/. steel looking somewhat like the great "drlv
10 ing wheel" of locomotive. Tho die is place.
q ON tho bod of tho press and it is rolled back
3 ward and forward until tho pressure bring
q out tho work Of the die on the roll IN reliepC
v tho die being the intaglio to tho rolls ro
/. lief The die forms the negative, the rol
IS tho positive, speaking photographically. The
d tho roll is put into the fire and hardone
If -carbonized, that is to say-and from tina
). roll the plate is made. This is effected by th
II transfer process" and not by hand, for thi
reason: No two men can ongrave the sam
plate with such exactness as to mako one til
perfect image of the other The machine
=, however, does. Such is the penalty Of thought
3 The great Architect Of Nature did not worI
& by machinery; hence, no two leaves en- th
!; same tree arc precisely alike The sam
B; plate Is used on every plate of the denom
n mated work, and henCo each plate must be
/. duplicate of the other. The number Of die
d is Immense. Take for example one'dolla
/. bill. Tho group in the leGt.h and corner