The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-09-04
MAKING MONEY,
How the Greenback is Prepared for Cir
cllation.

Both legal tenders and national securi-
ties are now engraved, printed and fin
islled in the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing at Washington. Some years
New York by the Columbia Bank Note
Company, but that has been done away
for some time. Under an act of Con
gress, a building has just been completed
for the sole use of the bureau. Before
moving into this they occupied portion
of the Treasury Department.
The process of making the greenback
and other government securities is this
The paper is first taken to the wetting
division where it is counted and dampen-
ed. 1t is then delivered to the plate
printers, each sheet being charged to
them. They again count it in the pres
ence of their assistant. who is lady.
and give receipt therefor, the assistant
certifying that she witnessed the count
The receipts are taken to the wetting di-
vision, where they are compared with
the books before work is begun and must
agree. The paper is then given the first
impression, which is upon the back
This is done with hand press. Attach
ed to all of these presses are registers,
which keeps count of each sheet of pa
per as it passes through, 50 it is impossi-
BILE for the printer to secrete any without
being detected. The note then passes
into the examining division, where it is
counted while wet and then placed in a
drying box. When perfectly dry it is
taken out and again counted, and the
work examined by experts, all of whom
are ladies. The sheets found defective
i'll any way are cancelled, and the perfect
ones placed in a hydraulic press. where
an immense pressure is given them
When taken out they are smooth. They
are then sent back to the wetting divi-
sion, where they are again dampened.
The next step in their manufacture is
the taking of them to the printing divi-
sion to receive the second impression,
which is the black part of the face, after
which they are taken to the examining
division, the dry box, the hydraulic press,
and back again to the wetting division,
the same as at first. They are taken
from here the third time to the State
printing division, where the third I'M
preston is received, which is the large
red seal on the face. After this they
are taken to the examining room, dried
pressed, counted, and examined, the same
as on both previous occasions. From
here they are sent to the numbering divi
sion, where they receive the numbers
that are seen upon the upper right cor.
ner and left center. Both legal tender
and national bank notes are printed or
sheets, and there are always four notes
on each. After being numbered. the
legal tender notes are taken to another
room. where the margin is trimmed from
the paper and the notes separated. This
is all done by machinery. After being
separated they are again counted anG
placed in packages of 1000 notes each
This is also done by ladies, who are ex.
pcrts. One lady, a Mrs. Silver, will count
1000 notes in five minutes. This is the
| final count. They are then ready for de.
livery to the parties authorized to receive
them. The national bank notes are not
separated, but are sent to the banks that
issue them in sheets of four each, so that
they may be the more readily signed. Tho
rules governing the Bureau of Engrav.
ing and Printing are very strict. In fact
during working hours the employees are
treated more like prisoners :han they are
like ladies or gentlemen. From 1000 tc
1000 persons are employed there, the
ladies outnumbering the gentlemen con
siderably.