The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-09-07

are permitted TO depart As soon as n
printer has printed two hundred sheets
he sends them to the division where the
next process is to be gone through with.
lhere are four divisions in the building,
each managed by. superintendent, and
as the close of the day these superin-
tendents make their report in writing
to the chief of the bureau.
The drying-room, where the sheets
are taken to be dried after receiving an
impression, ls heated at o temperature
of $50 degrees The sheets are wheeled
into the room on sort of railroad
truck and put upon drying frames, and
there they remain long enough for them
to get dry and crisp. When all +H
Impressions have been made tho pc
INTO the examining room where the
women examine them to see that there
are no defects in the work. After this
they are pressed in hydraulic press.
Then another set of men cut them:
then they are counted and done up in
packages ready to be sent to the vaults.
Inc examiners receive $1.75 dav.
The ladies who count the notes do it
with facility that is simply marvellous.
Old Mr.. Test, the clever old gentleman
who showed me around the place,
pointed with pride to one lady in a
|
partment for long time, and who
could count at the rate of one hundred
and eighty notes minute; that is three
in n se>"ni. 1t is hardly probable that
there is Il teller in any bank in the
country who can do this. If this lady
counts live dollar notes for six hours
during single day, two hundred ard
seventy thousand dollars would pass
through her hands.
The engraverS occupy the lower floor
of the building, and it IS almost need
less to say that the highest talent is
employed in this department of the
service. There are five different styles
OF engraving on Il bill-the writ. Ell or
script part, n peculiar kind of work
done on the end of the bill near the tig-
urc representing the denomination, and
which is done by the geomctrlc lathe,
the lettering, the vignGttc and the por-
trait. Each of these styles of work are
done by u single man, so that one man.
no matter how long he may be in the
S1rvlcc, can ncvc" engravc bill in its
entirety. 1t IS Il somewhat unnOVinr
confession to make, however, that there
are two men in the country, counter
teitcrs, whose ability rs ungravcrs is 50
great that they are able to make all
parts of II bill. On the other hand, it
may be said that the engraving on the
United States notes and securities has
long been acknowledged TO be the best
in the world and has been awarded such
by foreign Expositions and the Ccnten-
MIA! taif recently held in or own c0un-
| try. The cngravers receive from So to
| SO q day.
The vaults in the basement of the
building where tho money is deposited
after it is madc are huge compartments,
the entrance being through an immense
IRON door, seemingly large and strong
enough to defy the united efforts OF IL
party of giants The door is worked by
Il combination lock, SO arranged that it
requires three mon to work it, They
have charge of the plates on which the
cngraVcrs and printers are ut work dur
ing the day. Each afternoon these
plates must be returned before four
o clock. In q glass case near these
vaults may be seen the swords of the
rebel Major-General Twig0. which were
captured by General Butler during the
late war. There gre three of them, all
presents in consideration Of his bravery
III the Mexican war in 1916. Ono is
worth So, ,OOO, another $40, 900, and the
third 500, ,00O--the last being largely
made OF geld aud set with precious
'~oiSo' uC iiCllS vi IcllcFUi lWl9p are
now making efforts to have the Govern
ment restore this property to them, and
1t is generally supposed that the effort
will be successful.
There is now being tried in this build
ing new patent process for printing
| United States securities. 1t is called
after the inventor, "Muligan's Patent
! Plato Process" The presses which
are run by hand in the upper part of
the building, and to which allusion has
been made. do not get through the
work very fast. The new press is run
by steam, and all the necessary opera.
tions but one are done by machinery
instead of by hand, the printer remain
ing at one point Of the machine and hc-
ing only required to rub off the surplus
ink with his hands. OF course q nreat
deal more work is done by this method
but work is accumuiating so fast on the
Government that some labor saving
method, it is claimed, is getting to be
a necessity. The inventor worked the
machine a year and q half for the Gov
ernmcnt before the officials were salts
fled to give it q trial. Then tho Govern
mcnt built five presses rs q commence
ment, and now they are talking of
building more. - IFu&hinGtoW Letter..