The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-06-05
MONEY MAKING.
HOW THE WORK Is ACCOMPLISHED
AT WASHINGTON.
Visit to the Printing and Engraving Bu-
reau-Different Stages Through
Which Treasury Notes Passes
Before Reaching the Public.
ICor. BROOKLYN Eagle.1

[Cor Brooklyn Eagle.l
Every government or bank-note we handle
tells us that it is printed at the bureau Of en-
craving and printing, but there is some
thing singularly vague and indistinct in this
announcement The bureau itself Is right
under the shadow OF the Washington monu.
ment-a large brick building, not unlike
factory, except In elaborate ornamentation,
and gay with fiuttering flags and tri-colcred
streamers. 1t is comparatively new, having
been erected by congress in 1880 in order to
relieve the overcrowded condition OF the
treasury department. in which the work OF
Preparing money had up to that time been
done.
when 1t Is decided by the treasury to issue
a new note the engraving bureau Is notified,
and the superintendent directed to preparea
design, which no executes in pen and ink,
the drawing oftentimes being as fine and deli
cate as the engraving itself. This done, the
secretary Of the treasury gives his approval,
and the drawing is handed over to the en-
gravers-please note the plural, for no one
plate is engraved by q single person. One
man cuts out the portrait, another the scroll
work, while yet third attends to tho orna-
mentation, and so on, until at least dozen
persons have had something to do with the
preparation. All of these men are experts,
the government paying handsome salaries,
and sparing no pains to secure the best talent
in the market.
It takes long time to engrave plate.
For over two mouths the engravers were at
work on the picture Of the late President
Garfield, which Is to be seen on the new IS
bills, and yet so cent piece would cover it.
From private manufacturers the steel pla.es
upon which notes are bought, their fineness
OF quality and perfect fni.h rendering them
extremely costly Having engraved the
faces Of single note 1t Is easy to obtain as
many duplicate impressions as are needed.
The steel, soft when engraved upon, Il
hardened In a frebrick furnace, an intense
heat being obtained from four Bunsen gas
burners at q cost OF 10 to Is cents for gas
In thirty minutes the plate is hardened into
die.
Upon this a roller Of soft steel is pressed
and the softer metal sinking into the grooves
Of the hardened plate receives raised i'm
preston This roller Is in turn hardened into
q die, and in being pressed upon q soft plate
the latter becomes perfect fac simile Of the
original This Is what is called transferring.
All Of the dies. rolls and plates are handled
with the greatest care, as would be seen in a
few minutes spent inside the grating which
surrounds the engraver. The superintepd-
ent of the engraving division draws upon
the custodian for such articles as are needed,
each one being numbered, and giving sepa-
rate receipt for each piece received. The
engravers, in turn, give their receipts, and
thus there is not moment when piece OF
steel, no matter how small, is not accounted
for, or, Is beyond ths pale OF soms ones
care.
When the days work 10 over the epgravers
surrender their plates TO the superintendent,
and when the latter deposits them with the
custodian he obtains receipt. The vault Is
nothing more or less than an immense room
built Of steel plates The door is Of iron,
and it has three locks, two Of which are
separate combinations and the other time
lock The two combinations are known 70
one man each, and should either die sud-
denly, an envelope which Is in possession OF
Secretary Manning. and in which the COM
bination is contained, would be opened.
The paper used at the bureau does not
come directly from the mill For every
sheet requisition has to be made on the
treasury where it Is Stored. 1t Is very fine
and heavy quality Of paper, grayish In color.
and irregularly marked with threads Of red
and blue silk. The requisition states for
that purpose the paper is to be used, thus:
l2,OOO sheets for 81 bills, 5000 for IS bills,
1000 for $40 bills and 1900 for SO bills.
Before these sheets are turned over to the
superintendent Of the wetting division they
are counted by force Of women specially
employed for that purpose. .a
Dampening the paper and making 1t mel
low for the impression is an important part
Of the work. The sheets are placed between
wet cloths in packages Of ten or fifteen each,
and permitted to remain over night, requi-
sitions being made in the morning for the
number of sheets required by each
plate printer, who has woman to
assist him. The printers start work at
o'clock. They ink the plates and revolve
them on the press, while the duty Of the wo-
man Is to rub the paper with damp cloth,
place it on the press and remove 1t when 1t
has received tho impression. Few of the
printers work later than 3 o'clock In the
afternoon, and ON completing their labor
make return Of the number OF sheets
printed and the number left over. Should
o'clock arrive and no sound of the gong be
heard, it is then understood that something
is wrong. Perhaps 1t Is only one sheet OF
paper that Is missing, but until satisfactory
accounted for and reoeipted for, ell the en-
ployes are kept in the building. The super
vision is very strict. ar &.
And now where are wet In thu drying
room, to which the sheets, still moist from
the presses, are conveyed. This room Is per-
fectly air-tight and Is heated by steam to .
temperature of $50 degrees Fahreneit Here
the sheets remain over night, and on the fol.
lowing morning are counted by experts, who
also look for imperfections II there Is O
blot as big as pin head, false registry or
slight tear the paper Ia thrown out and
the initials on the corner fix the responsible
ity for the fault The imperfect sheets
thrown ort by the first examiners are after.
ward gone over again by experts. who de-
tsrmine whether the defect may be remedied
or whether they are Of sufficient importancs
to warrant the destruction Of the sheet
After the notes have gone through the dry
ing-room they are rough and corrugated
What they now need is to be polished. This
Is done BY placing the rough sheets between
mill boards-two sheets, back to back, be-
tween each board. They are then placed
between hydraulic rams which exert Q pres
sure Of 500 pounds to the square inch. When
taken out Of the press they are smooth and
crisp and resemble those in circulation, ex
cept for the fact that they lack ths SEALS and
numbers Tho seals are printed from steel
plates in red ink upon regular Hoe prsssea
The notes are then taken upstairs again and
numbered The numbering machines, In
matter Of course, are automatic and viii Re
mn a. high as 100 600 900.