Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-05
MONEY MAKING.
HOW THE WORK IS ACCOMPLISHED
AT WASHINGTON.
Visit to the Printing and Engraving Blu
reau-Dinerent Stages Through
Which q Treasury Notes Passes
Before Reaching the Public.
lCor. Brooklyn Eagle.1

Which q Treasury Notes Passes
Before Reaching the Public.
lCor Brooklyn Eaglel
Every government or bank-note we handl,
tells US that it is printed at the bureau Of en-
craving and printing, but there is some
thing singularly vague and indistinct in thi
announcement The bureau itself is right
under the shadow Of tho Washington monu
ment-a largo brick building, not unlike q
factory, except in elaborate ornamentation
and gay with fluttering flags and tri-colored
streamers. tits 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 it is decided by the treasury to issue
a new note the engraving bureau is notified,
and the superintendent directed to prepare q
design. which he executes in pen and ink,
the drawing oftentimes being as fine and deli
cate as the engraving ITSELF This done, the
secretary of tho 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 single person. One
man cuts out the portrait another the scroll
work, while yet third attends to the 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.
1t takes long time to engrave a plate.
For over two mouths the engravers were al
work on the picture of the late President
Garfield. which is to be seen on the new Is
bills, and yet so cent piecs would cover it.
From private manufacturers the steel pla. es
upon which notes are bought, their ineness
Of quality and perfect finish rendering them
extremely costly. Having engraved the
faces OF a single note it Is easy to obtain as
many duplicate impressions as are needed.
The steel, soft when engraved upon, Is
hardened in a friedrich furnace, an intense
heat being obtained from four Bunsen gas
burners at cost Of 10 to Is cents for gas
In thirty minutes the plate b hardened into
die
Upon this a roller Of soft steel 10 pressed
and the softer metal sinking into the grooves
Of the hardened plate receives q raised i'm
preston. This roller is in turn hardened into
a die, and in being pressed upon q soft plato
the latter becomes perfect fac smile 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 engrayer. The superinteDd-
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 a moment when a piece OF
steel, no matter how small, is not accounted
for, or, is beyond tina pale Of some ones
care.
When the days work is over the engravers
surrender their plates to the superintendent,
and when the latter deposits them with the
custodian he obtains a receipt. The vault is
nothing more CT 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 q zine
| lock The two combinations are known to
one man each, and should either die sud-
denly, an envelope which b 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 q 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:
l., 900 sheets for 81 bills, 5000 for s. bills,
1900 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.
Dampening the paper and making it 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 10 remain over night, requi-
sitions being made in the morning for the
number of ,heets required by each
plate printer, who has q woman to
assist him. The printers start work at s
O'Clock They ink the plates and revolvs
them ON the press, while the duty OF the wo-
man is to rub the paper with a damp cloth,
place it on the press and remove 1t when it
has isceived the impression. Few Of the
printers work later than 3 O'Clock in the
afternoon. and on completing their labor
make a return of the number of sheets
/ printed and tue number left over Should
4 O'clock arrive and no sound of the gong Be
heard, it is then understood that something
| ia wrong. Perhaps it is only one sheet OF
paper that i, missing. but until satisfactory
accounted Tor AMI rscep.eI for, all the en-
ployes are kept in tie building Tie super
vision is very strict
/ And now where ars we, In tn, drying
room, to which ;..s sheets. 81 inJis. from
the presse gre convryeL Tai> on is per-
fectly air-tight and is heate ny tam TO a
temperature o: 30 ic,r e. FAM ts.r. Here
the sheets + main over ii 1T .aI 81 ,ie fol-
lowing moraia- ere cJgu-' bY - who
also look for I'M O. .. ia. are il 4
blot as big Is n Pr hsa u. u ."e or
Sigh tear til. ap : \ Il
the initials IN G c.r:'r : - J.
| ity for the fault = IA - IS
thrown out b. tie hrs. ex,--- a. =
ward gone over aSaii
termine whether the 4 %:
or whether tley or, o. AZ
to warrant the de .tru ;i.i 1 -.
After the notes havs : me Ia, =
ing room they are rou5.. aEa
What they now neel is T. u -,
is done by placing the rou:, -..,
mill boaris-two Sheets .ce: -
tween each board. TEey are .h-a ,..-si
between hydraulic IA ms wAici exert Irr,.s-
sure Of 500 pounds to tie square nic.:. ~ .-el
taken out OF the press they are smooth AID
crisp and resemble those in circulation, ex-
cept for the fact that they lacs the seals and
numbers, The seals are printed from steel
plates in red ink upon regular Hoe presses
The notes are then taken upstairs again and
numbered The numbering machines, in
matter Of course, are automatic and will 60
up as high as 10o, 000, 600