West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-06-05
MONEY FOR MILLIONS.
How Treasury Notes Are En-
graved at Washington.
ihirteeh Hundred People Who Make
SEoo'OOO Day-Evory Finished
Note Counted at Least
Fifty-two Times.

little boy who saw one of the heavy
Treasury wagons rolling down Pennsyi-
wanna avenue yesterday asked this ques-
ton; Papa, where Goes money come
iromP' Most people know where their
money goes, but the question asked by
the boy is perhaps not so easily an
swcred Every Government or bank
note we handle tells us that il is print
ed at the Bureau of Engraving and
PRINTING, but there is something singu-
Iarly vague and indistinct even in this
announcement The. history OF the
bank note which comes to us clean and
crisp from tho Government press is an
interesting one, and those who visit
Washington and fail to go to the place
where these notes are turned out miss
something which is well worth seeing
The Bureau itself is right under the
shadow of the Washington monument
"A large brick building, not unlike a
factory, except in elaborate Ornamental
Ton, and gay with flutterng flags and
tricolored streamers. 1t is compara-
lively new, having been erected by Con-
gress I'm 1880 i'm order TO relieve the
overcrowded condition of the Treasury
Department, in which the work of pre-
pairing money had, up 10 that time,
been done
W hen 1t is decided by the Treasury TO
issue Il new note, the Engraving Bureau
is notified and the Superintendent di-
rected to prepare n design, which he
executes IN pen and ink, the drawing
ottentImes being as fine and delicate as
the steel engraving itself This done.
the Secretary Of the Treasury gives his
approval, and the drawing is handed
over to the engravcrs-p please note the
plural, Tor no one plate is engraved by
a single person. One man cuts out the
portrait, another the scroll wor.. while
yet third attends 10 the ornamental
ton, and so on, until at last dozen
persons have had something to do with
the preparation. All these men are
experts, the Government paying hand
some salaries and sparing no pains TO
secure the best talent i'm the market. 1t
takes long time to engrave a plate
FOR over two months the engravers were
at work on the picture of the late Pres
ldent Garfield, which is to be seen on
the new five dollar bills, and vet a
ility-cent piece would cover It,
From private manufacturers the steel
plates upon which the notes are en-
grayed are bought, their fneness of quail
lty ana perfect finish 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, is hardened in frebricR fur
mace, an intense heat being obtained
from
OF ten or fifteen cents for gas In thirty
minutes the plate is hardened into "a die.
Upon this "A roller of soft steel is pressed
and the softer metal sinking into the
grooves of the hardened plate receives
q raising impression. This roller i'm turn
IS hardened into die, and in being
pressed upon a soft plate the latter be
comes perfect fac simile Of the origin
al This is what is called transferring
All OF the dies, rolls and plates are han
dled with the greatest care. as would
be seen IN few minutes spent inside
the grating which surrounds the engrav-
on. The Superintendent OF the enQrav-
ing division draws upon the custodian
Tor such articles as are needed. each one
being numbered, and giving q separate
receipt Tor each piece received. The en-
gravers, in turn, give their receipts, and
this there is not n moment when a
piece Of steel, no matter how small. Is
not accounted for, or is beyond the pale
OF some ones care. When the day'4
work is over, the ongravers surrender
then plates to the Super ntendent and
the latter deposits them with the custo-
dian and obtains % receipt
The vault is nothing more nor less than
an immense room built of steel plates.
The door is Of iron, and 10 has three
locks. two Of which are separate combi-
nations and the other q time lock.
The two combinations arc known 30
one man each, and should either die
suddenly an envelope which is in pos
session of Secretary Manning. and in
which the combination is contained.
would be opened n is estimated that
thcre are 10000 pieces of steel in the
vault and that their combined weight
is fifty tons. Every piece Is numbered,
and can be easily found. some plates
being preserved which having nothing
Wore ON them than q mark of the en-
Zrarcrs tool The capacity of The vault
3 estimated at 10000 and when 10 rs
Hllcd. committee i- appointed by the
secretary Of the Treasury to select the
plates which are deemed worthless and
s." that they are destroyed
Ihc paper used ~ the Bureau docs
not come directly from the mill For
every sheet % requisition has 90 be made
ou the Treasury. whore it is stored II
is very fine and heavy quality of pa
per. grayish in color. and rregularly
ked with threads of rrd and blue
slk. The rcquisfiOn states for what
purpose the paper b. io bo used. thus.
$4,000 sheets Tor 3 bills, 5000 ior -