Huntsville gazette., 1886-05-22
THE TREASURY VAULTS.
How the Currency Of the Country Is Made
Counted and Worn Out.


Counted and Worn Out.
The great chilled-iron and steel vaults
of the Treasury are objects of much in
terest to visitors, but only certain ones
can be entered by outsiders, and these
only on permit from the Treasurer.
The five principal vaults are connected
with the Treasurer Office, for the con-
tents of which he is responsible. They
are known as the cash vault, the reserve
vault, the silver vault, the redemption
vault and the National bank vault
The cash vault is used more than all
the others combined in the daily trans
action of business. and presents more
interesting features. 1t is constructed
on the most approved modern princi-
piles, and is, strictly speaking, an iron
bound apartment lined with gold and
silver. The walls, floor and ceiling
are of chilled iron, built in sections.
These walls are over foot thick, the
space between the inner and outer
plates of iron being filled with heavy
iron balls, forming compact mass, the
removal of which would require much
time, skill and labor.
The Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing, where all our National currency is
manufactured, occupies a large brick
building built expressly for it, at cost
of some 100000. 1t has three stories
and a high basement, and is in the
Romanesque style of architecture.
Here 250 plate presses are worked
by hand, and over 500 men and
women employed in the process of
printing sheets Of bank notes, bonds
and internal revenue stamps. The
long spacious room, running the entire
length of the third story, is scene of
intense activity during business hours.
Six hundred sheets per day are printed
on each press, and after each impress
sion the delicate copper and steel plate
fully wiped dry, polished with whiting.
mixed and then returned to it place for
another impression. The fiber paper
must be handled expertly, and every
thing about the work done with pre-
cision and care. All is perfect system
and exactness here. The greenbacks
and other securities issued by the Gov
ernment, from the time the paper is
manufactured until the finished note is
issued, are subjected to a system of
registering and checking at every step.
so minute and precise, that the chance
of any error or dishonesty in the han
ding of this most valuable product is
reduced to a minimum.
The sheets, before being wet, are de-
Ivered to the plate printers, counted
and charged to them, and again
counted in the presence of lady as
sistant, who certifies to the count At
tached to the machines by which the
wetting is done are registers which au-
tomatically count the sheets third
time as they pass through. Next
comes the examining division, where,
after the fourth count, the sheets are
dried and counted the fifth time. Lady
experts then examine the sheets, and
those which are pronounced perfect go
powerful machine they emerge
in a smooth state ready for print
ing. Any sheets spoiled in printing
too light or too dark or otherwise i'm
perfect-are thrown out by the exam
iner, but can not be destroyed until
after passing through regular pre-
scribed course The lettering and
numbering divisions, and the engrav-
ing division on the other floors, are
interesting also.
The redemption division Of the
treasury is one of the most interesting
and busiest. Here worn and mutilated
bank-notes, retired from circulation
are examined and counted previous to
being cancelled. Every year currency
to the value Of $500, 900, 900 is counted,
cancelled and destroyed. The counting
is done by female clerks, many Of
whom acquire great skill and seldom
make a mistake. Some of these
"countesses" have been at work ten
years or more, and have handled
many millions of dollars. They sit at
long tables on which the notes are
piled, and package after package is
opened, the notes closely scrutinized
and counted, and then turned over to
the officials in charge Of the canceling
machine, which is run by turbine
wheel. Washington Cor. ~ T.. Mail
and EIpress. .ea
One by one the ancient myths de-