Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1888-09-01
Millions of Autographs.


Jordan which has been written m'''
lions of times. and years ago 'no
writer learned to write u sma','
smoothly and without amy shading y
has been printed M lions and millions
of times ON legal tender notes, bank
notes and checks. The writer has
been signing It early all the time Tor
over a quarter OF century, hrst US
cashier. then us bank president, ana
later as treasurer of the United States.
II now adorns the notes Of the West
ern Nation Bank OF New York.
II found out. said he 'that il was
exhausting to bear too hard on the
pen, aud you will notice that this Is
written easily and rapidly, and its only
peculiarly is the fact that in making
the "a" the pen makes a circle twice
instead of nm up and down stroke.
Years and years ago | found 1t
necessary to make the work as easy as
possible. and to do it as regularly and
Systematically as | could. In signing
notes. which as you know. come IN
sheets OF four, | would set my watch
open before me. and II | could not
sign 100 sheets. making 400 signatures
every 15 minutes. | knew that |
was running behind hand. could
keep that up hour after hour, aud some
DAYS have done it. think for nine
hours with only an intermisslOn for
lunch. l hold pen easily, and so
avoid any cramp of the fingers. but
have had to lay down ON the door and
streech myself to get the kinks out OF
my back. As for Il position IN writing.
| have found it easiest to Sit so that the
weight OF the arm rests ON the edge
OF the table. and the hand works with
the least possible strain upon the mus
Gle. 1t is possible to get some relief
by turning round. more clearly facing
the table, which gives u little relaxation
to the muscles Of the back and OF the
neck.
''The greatest number OF signatures
in dayg | presume that when was
signing notes of the Third National
Bank with which to pay off soldiers |
wrote my name between $4,000 and
Is, 900 times day. The muscle OF the
wrist became little tired. but the
hand was seldom stiff though curious
ly enough. the sorest place would be
my forearm. the skin OF which would
he worn thin by the lncessant grinding
against my clothes. OF course the wear
| on the sleeve was great deal worse.
but could stand 1t u great deal cas- er
than the soreness of the flesh, winch
neither Yaselino nor cold cream could
alleviate. | used to start in with q
good supply of pens, and the ink bottle
was duly repleni5hel. | used a smooth,
fine steel pen. and as have said, bore
on ii very lightly. As soon as ii began
to scratch took new one. The diff
ference would be perceptble after 500
or 1000 signatures. In such work my
consumption Of steel pens ran from
is to 80 a day. There would DO very
few left in box after q week
work.
at seems ludicrous" he continued.
''at this day to think Of General
Spinner and S. B. Colby under
taking to sign with a pen all postal
currency that was issued. IL was bad
enough for Mr.. Acton to have TO sign
the gold cert ticates at first or tho
transfers of the per cents when they
were extended by Secretary Window.
And yet Gen. Spinner actually started
out to put that cramped signature Of
his on all the postal currency. The
natural consequences was that his hand
began to swell up until the fingers
were absolutely uncomfortable. 1t
was physical impossibIlity, and he
became incapacitated very much soon
er than lie otherwise would because he
haH mn aInFtnI at. l. q
easy and rapid production. One would
not suppose that the amount Of ink
used in signing ones name would be
so very perceptable, but Spinner used
up more ink than any Of his Success
ors, and l followed line Of treasur-
ers who were in the habit OF shading
letters rather heavily. You remember
how Giliillan and Wyman used TO sign
their names. | was rather surprised
when my attention was called TO the
fact that had introduced new econ
omy into the treasury department. |
was using only about one-third ms much
ink as my predecessor. This was be.
fore the amendment OF the laws gov
erning the treasury requiring the sig.
nature OF the treasur himself TO 40
many routine papers. Before the war
the work was easy enough for one
man. but 1t grew so that the treasurer
OF the United States probably had
occasion to sign his name oftener than
any other man in the country. In my
time the law was amended permitting
the deputy treasurer to sign large
number Of papers necessarily passing
through the Office Of the treasurer. I
have seen ii stated that Mr.. HYATT has
adopted stamp. but have seen no
evidence OF it. certainly should new.
er cash draft, pay check. or respect
an Endorsement that was not written
with pen and ink. - Mem York World