St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-03

ana PACK OF llllS are
doors opening into the vaults in when
are stored all the dies, rolls, plates, pea
pieceS. and other material used III the
manufacture of the plates from when
the notes and bonds are printed. Along
the north side of the room are desks at
each window. behind which sit men
bending over with a graVer in one hand
and a magnifying glass in the other,
carefully tracing out the fine lines upon
the pieceS of steel. and beneath their
skillful fingers grow the portraits, the
letters and the recommendations that go
TO make up the perfect security OF oahK
notes.
MIR. O'Neal. the chief of the engraving
division, is a practical engraVer him-
self, and he readily volunteered 10 lur-
niSh all the information necessary 10
enable the Washington Gazette reporter
te understand the process by when
bank note plates were made.
"In the first place." said he, 1--WE
make a model of the note that is de
sired, either 10y printed proofs OF en-
cravings that We already have ON hand,
or the model is drawn by India ink.
When this model is made and approved,
then the work of engraving commences.
EngraVeTS have their SpeclaltleS Just
the same as artists in every other call
ing. The man who is good portrait
engraVer is not a good letter engraNer;
the man who is an expert in letters can
not do portrait or ornamental work; SO
the different parts on the engraving are
distributed 10 the men who are the
most competent 70 perform tue WORK
wake 4 dollar hill he said, "aNd
viii eNn9aiM 10 You what mean, You
ST., In the lefC-haNd corner there Is 4
portrait at Martha Washington, Now,
that work is given Ia 4 portrait en-
gT0Ver, lie takes tCSt piece at steel
ami cNSFaVSS the picture upon that,
Zach line i gradually cut Np aNd deep
CN,,l hN the SYANer ONtSl the perfect pie
INN, is INVNyNl, The shading, ~ course,
tleNeN,l$ WlNlN the depth AMI eCeAItll Ut
tho Inns cut, After the picture Is tN-
iShCNl the 0le> " lNlcee ~ steel upon
which Il i c(lt> i pat into the nrSs AMI
haNlcNCtl, Then w take that hAN''
e(SIt( die AC1 h pOll ~ SOtt S,ecl and give
II u NVc ~ tNS NaeN over here" y"lNSS
rs III SlNANN u (slH lCS>NStCCrSCS >>aNl
they NlAy> Il IN this CSlNSlcC NNNSS> and
IN (Nc )NgN,S>OCV> that the NCeSS i en-
NNlt>l 10 NgOOE IL NISlC the SIT steel lOll
takes an AS NJ C&Q IL the impression
fIN>,N the hANlCsNCa die, Then the p0ll
IN It's tNrO il lNtll IN the tCe ami hard
eN,,l, and il Coa,lN Tor use IN transfer
rlNg 10 what we cS,ll 4 bed piece, which
Is thu same size rs The completed note,
"A0 the other CNgCaNlNS OlNon this
nOte Is done In the same manner by diff
iCYcNt people OlNON different dies, which
an, then haVtclSCOl and transferred Il
rlllS, they In tNrN h&CicNed and thea
transferred To the bed piece, There l.
one exception, and that is the Scomeui,
lathe work, That Is done by an mtri
cate machine, and then the N0meral;
or letters are cut upon it by hand, rs th'
rest Of the engraving is done, When
the bed piece Is completed, then rol
Of the entire bed piece is taken up, ant
then that is transferred to the plates
You will see that there are four notes
Op0n every plate. After the plates ar
laid down they are hardened and ar
ready tor printing.
You see" continued Mr.. O'Neai
"that 10y this system of reproduction an'
duplication every plate Is exactly liE'
every other plate, and that Is the great
est security against counterfeitmg. N
two men could do the same piece o
work in exactly the same way. No on
engraver could duplicate his own Ell
craving SO rs TO be exactly like tn
original. BY the transfer process tn
duplication is absolute. Every line
the same upon one plate as upon ever
other plate of the same denomination
because they are all made from tn
same roll OF set of rolls"