The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-01

is so great that thin bit of paper placed on
the plate leaves deep impression. and bic
OF lint, scarcely visible 70 the naked eye,
forms rough scar A fly speck under this
pressure makes deep hole in the metal.
and particles of dust must be carefully re-
moved lest they. too, leave their imprint
This transfer process not only allows any
number of plates to be made, but is an ex-
cellent guard against counterfeitng. Each
face and each reverse of a note, being taken
from the same die. are exactly alike. In no
other way could this result be reached. No
engraver, be he never so careful. could re-
produce, without the variation of a hairs
breadth, any work of his brands.
Four impressions of the die are made
upon plate, so that the faces or backs Of
four notes arr, always printed at the same
time. The plate, after being hardened, is
finished. 1t costs the government. from it's
inception to its completion, between 81 800
and s., 200 In actual outlay for labor ex-
pended upon it. This does not. of course,
include the expensive plant which is
already owned by the government. includ-
ing one lathe for geometrical scroll work
that alone cost 5000.
For national bank notes the same die is
continually used. the only fresh engraving
being the name of the bank A few days
ago an order came from the Comptroller of
the Currency for notes for the new national
bank with which Mr.. f. o. Graves is now
ment to the former chief of the bureau. the
work was rushed and in three days several
big packages of crisp bills were on their
way to the far-off country where Mr..
Graves now resides
From the engraving-r0om the plate goes
upstairs to the printers. There are about
200 of these, and each will take from 600 to-
LOCO impressions daily on his press. His
compensation. ranging from so to 90 cents
per 100 impressions, averages about $ day.
Each printer has lady assistant TO place
the paper upon the plate. and it is bit OF
the romance of money making that not i'm
| nrlnfqra tar
printers wife.
1t is pleasant thing to know that ones
cast-otf linen. If it is fine enough. may
eventually return to the interior of ones
pocket-book. For the paper upon which
money is printed is made at Dalton, Mass,
of specially selected linen rags, bought OF
rag-dealers The sheets are shipped to-
Washington in ordinary boxes and bear
the lines of silk thread that make the paper
distinctive. After being received by the,
Treasury it sissued to the bureau, and then
placed In the wetting room. where it re-
mains three days, In order to be thoroughly /
dampened. Then it is served out TO print
ers upon acquisitions calling for 100 sheets
at time.
Each revolution of the press is registered,
and at night the number of revolutions
must tally with the sheets printed. spoiled
and returned. The percentage of spoiled
sheets Is not very large 1t rarely runs
over five in hundred, and expert printers
will sometimes print thousand sheets
without a single error. Should q discrep-
ancy occur in any of these piles of paper
every plate printer and his assistant is a.
prisoner in the Office until the mistake is
rectified. Mistakes, however, very rarely
occur. Sometimes the Office runs for six
months without sheet being missed
All the late issues of bank notes and ma.
tlonal currency require but two impress,
siOns, once each for the back and face. The
currency of 1875, however, required three,
because III the center of the reverse sidd
was an elaborate historical picture printed
in black. No one knows exactly why these
pictures were printed on these notes, unless
it was an artistic device. AJ any rate,
these bills cost a good deal more than the
others, and the experiment has never beeu
repeated. Eventually they will disappear.'
When the sheet of notes has been printed.
on both sides, with numerous examinations
and countings in between, it goes to the
numbering division.
The work of numbering is done entirely
by women. who operate ffty-six ma chimes
which the government owns. Each note
is numbered In a neat figure printed in blue
ink, and of the 81 silver certificates ove1
10000 900 have been numbered since they
were first issued in 1886. The machinek
will number as high as 90 999, 800, and some
| of these days s. bill will bear this array
of figures, then the machines will start in
| anew on a fresh series. starting at the very
| beginning with the figure 1.
The sides of the sheet are trimmed by
| machinery and it is an interesting facp
| that not even the waste margins can be re-
moved from the building. A fine of 5000
and imprisonment is the penalty for have
mento of visit to the bureau is pretty
| costly at that figure. When the sheet 10
| trimmed it represents four perfect notes,
| except that they lack the red seal. This
! used to be added in the bureau. but now il
is put on in the Treasury Department..
| When this seal is printed on the note the
| latter is perfect currency. representing the
| coin of the realm.
L