The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-11-27

The room in which this work is done is
a large, well-lighted apartment on the
ground floor. 1t must not be sup
posed for moment that the entire
face of note. is engraved by one man.
The portrait goes to one, the vignette
to another, the lettering, script, and
borders to others, and so on until no
less than twelve men are at work. 1t
is long and tedious task, requiring
great care and accurate skill No less
than six weeks time is necessary fol-
the engraving of portrait like that of
Manning. The steel used is
all imported from England and is re-
fine grade. Engravers all
over the word use English steel and
have done so for a century.
Steel of equal quality could be made
in this country. but the demand would
not be sufficient to recompense for the
cost of the plant. Even the engraving
tools are imported, being manufactured
by Partisan firm which for many
years has had monopoly of the busi-
ness.
When, at the end of many months OF
careful engraving, the various portions
of the note are finished an impression
of each section is taken upon solid
plate of steel Each separate part is
placed in the position it would occupy
on the note, and when the transfer is
finally accomplished the face of the
new bill appears in perfect form. The
plate is hardened and across its en-
graved surface is passed soft steel
roller. The depressions on the plate ap-
pear on the roller as raised surface and
when the cylinder has been hardened ii
is perfect die. 1t in turn is rolled by
tremendous pressure upon plate o.
soft steel. The power exerted to force
the fine lines of the die into the steel il
so great that thin bit of paper PLACED
on the plate leaves a deep impression
and a bit of lint scarcely visible to tho
naked eye forms rough scar. A fly
speck under this pressure makes dee
hole in the metal, and particles of dus
must be carefully removed lest they to-
leave their imprint.
This transfer process not only allow
any number of plates to be made bu
is an excellent guard against counter
feiting. Each face and each reverse o
a note, being taken from the same die
are exactly alike. In no other wa.
could this result be reached. No en-
graver, be he ever so careful, could re
produce without variation of hair
breadth any work of his brands.
Four impressions of the die are mad
upon the plate, so that the faces o
backs of four notes are always printe,
at the same time. The plate, after be
inc hardened, is finished. 1t costs tn,
government, from its inception TO it
completion, between 81, 800 and s., 90,
in actual outlay for labor expended up
! on it. This does not of course includ.
the expensive plant which is alread
owned by the government. includin
one lathe for %eometrical scroll wor.
that alone cost So, 600.
For national bank notes the same di
l. continually used, the only fresh eli
craving being the name of the bank
A few days ago an order came from TIN
comptroller OF the currency for note
for the new national bank with whicl
E. o. Graves is now connected a
Seattle, Wash. T. As a compliment t
the former chief of the bureau the worl
was rushed, and in three days seyera
big packages of crisp bills were on thei
way to the far-off country where Mr.
Graves now resides.
From the engraving-room the plat
goes upstairs to the printers. Their
are about 200 of these, and each vii
take from 600 to 1000 impression
daily on his press. His compensation
ranging from so to 80 cents per 10
impressions, averages about $5 day
Each printer has a lady assistant to plac
the paper upon the plate, and it is bi
of the romance of money-making tina
not infrequently a printers assistan
becomes Il printers wife.
1t is IL pleasant thing to know tina
ones cast-off linen, if it is fine enough
NAV eventually return to the interior &
ones pocket-book For the paper NJ
on which the money is printed is mad
at Dalton, Mass, of specially selecte
linen rags, bought Of rag-dealers. Th
sheets are shipped to Washington i
ordinary boxes and bear the lines {
silk thread that make the paper di'
tinctive After being received by til
treasury it is issued to the bureau an
then placed in the wetting-room, whel
it remains three days in order to /
thoroughly dampened. Then it
served out to printers upon requisitior
calling for 100 sheets at Il time.
Each revolution of the, press
registered and at night the number
!, revolutions must tally with the sheet
, printed, sorted, and returned. I'll
percentage of spoiled sheets is not vel
large. 1t rarely runs over five in lO
+ and expert printers will sometime
print 1000 without single erro
Should a discrepancy occur in any
these piles of paper every plate printt
and his ASSISTANTS prisoner in Il
office until the mistake is rectitied Mi
takes, however, very rarely occu
Sometimes the office runs for s.
months without single sheet beir
missed.
All the late issues of bank notes al
national currency require but two i'm
DreSsions, once each for the back an
face The currency of 1875, however
required three, because in the center o
the reverse side was an elaborate his
tprical picture printed in black. N,
one knows exactly why these picture
| were printed on these notes, unless
WAS an artistic device. At any rate
these bills cost good deal more thai
the others, and the experiment ha
never been repeated. Eventually the
| will disappear. When the sheet @
notes has been printed on both sides
with numerous examinations an
countings in between, it goes to tn
numbering division: 81.
The work of numbering is done en-
tirely by women. who operate fifty-si
machines which the government owns
Each note is numbered in a neat tigur
printed in blue ink, and of the 81 silve
certificates over 0,000, 900 have beel
numbered since they were first issue'
in 1886. The machines will number a.
high as SO, 999, 999, some of these day
Il 81 bill will bear this array of figures
then the machines will start anew OF
a fresh series, starting at the very be
| ginning with figure l.
The sides of the sheets are trimmed
by machinery. and it is, an interesting
fact that>nat even the waste margins
can be removed from the, building.
fine of So 00O and imprisonment, is thu
penalty for having this paper in one'
i