Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-30


shirtsleeved plate printers take the impressions
and the careful messengers carry on the mn
lshed bills by the cart load. so interesting.
indeed, is this work of money-maKlng says the
Washington Post that the bureau began TO De
overrun by visitors, who seriously lnterIered
with its work. Now. visitors are only admitted
between 10 A. M. and p. NJ. on Saturdays, and
during these hours nearly every stranger IN
the city presents himself at the arched door.
and. under the leadership of a pretty girl
guide, sees how Uncle Sam replenishes MS
cash.
Models for BanlSnotes.
When Congress has ordered the issue OF q
new series of notes the first step in the bureau
Is the preparation of what is known as tne
model. This is generally handsome pen-and-
ink drawing of the proposed bill and is submit
ted finally to the Secretary of the Treasury Tor
his approval NothIng about the note is left
to mere chance. The banker does not regard
money from a purely artistic standpoint. he
wants the denomination to be plain and us
tlnct, and he asks that the hgure OF the note pe
placed in the upper right hand corner to facili-
tate counting. The fact that note must pear
q certain title rather restricts the artist IN the
preparation Of the model, but very lrequentiy,
as in the case of the new twenty-dollar silver
certificate, which bears the portrait OF the late
Secretary Manning, both utility and artistic
beauty are combined. In this particular na 6iil
the artist has made a striking innovation. The
portrait instead of being at one end OF the
note, is in the center and is supported on the
sides by figures of Prosperity and Labor Inc
lettering is at the extremites OF the certlncate,
and the effect produced by this new idea Is
really very striking.
Engraving the Plate.
The model having been adopted the next step
is the engraving of the plate. The room In
which this work is done is large, well-lighted
apartment on the ground floor. 1t must not be
supposed for a moment that the entire face of
q note is engraved by one man. The portrait
goes to one. the vignette to another, the letter.
ing, script and borders to others, and SO on
until no less than IL men are at work. 1t is
long and tedious task, requiring great care and
accurate skill. No less tnan six weeks time Is
necessary for the engraving of portrait like
that of Secretary Manning. The steel used IS
all imported from England, and is a remarkably
fine grade. Eugravers all over the world use
English steel, and have done SO for a GEN.
tury.
Steel of equal quality could be made in this
country but the demand would not be suffi-
cient to recompense for the cost of the plant.
Even the engraving tools are imported, be-
ing manufactured by Partisan firm which for
many years has had monopoly of the business.
Work Requiring Care and Patience.
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 a solid plate of steel. Each separate part
is placed in the position it would occupy on the
note, and when the transfer is finally accom-
plished, the face of the new bill appears in per-
feet form. The plate is hardened and across its
engraved surface is passed a soft steel roller.
The depressions of the plate appear on the roll
Ter as q raised surface, and when the little CYL
inder has been hardened ir is a perfect die. 1t,
in turn, is rolled by tremendous pressure upon
a plate of soft steel. The power exerted to
force the fine lines of the die into the steel is
gfssx tlat -tai2.hS ct PAPER placed on the
plate leaves q deep impression, and bftoff4i9t,
scarcely visible to the naked eye, forms a rough
scar. A fly speck under this pressure makes
deep hole in the metal. and particles of dust
must be carefully removed 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 counterfeitiDg. 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 en-
orayer be he ever so careful, could reproduce,
without the variation of a hairs breadth, any
work of his brands.
First Cost of q Bank Note.
Four Impressions of the die are made upon a
plate so that the faces or backs of four notes
are always printed at the same time. The plate,
after being hardened. is finished 1t costs the
Government, from its inception to its COM
pletion, between ST. 500 and 81 900 in actual out
| lay for labor expended upon it. This does not,
| of course, include the expensive plant which
| is already owned by the Government includ-
| alone cost s5, 900.
For national bank notes the same die is con-
tinually used, the only fresh engraving being
| the name of the bank. A few days ago an or
| der came from the Controller of the Currency
| for notes for the new national bank with
| which Mr.. E. o. Graves is now connected at
| Seattle w. T. As a compliment to the former
Chief Of the bureau, the work was rushed,
| and in three days several big packages OF crisp
| bills we're on their way to the far-on country
| where Mr.. Graves now resides.
| Printing the Money.
| From the engraving room the plate goes up
| stairs to the printers. There are about 200 OF
| these. and each will take from 600 to 700 I'M
pressions daily on his press. His compeusa.
ton, ranging from 80 to 30 cents per 100 impres.
| sions. averages about s. a day. Each printer
has a lady assistant TO place the paper upon
| the plate, and it is a bit of the romance OF
| money making that not infrequently a printers
assistant becomes a printers wife,
1t is a pleasant thing to know that ones cast.
| off linen, if it is fine enough, may eventually
| return to the interior of ones pocketbook. 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
| hear the lines of silk thread that make the
| paper distinctive. After being received by the
| Treasuryit is issued to the bureau and then
| placed IN the wetting room, where IL remains
| three days in order to be thoroughly dampened
|
tions calling for l0O sheets at time.
Mistakes Rarely Made.
Each revolution of the press IS registered
and at night the number of revolutions musi
tally with the sheets printed, spoiled, and re
turned. The percentage of spoiled sheets i:
not very large. 1t rarely runs over five in
hundred. and expert printers will sometime,
priur a thousand sheets without single error
Should discrepancy occur in any of thest
niles of paper every plate printer and his assist
| ant ia a prisoner in the office until the mistake
is rectified. Mistakes, however, very rarel,
| occur Sometimes the office runs for sl1
months without a sheet beng missed
All the late issues CT bank notes and nationa
eacFeneyt fSI the back and face The currency o
| ls75 however, required three, because in the
center of the reverse side was an elaborate
historical picture printed In Dlack- No on,
| knows exactly why tnesa pictures were printed
3 | on these notes. unless it was an artistic device
At any rate, these bills cost good deal mor'
| than the others, and the experiment has neve
been repeated. Eventually they VIII disap
near. When the sheet Of notes has beer
| nrinted on both tides, with numerous examina
lions and countings in between, 1t goes to thu
| numbering division.
Millions of Paper Dollars.
The work of numbering is done entirely b.
women. who operate SO machines which th
Government owns. Each note is numbered IL
a neat figure printed IN blue ink. and of the s
. silver certificates over 100000 have beel
numbered since they were first issued In 1886
The machines will number as high as ", Wy
,,99. and some of these days 81 bill will bea
this array Of figures, then the machines will
start in anew on fresh series, starting at tn
, | yery beginning with the hsure ].
The SIDES Of the sheet are trimmed b
machinery and IL Is an interesting fact tina