Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-02-27
MAKING MONEY.
HOW UNCLE SAMUEL LINES HIS
CASH BOX.

The Bureau OF Engraving and
Printing and Its Various Pro
ceases Described I'm Detail
On entering the great Treasury build
ing at F street, in Washington, the visi-
tor soon finds his way into large room,
where hundreds of busy women (some of
them very attractive looking are deftly
sorting, clipping and counting in pack
ages bright, crisp greenbacks. He may
perhaps ask flew pointless questions, but
usually he goes away neithera sadder nor
a wiser man. OF course, he goes into the
immense vaults, where money enough to
make him rich beyond the dreams of av-
arice is piled up in glitteriDg heaps. He
may have the momentary and childish
pleasure Of hugging to his bosom pack
age said to contain 100000. He then
departs unable to tell you much as to
methods of converting reams of paper
into new and costly bills, how the dies
are made or how the bills are printed.
Now, what is the history of bank
notel 1t is this:
When new note is decided upon, the
Superintendent of the Bureau of Engrav-
ing has a pen and ink design prepared.
If the design meets with the approval of
the Secretary of the Treasury, it is hand
ed over to dozen or more different en-
grayers to work on. Five or six men
may be engaged on single plate, and in
this way any one man is prevented from
reproducing the entire plate should he be
so disposed. No die over goes out of the
sight of the officer responsible for it, The
dies are put away every night in the safe
in the presence of two or three employees,
and they are taken out in the morning al
SO in the presence of two or three per-
sons
If the engraver takes, let US say, a vig-
nette or portrait, he first has it reduced
by the camera to the proper size he wishes
to engrave. He makes then tracing by
placing over the drawing piece of gela-
tine, and with a fine etching tool
scratches an outline in the gelatine
When the tracing is satisfactory, he fills
the lines with red chalk, and taking a
steel plate of the finest quality and finish,
he lays upon the polished surface his
etching ground" of asphaltum, bergun-
dy pitch and beeswax. This ''ground, /"
which has been rubbed and labbed over
heated air until perfectly smooth, is then
smoked over gas jet until the whole
surface is dead black. The die is allowed
to cool, and the tracing is done upon the
die reversed, subjected to the pressure of
a roller When the gelatine is removed
the outline in red will be clearly seen on
the ground The etching is now
closed by wall or border of beeswax
and pitch and solution of nitric acid
and water is then poured on the die. The
acid bites the steel through the etched
lines. For Hght-colored work the acid
is quickly removed and the lines stopped
with a varnish of asphaltum and turpen-
tine. For dark work the acid process is
renewed until the required depth of line
is obtained. The plate is usually sub
jected to many minute alterations before
it is pronounced satisfactory.
a. die thus finished is ready for the
hardening process. This process is done
by inclosing the die in an iron box,
which is little larger in size, with the
spaces filed with ivory black. The box
and contents are subjected to white
heat, after which the plate is taken out
and plunged into cold water. This lat
ter process is called recarbonizing or tenn
Z pering.
The die is now ready for the transfer
process, which is extremely interesting
and ingenious In striking off original
dies. After the plate is placed upon the
bed OF transfer press, soft roll of de-
carbonized steel about three inches in
diameter is forced slowly and very care
fully over the surface of the hardened
die at an enormous pressure. The soft
metal OF the roll is actually forced into
the lines Of the die, thus transferring the
impression of the die into high relief
The roll must be exactly fitted to the die
: for the variance of almost hairs breath
would ruin the plate, not only destroying
the original, Z but adding lines not in il
at all. The soft roll is then hardened
and can be used in similar way to trans
< fer as many impressions as may be re-
quired. Thus, we see how readily d great
number of transfers from single en-
graved plate can be made at slight ex-
pense.
The plate, after it is cleared and bur
4 nished, is ready for the printing process
Requisition is made on the Secretary oi
4 the Treasury for paper The GoyernInen
II in 1869 adopted . special paper for II
\ bills, the chief feature Of which was a mar
row localized tint of blue fibre running
the entire length Of the sheet in such
manner as not to lessen its strength or in
terfere with the printing. But in 1871
another kind of paper, known as tn
Crane patent, Z was adopted by tn
Treasury Department. The fsature q
this patent is that two silk threads rul
the entire length Of the sheet. The larg
X sheets are counted more than a dozel
times before they finally reach. the print
er's hands.
The printer puts the sheets in package
of ten or fifteen each between wet cloths
in which condition they are allowed K
remain overnight The next morning
n with woman assistant, he carefully Ink
the plates, only charging with ink th'
4 engraved lines. He must, Of course