St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-01-18

Eerent adjustments Of the many wheels
% get the desired result. When the
pattern is satisfactory II is traced on
steel, and is transferred to the printers
plate by . process similar to that which
transfers the engraving. The number
ing or lettering is put on by the en-
graver after the pattern is traced. The
engraving is not the work Of a moment.
Notice the head Of Martha Washington
on dollar note. To make this alone it
takes an engrave' from six weeks to two
months, working eight hours a day.
When the plates are ready fer the
printer they are put in the plate-vault,
each one in small compartment by
itself. and IS carefully guarded IS il
they were gold. Then, as they are
wanted, they are issued to the printers,
each printer returning his plate to the
keeper when his days work is done.
Every ounce of ink used in this
bureau is mixed right on the premises,
this again to prevent counterfeiting.
The Government has secret formula,
there are barrels and barrels of oil and
coloring matter. and great hOppers
where these are mixed, and in the ink
room proper they have the very latest
fads, and are replacing the old-fashioned
hopper mills by the improved rollers.
Every kind of work has its special ink,
and there are dozens of shining tin
pals standing in rows, filled with ink
and marked SILVER" ''one-half barrel
beer" fifty cigars" etc. indicating the
class of notes or stamps each is intended
for. This is the finest ink used in this
country, and is no small item in the ex-
pense account.
the heavy, creaking elevator, and there
we find the wetting room. This is where
the paper is dampened previous to print
ing. Wet cloths, well pressed out, are
put between every twenty sheets Of pa
per; the paper is stacked, well covered.
weights put on top. and it is left so over
night. At one end of this room is
great tank with running water. where
the cloths are thrown to soak after they
are removed from the paper. The blank
paper is dampened before it goes to the
printer. lie prints one side and before
it has the other side printed it must go
through the dampening process again.
and for every impression it receives it
undergOes previous wetting. The
number of sheets is counted and record
ed when it goes into this room and
assistant.
In the plate-printing division there are
$50 hand presses, and 1t each press there
is a printer and his assistant. Since the
lst of July all the steam-presses have
been taken out. and the plate-printing
is done entirely by hand-presses. When
the plate-prjnter and his assistant ar
rive in the morning the printer goes to
q little cage at one end of the room and
draws his plate, his ink, whitening. and
even the rags he uses for wiping the
plate. For these he gives a check foc
all the world like q trunk-check. and
until he returns the plate in the even
ing. when his work is done. he can not
get the check, and until he gets the
check neither he or his assistant can
get permit to leave the building.
When he has drawn the plate his assist
ant goes to = similar cage at the en-
trance of the wetting-room and draws
the paper, for which she gives a receipt,
certifying to the counting Of the paper.
This plate-printing is dirty and CORE
spondingly picturesque work. The
printer, generally in undershirt and
trousers, with his sleeves rolled up to
his shoulders and his hands and arms
covered with ink. not little of which
finds its way to his face, first heats the
steel-plate over a gas-stove, then inks
it, wipes it with cloth. and rubbing his
hand over q big lump Of whitening. he
polishes it with his hand. Then it is
puts on the press. His girl assistant,
generally pretty, and sometimes be-
witching, with paper cap on her head,
put the paper in place, he turns the big
wheel, and she removes the sheet, on
which in the money division four notes
are always printed. Each press is pro-
vided with an automatic register that
registers the number of sheets printed,
and this number must tally with the
number of blank sheets drawn and also
with the number of printed sheets sent
down to the examining-roOm to be
counted. Every two hundred sheets are
collected from the printer and sent to be
counted. The initials of the printer are
IN the plate he uses, and of course on
every sheet he prints. and even if
sheet is spoiled in printing he is obliged
to send it in.
When one side OF a sheet is printed it
goes to the counting-rOOm and again
through the wetting-room before it re-
ceives its second impression.
The only surface printing that is done
On money is on the National bank-notes.
On these the charter number is printed
by q Hoe press, which also has a reg
lister. and if number is printed on a
piece Of plain paper it has to be turned
over with the money to make things
tally.
As these sheets are taken from the
press. pieces Of brown paper are put be-
tween them to keep them from blurring.
In the counting and examining-room
these sheets are carefully removed and
counted and examined to see that no
money is between them. The money is
counted and examined to ser that every
sheet is perfect, by women VINO work
with the swiftness that only comes after
long practice. Some of the fast counters
can handle 100000 sheets a day. and
when they count and examine it is not
unusual for them to handle 1000. All
errors are reported by the counters and
entered in books. These clerks meet in
the committeeman in the afternoon.
each with an account Of the work. and
If these accounts vary, all the workers
stay until the three statements are