The morning call., 1891-07-13
MAKING MONEY.
Scenes in the National Buaeau
of Engraving and Printing.
Employees Virtually Prisoners Until They
Have Rendered a Full Account of all
Entrusted to Them.

Of all the places Of public interest at the
national capital this bureau seems the most
attractive TO strangers, who come from far
and wide to see how the Government makes
money. After seeing how easy it is to strike
off few million dollars it may not be clear
to the Western rural mind why money
should be so scarce up in his part of the
country. 1t looks to the casual observer as
If there were nothing to prevent any one
about the place from pocketing two or three
millions to take home with him after his
days work, or from taking an impression
from one of the plates and printing at his
own home money enough to meet his daily
demands.
With all the thousands of plates from
which money Is printed there, access to
which would enable man to all but bank
rupt the Government and to tax its credit
to the very extreme; with all the possibil-
ties for theft that access to such place
seems to open-that is, seemingly, one of the
freest of Government building to the public
Visitors enter without being challenged. and
are shown through without the conscious
ness of being watched. A polite guide
shows them to the door when they leave.
and they 60 their way rejoicing without
knowing that they have for time been
prisoners of State. 1t is easy enough to get
into the building, but no man, woman or
child gets out without assistance. That
polite guide or that kind official who accom-
panied them to the door is their pass port to
go out, and If alone they would have to pro-
duce written pass or remain prisoners uu-
I'll the proper passport were procured. No
one has the experience OF being detained
because that Is carefully looked after, SO
that the visitors are not conscious OF any
restriction placed upon them.
All the employees are prisoners during
traQInnl ~ stfa
building until they have rendered full ac-
count of all that has been placed In their
keeping by the superior.
In the corridor at the main door. where
the watchman sits silently all day, there is
metal plate set IN frame in the wall. In
this plate are twelve little round holes, one
under another. Each hole is labeled with a
name. as wetting-room, press-room, vault.
etc. Each hole represents one department
OF the bureau, and as long as the hole re-
mains empty the Waterman will permit no
one from thatdspartment 10 leave the build
ing unless he has special permit When the
force OF one department are through Tor the
day and all have rendered their accounts
straight, the superintendent of that branch
marches down at the head OF the whole
force, and, while they wait, places little
straight key with button at the end of it
into the whole designated as his division
Then there is A loud ringing OF an electric
gong that sounds throughout the building,
and the Waterman, seeing the key in the
hole, permits the men to pass out. This is
repeated as the days wolk of each division
is done. The last key to be put in is that
of the custodian of the vault where the
plates are kept, and when it is there the
building is supposed to be empty, except of
watchmen. ADy one found in the building
after that would have to remain until there
was an order from the proper authority TO
let him out.
The closing scene at the end of the day in
this great money factory is interesting. In
the morning each man and each woman has
been given the proper assignment of work
The women ara the counters, testers. wet
tiers and helps to the pressmen. Each en-
ploye on taking the material for work,
whether 1t Is paper or plates, gives receipt
for 1t TO the custodian. No one ever gives
anything TO any one else without a receipt.
The paper on which the money is printed
is counted as so much money, and every
time 1t changes hands must be Counted and
receipted for. Even the girls who act as
helpers and carry the paper from the wet
ting-room have TO count it for their own
protection and give receipt to clear from
responsibility the superintendent of that
room. At the end of the day each must re-
turn In one form or another all that his
receipts show Elm to have had during the
day, and until he has check showing that
this has been done he cannot leave tile
room. When the paper and the notes or
stamps have all been turned in by those
working on them they are taken to the GUS
todian of the vault, in whose presence
| everything is counted and checked off.
Every scrap of paper. blank or otherwise,
which was given out in the morning must
be returned. This being done, the Gus
todian puts it all in the vault. Then the
keeper Of the inner door of the vault must
| pull that door 10 without so much as put
| ting his foot inside the vault. and, willis the
| TEST stand apart from him so as not to see
| the combination, must lock it securely. The
| ustodian of the vault then locks the outer
| door, which is provided with time-lock, so
| that, being once fastened, it cannot be
| opened before the next day al the hour set.
| This being done, the custodian and his as
| sistants are free to 60, after the key has
| been put IN the board at the main door.
Then all the plates which have been in
use and all those which are in process of
engraving, and all rolls and parts of plates.
| have to be returned to the custodian of the
| plate vault. No man can leave the room
! until every Bit of engraved metal has been
returned and receipted for by the custodian.
| II one of these plates should be missing not
| soul would be permitted to leave the build
ing until it was found. 1t is almost impos-
| sble for anything to go astray. As nothing
| changes hands, even for MOMENT, without
| the change being made of record Each
| man takes sole responsibility for whatever
| lie is charged NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Cores
pondence of thu PHILADELPHIA Telepranh