The Republican., 1891-12-04
BEAUTIFUL TREASURY NOTES.
The Machine Which Cuts the Lines Deals |
With IweIve-Thousandths of an Inch.

AZ Ine corner OF treasury note or
green back" the figure denoting its de-
nomination rests upon heart or tre-
foil, a heXagon or an oval, composed OF
wave lines finer than hairs. Down in
the corners you will find the word
five" two" or the letter ''V" or fig
ure SO" printed upon the same little fig
ures made up of finest lines. Turn the
bill over and the lined figures are re-
peated in groups or borders until they
entirely cover the back.
Every treasury note, every revenue
stamp, bank bills and bonds. all are
covered with these fine-lined creations,
every different denomination carrying
different combination, the lines so
fine that the machine that cuts them
deals with welve-thousandths of an
inch. You can count them only with
the aid of microscope.
Once this was the business of the
bank note engraver; now these lines
are made by machine called the geom.
etrical bank note engraving lathe.
Charles w. Dickinson is the inventor.
More than fifty years ago he was en-
ployed in a factory in Newark, n. j.
Later he was watch case maker, and
became interested in fine machinery.
Engine turned" watch cases began
to be the style, and he made his first
lathe for the purpose of decorating a
watch case. This was success, and a
jeweler asked him to make a machine
to cut die which could be used to dec
crate an oval silver salver. The salver
was thirty-four inches long and the pat
tern was to follow it's form in one con-
tinuous figure or set of lines. This ne
cessitated new motion, the machine
he then had making circles instead of
ovals. Mr.. Dickinson made the ma
chine and it was a great success.
Later man wanted a machine to
make the curved com binationS on bank
notes. A thousand dollars was depos-
tied as guarantee, and the machine
was made. Notice was sent to the in
dividual ordering it when it was COM
pleted. Nothing was heard from him.
however, and the lathe was sold to some
one else. Three years afterw ard this
man was one among gang arrested for
counterfeiting.
This gave Mr.. Dickinson an idea of
one great use for his lathe, and the
present bank note engraving lathe is
the result. In 1862 the first one was
used upon bank notes Mr. Dickinson
went to Washington to run one that he
had made for the government. There
he staid year and half, cutting new
com mbnatiOnS for the currency then in
Notwithstanding the war, remem Der
until he had succeeded in teaching
some one to run the lathe. Then he
went to Newark, \. j., and from there
to his present quarters.
lie and his three sons, with one as
sistant, and small boy make and run
these geometrical lathes, together with
some other pieces of wonderful machin-
cry of which he is the inventor
The geometrical lathe complete re-
minds one of the works of huge
watch, so much of its mechanism rests
between plates, like the works of a
patent lever. Its inventor claims that
it is infinitely more intricate than the
works of any watch, that no one else
has ever made anything like it, end
that the number of combinations-dif
ferent patterns-which it will make
can scarcely be computed. Sixteen mil
lions have already been counted off,
and the end has not been reached.
The writer was given the privilege of
looking on while the lathe was cutting
a pattern to order. 1t was like the
work of fairy fingers. There was no
noise, not grain of dust, only slow
movement, or series of movements, of
the plate of the machine upon which
the die rests to receive the cutting tool
sometimes pointed with diamond
brought against it's face. The cutting
tool is stationary. The die follows the
directions necessary to create the pat
tern. Having had one row or thread of
the figure cut upon it, a shadow of
change is made, and now the movement
is from center to rim perhaps. A "mar-
vel of intricate movements" it has been
called.
Sometimes it will take two months to
make a she'll or die, or less time for a
less intricate pattern. Not only is the
distance to each line from the other
measured, but also the depth to which
the tool must go. Over and over again
it goes in the same cut, deeper and
deeper down. A given series of move
ments ended, it starts again upon the
same series unless change is made by
the workmen.
is claimed that this machine makes
counterfeiting impossible and does work
not possible to do by hand. The United
States government uses it for all its
work.-N. y. Herald
@rs On Desert Island.
The crew of the iron bark Compadre