Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1895-05-23
UNCLE SANS
GREENDACES
How They are Made, and WIZ
Precautions are Taken e
Prevent Counterfeit.
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spc:,arte posts OF tbss ~.
Washington, Ray 2i.--No honesi
man disputes the right Of the gOvern'
meut to maintain its monopoly Of the
business Of manufacturing paper mon
ey. In order TO outwit the counter
letters the greatest care /, necessary.
In the first place the peculiar paper
employed, which is made Of silk fiber
aud has treads of colored silk embed
ded in its surfaces, can only be made
under strictest supervisors Of the
agents Of the Treasury Department.
IL a private individual should be found
in possession of even a small piece Of
unplin.e paper he would be liable to
twenty years imprisonment at bard
labor in addition to the payment Of a
fine Of s., 900. The sheets are coun-
ted scores of times froIa the time that
they leave the paper mill at Spring
field, Mas, until they are ready for
circulation, and each person through
whose hands they pass gives a receipt
for the quantity received, and is held
strictly responsible for the safety Of
his charge.
In the matter Of engraving, every
possible precavtion is taken to prevent
fraud, and the resources Of the art are
resorted to to produce designs which
can not DE copied. Occasionally
workmen have been detected in the
practice Of making duplicate plates,
one for the g government and the other
for private use, but such practice has
been always most emphstically frown.
ed upon when discovered. The work
upon each bill is subdivided among 90
many employees at present that it is
not thought possible for any work
man to obtain an entire plate. When
the designs for the fronts and backs
OF the bills are decided upon, the WORK
for the different sections il divide d
among the various engraves; for in
stance, one man will be given the por.
trait, another the border line, another
the lettering, aud still another tn,
scroll work. Each man, excepting
the one that does the scroll work, pa
tiently reproduces upon aplate of soft
steel the part of the designs given
him. The work is wholly hand Ia
Dor, each dot and line being carefully
cut with sharp pointed chisels, oil
"gravers.
The scroll work is done with q ma
chine called ''lsthe.' This machine
works upon the principle ofthe pan
tagraph," which is used in copying
pictures. The design for the scroll II
made upon q large scale and this il
followed by the end Of the long arm
of the lever. The short end of the
lever carries cutting tool which re
produces the design in the proper
scale upon the ordinary soft steel plate
When all of the parts Of the design
are completed and turned in, they arr
tempered or hardened and are ther
passed beneath roller of soft steel
under great pressure. The design,
are thus transferred to the roller, on,
at time, and joined together in theil
proper order, 80 that when completed
the roller will have the complete de
sign for one side of the bill, but every
cut in the line of the original design
appears as projection, and wee versa
In other words the roller represent
an "intaglio" impression Of the design
This roller is in turn tempered and
the hardest part of the work Is accom-
plished.
From this roller as many printing
plates as may be desired can be made
The steel plates are first softenet
then passed beneath the ''intsglio'
roller, an then tempered. When th'
plate has been worn smooth it can b
again softened and passed under tn
roller. Each plate prints four bills
and frequently as many as eighty or
hundred plates of each denomination
will be in use at the same time. Rol
lers of this character have been know
to reproduce the designs upon .
many rs ten thousand plates before
wearing out. The backs Of the bill
are printed in one operation in gieel
ink, then after being dried, the tao,
are printed in black. Before leavinl
the Bureau of Engraving and Print
ing the bills are numbered in blue il
the upper sskht hand and lower lef
hand corners. After reaching tn
Treasury building prpor hey receiv
the final impression which is the re-
seal Of the Treasury of the Unitel
States, and are cut apart. Not unit
the seal Is imprinted can they be uss'
Is money.
The routine work of the plate On
graver is 30 different from that Of tn
ordinary printer, particularly in .
far as producing money is concerned
that ! is worthy Of special mention
but, As Rudyafd Kipling says, "tks
10 anether story"