Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-04-03
PRINTING US. BONDS.
Uncle Sans Printers are Busy
Preparing Them.
PATCHWORK DESIGNS-NEW TINTS.
The Extraordinary Precautions TO do
Perfect Work and Protect the Gov
eminent from Loss.

Manufacturing the bonds is the last
act in Uncle Sans famous bond deal
prior to their delivery. The first
bonds of the total issue of $62. 500, 900
were finished last Monday. The seal
of the United States Treasury was
printed on the bonds-which were of
81 900 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT smaller
seal was placed ON each of the 1870
coupons attached to each bond. After
drying. pressing and polishing the
bonds were ready for delivery to Secre-
tary Carlisle.
The birth Of the bonds began when
the Secretary of the Treasury sent to
the Bureau Of Engraving and Printing
more than 5000 pounds OF regular
bank note paper, cut into more than
1000 sheets of two sizes. The
larger size. for the coupon bonds, meas
ured two feet by one and a-half. The
smaller, for three values Of registered
bonds, was twelve by seven and one
half inches. The exact number of the
sheets is important, for the clerk hav-
ing charge of the great vault where
paper money and bonds are kept be-
comes responsible for the paper. Every
sheet is valuable in his eyes. for if
every one is not accounted for the face
value of the lost sheet has to be paid to
the Treasury by him. He has failed
to account for only one sheet of paper
confded to him in eighteen years
service.
| Owing to the necessity for haste the
bonds were made from patchwork de-
signs and only 43 new rolls and 20 new
dies were made. Over 1000 dies of
various sorts form the regular stock of
the engraving department. and from
proofs of these were cut a couple of
inches of one scroll border, a floral cor
ner from another proof, an inside
border, bit of fancy inside ornamen-
tation, another stlye of scroll work, a
top piece and vignette. All of these
bits of paper that had done service be-
fore were carefully glued to sketching
paper the size of the new bond to be
made from the design. Secretary Car
Isle decided to place on the bonds por-
traits of famous Americans. and chose
Madison. Hancock, Marshall, De Witt
Clinton and Sumner.
Next the engravers devised three
new tints to individualize the new
bonds from the old, and the designers
think the syndicate are getting some
thing very artistic in these tints. /"
The colors are pale green, Indian
brown and pale blue, and will appear
in the middle of the face of the regis
tered bonds. Over them is printed the
conditions of the act under which the
bonds were issued.
The most complicated work is done
on the coupon-bond plates. A beauti-
full polished plate, without flaw, or
blemish, is laid ON machine worked
by pedal. The workman presses
down the roll bearing one section of
the form of the bond and Immediately
its impression appears on the plate.
Forty -one different times he manipu-
lates the rolls in making single per
feet bond. One of these rolls bears
Registrar of the Treasury J. Fount
Tillman's signature, which is the only
signature affixed to the bond.
Another workman puts the date into
each coupon ON the plate. Interest
being payable every three months,
there are four dates for every year to
be put into the plate and thirty years
to be covered. The rolls are changed
480 times in order to date the coupon.
Apparently it is endless work.
A precise record of the whereabouts
of the plates and of every die and roll
is kept. When taken out of the vault
the number of the die. roll or plate and
the name of the man taking them is put
on record sheets. The moment work
man has finished with the steel he re-
turns it to the keeper of the vault, and
if one of the dies or rolls now being
used in making the second coupon
plate and the fronts of the registered
bond plates should be missed no person
in the entire building can leave until
the lost plate is traced. In the same
way while the printing is being done
every plate is returned to this vault at
night. Likewise every scrap has to be
accounted for to the keeper of the paper
vault.
The printing of the bonds is another
important task. To make the faces of
the 1870 coupons register perfectly with
their backs requires great care on the
part of the printer. The printing ma
chine is operated by man, who has
young woman assistant.
Five days ago fair-haired young
woman mounted high stool beside
printing press. The man who tends
the machine started it. A white hand
and jingling silver bracelet were sus-
pended over white sheet on which