The record-union., 1897-12-07

large denominations. This kind OF fraus
has grown of late to an extent that
proves its profitableness. Onlv the
other day a prisoner in the Tombs JaiI
in New York City, actually passed on
the prison caterer a S2o note which he
had raised from a 81 during his leisure
hours.
Half a dozen years ago the Treas
ury officials were seriously considering
the present alleged artistic patterns of
The notes sky blue. Designs in that
color were prepared al the Bureau OF
Engraving and submitted for criticism
Somebody, however, suggesie3 that thev
looked like Confederate shinpasters.
and that settled it. Recently a merchant
Of Olean. n ", offered TO the Treasury
a SUGGESTION to the effect that nine dig
ferent eolors should be employed for
the various denominations of the paper
currency. He urged that thus diSUn-
suished they would be much easier ID
count. and that raising" would be out
CT the question. He proposed that 81
bills should be tan colored, that twos
should be orange. fives golden ochre,
tens lemon colored. twenties heliotrope
and fifties rose colored. The S1UU bill
was to be turquoise blue. the $500 pea
green and the 81 900 daffodil. This was
by no means a bad idea, but Secretary
Gage thinks that his plan is simpler and
better.
One of the largest items OF expendi-
ture in the Treasury Department IS fer
colored inks used in printing the paper
money, revenue stamps and postage
stamps. Nearly 100000 pounds or
these inks are required annually.
The fibre paper is to be retained IN
the new currency. 1t is deemed an eN-
ira safeguard against counterfeitin$'
though criminals have found several
ways of getting over the difficulty. one
of these methods is to wash the ink
from one-dollar bills with chemicals
and print the designs of higher denom-
nations on the paper thus obtained.
Another is TO initiate the appearance OF
the fibers by printing blank paper with
plates engraved with irregular cur
liQueueS. rubbed over w th red ink. The
paper thus treated is then used for
printing the counterfeit designs upon.
AS far back as 1869 the Treasury print
ed it's notes upon paper which had a
single band of fibers instead of two
bands. as now. The single band was
placed on the left of the denominations
under $50, and on the righthand end
Of higher denominations, the object
being to prevent raising. The trouble
was that people could hardly be edu
Gated up to the idea.
The use of fiber paper was stopped in
1877 because the idea was patented and
the owners OF it demanded an excessive
royalty for its employment. But the
patent ran out five years ago, and then
10 MIA
The fibers are snk threads cut into
quarter-inch lengths and introduced
into the paper pulp as the latter runs
upon the wire cloth of the machine. No
paper is finer or more carefully made
than that utilized for the currency of
the United States.
1t is considered by the Treasury ex-
perts that a bill is handsomer for not
being engraved all over. That is the
idea, at all events. which is to be car
ried out in the new money. They say
that a few scattered designs. very elab-
orateIy executed in the highest style
of the art. are most difficult TO counter
felt successfully. The notes of the
Bank Of England are astonishingly SIM
pie having nothing on them but some
rather plain lettering, the water mark
ing of the paper being relied on chiefly
as a protection against imitation. One
of the queerest pieces of money in the
world is an Irish note for IL. 1t has the
words, "One pound printed across 1T
in big letters To the naked eye, even
on scrutiny, this has no special signi-
ficance. but when a magnifying glass is
used the lone pound" is found to he
made up wholly of the words "One
pound in microscopic letters Wash
ington Correspondence of Providence
Journal