The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-28
THE MORNING NEWS: TUESDAY, JUNE %. 1893


gardens that surround the agricultural
department. The FIRST floor, besides the
Offices Of the superintendent. etc, is de-
voted 20 the department Of engraving,
the second to that of examining and the
third 10 the preparing and printing. There
is a great deal of work accomplished
here, as this bureau issues the govern
ments bonds, legal tenders, silver eertif-
Gates, bank notes and internal revenue
and postage stamps. All the work that
can be accomplished so is done by manual
labor, thus giving employment to several
hundred people
Inc largest face value Of any issue is a
registered bond Of $1,000 and the smallest
one-cent stamp.
All Of the engravers are specialists in
their particular department, and the del
icate figures and intricate designs of their
work are often marvels of artistic skill
PORTRAITS OF living persons are never put
on the notes, and all the figures vignettes
borders, ETC., are engraved separately be-
Tore they are put on the plates
Inc engraYers sit, each one below a win
COW, with a screen OF ground glass around
them, and another of whit. linen above
thelr heads Their work is so fine and
dehcate that the greatest precision ana
care IS required, and the room i'm which
tney WORK Is not open to visitors. First
the ehgraVer works out his design of face
or fsure, and after transferring it by
mana 10 a plate of soft steel the plate is
hardened and soft steel roller takes the
impression from H. After this roll is
chilled another impression is taken upon
ahothor steel plate, and after this latter
mas been hardened il is ready for use.
me seolnetric lathe which makes the
borders IS SO complete and wonderful a
piece OF mechanism as TO seem almost
ahVe' me graceful lines for the borders
bacK ana other conventional designs seen
on the notes are made by this machine. if.
Haeed, It may be called one. After cal
cuiatloh the machinery is set IN motion by
steam power the tiny diamond and steer
polhts begin their work and the result of
TINS mathematical calculation shows on
.le sHaH section Of steel an intricate Dor
uer or the undulating, circular lines, with
Inelr strange effect Of light and shade
rms lathe work is one of the surest guards
against counterfeiting for each bit Of
work represents an obtuse problem.
III the engraving room are two larg.
vaults, IN which are kept all plates
| ioils ana other implements, the position of
| head OF the department being very i'm
NiAA trustworthy one, as II As one
| OF the few offices where great confidence
| IN placed in the honesty of one man.
me paper for all the issues is manu-
lactufed al Dalton, Mass under the SUI
| perVislon of government officials, and that
! used Tor the bank notes, silver certificates.
| eic', Is sent cut in sheets large enough TO
! contain four notes. In appearance il is
like any other very heavy linen paper en-
cept that II has two perpendicular lines
! OF short uneven silk threads running
through It.
on being received it is taken with the
! oiue ana white papers for the internalrev,-
nue. and postage stamps (both water mark
| eo( 70 the wetting department" as it is
called, where it is counted and recounted
and receipt given for 1t. Then il Is mi
! between wet cloths and pressed. being shift
| ed about every six hours to insure each
| sheet an equal amount of moisture Thie
! process lasts about three days then. after
| another counting, it is delivered to the
! printed, who must give a receipt for the
| sheets given him. AT the end of the day he
| returns another check, stating the ouan
! tity received, the number of notes ne has
! printed and the blank or spoiled sheets to
be returned
The printing room is a scene of great
| activity with its many presses and work
! ers, Here the paper is again moistened
| by applying il to a wet board then IL is
@NNNN'
fully prepared with the ink which also is
made on the premises. There are two
| workers at each press, usually a man and
| woman. The man fills the plate with
ink from roller, then wipes it off and
finally, after busting his hands with chalk
| he gives il last polishing. Then after
Wetting the paper the woman laws il on
the plate. the press is applied, and behold
the clear, clean back of the notes which
must be carefully examined before they
leave the printers hands. This process
| is repeated each time. The press is a self
registering one, and the employees are al
lowed TO spoil certain percentage of their
work, but if they exceed it their labor
is deducted
Then the notes are sent down stairs and
for twelve hours are subjected to great
| heat in an alright room. In the room
adjoining they are again examined, as
sorted and sent back to receive their face
value from the plates prepared showing
! the denomination and the fac SMILES of
the signatures of the proper officers.
Then comes the ''wet count" as il is
called, and, after being dried, the notes
are put In solution of sizing, which
gives a greater durability to ahe paper,
After this short process they are sent to
the numbering room, where the edges are
trimmed, and the number is put on by a
machine, whose every revolution automat-
L.
In this room they are given the last count
and are then sent to the treasury depart
ment, where the red seal of the United
States treasury is affixed and the single
sheet cut into four notes.
Near this room is a great vault, with a
double time lock, where all the work. no
matter what it's stage of development is
sent for one night. Ii must all be in and
all the accounts must balance, or no one is
allowed TO leave the building. The supply
in this vault is always a little in advance
of the demand of the treasury, and once
in there is no getting il out. except on
the requisition of the chief of the division
One man is never allowed alone in the
vault there must always be two or more
in at the same time.
The postage stamps are printed in sheets
of 400 and the machine for putting the
mucilage on the back is the only one op-
Grated by electricity. The sheets are put
in and a roller OF rough glass preads on
the mucilage, which IS made in the build
ing from potato starch. They they fail
upon an endless chain that carries them
through a hot air box, whence they
emerge perfectly dry. Afterward comes
the pressing, perforating and division into
sheets of 100, as no larger sheets are ever
issued, and from the packing room they
are sent TO the different postofTices
The imperfect notes are macerated in a