The evening times., 1899-04-08
SPLITTING BANKNoTES.
The Process simple Enough when
You Know How.
lFrom tIe CIicago ChronieIe.l }


Some years ago the commercial world
was taken aghast by the announcement
that certain scientific man could actually
split a banknote so exactly into halves
that il was impossible TO distinguish the
separate pieces of paper from genuine
notes.
The authorities of the Bank of England
took alarm. for il appeared that this inven-
tion would speedily open the way to new
kind of fraud. The imitation of the en-
graved plate. however well performed, was
always discoverable by experienced eyes,
and he must be good forger. indeed. who
could prepare the paper on which the plate
WAS printed so as 10 initiate the peculiar
water marks on the Bank of England notes.
with anything like success. But here was
discovery which set at naught the pre-
cautions of paper makers, engravers, and
printers.
Ii was really serious matter. \ long
correspondence ensued between the propri
etor of the secret and the officials of the
bank, the former asking large sum of
money for his knowledge and the latter
requiring proof of his ability to perform
the alleged feat.
Paragraphs began TO appear in the news
papers, and public attention was drawn to
what seemed very extraordinary fact
that the thin tissue paper Of which bank
note is composed could really be divided
into two leaves. 1t became necessary to
test the truth of this remarkable discov-
cry, and so il was arranged that trial
should be made with an actual note of the
Bank of England.
Preliminaries were settled, and note,
properly marked. SO that ii might be af-
terward identified, was submitted TO the
inventor. In the course of two or three
days back came the note to the owners,
actually split in two. 1t was eagerly ex-
To- ift la tivr,o han nj
cials ceased to feel any alarm, and conf
dence in the commercial world was quite
restored.
1t was true the banknote was complete
" split but il was also true that on only
one-half of il was the printed impression
sufficiently plain to allow of its being
circulated Any attempt to pass the 9TH
er, or back half of the note, would, il was
declared, be Immediately detected.
Still, the discovery was curious. and
might lead to disagreeable consequences
should any person attempt to increase his
wealth by means Of split banknotes An
other kind of ink was therefore ordered
for the future TO be used in the printing
of the bank securities. SO that in case
anyone chose to try the experiment the
one-half would be left blank.
The secret. however, did not long remain
hidden from the world. Indeed, its very
simplicity seems to have prevented its
being discovered by the clever men who
felt so much. anxiety about it.
The method of splitting paper is just
this: Two pieces of calico are firmly glu-
ed to the sides of the paper. leaving the
ends Of the calico loose. and the whole is
perfectly dried By gentle and equable
pull on each side the paper is split COM
pletely in halves, one of which adheres to
the calico on one side and the other to the
opposite.
The fact that the adhesion between the
paper and the cloth is greater than that be-
tween the surfaces Of the paper to each
other Is the cause Of this phenomenon.
Having now divided the paper, the two
halves may be removed by damping, and
SO loosening the glue between the calico
and the paper What was once a great
and puzzling secret is no longer in the
possession Of one person. Those happy
individuals with banknotes to spare may
while away winter evening in trying this
experiment