Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-04-01
SPLITTING

Some years ago the commercial world
was taken aghast by the announcement
that a certain scientific man could ac-
tually split a banknote so exactly into
halves that it was impossible to distin-
guish the separate pieces of paper from
genuine notes.
The authorities of the Bank of Eng
land took alarm, for it appeared that
this invention would speedily open the
way to a new kind of fraud. The imita-
ton of the engraved plate, however Well
performed, was always discoverable by
experienced eyes, and he must be a good
forger, indeed, who could prepare the
paper on which the plate was printed SO
as to initiate the peculiar marks on the
Bank of England notes with anything
like success. But here was a discovery
which set at naught the precautions of
paper-makers, e~ngravers and printers.
1t was really a serious matter. A
long correspondence ensued between the
proprietor of the secret and officials of
the bank, the former asking a large sum
of money for his knowledge, and the lat
ter requiring actual proof of his ability
to perform the alleged feat.
Paragraphs began to appear in the
newspapers, and public attention was
drawn to what seemed a very eXtraOr-
binary fact-that the thin tissue-paper of
which a banknOte is composed could
really be divided into two leaves. 1t be-
came necessary to test the truth of this
remarkable discovery, and so it was ar
ranged that trial should be made with
an actual note of the Bank of England.
Preliminaries We're settled, and a note,
properly marked, so that it might be
afterward 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-
amined, but in a little time the bank
officials ceased to feel any alarm, and
confidence in the commercial world was
quite restored.
1t was true the banknote was COM
pletely split, but it was also true that
on only one-half of it was the printed i'm
preston sufficiently plain to allow of its
being circulated. Any attempt to pass
the other, or back half of the note, would
it was declared, be imediately detected.
Still, the discovery was curious, and
might lead to disagreeable consequences
should any person attempt to increase his
5 wealth by means of split
Another kind of ink was therefore ordered
for the future to be used in the print
ing of the bank securities, so that in
case one chose to try the experiment the
one-half would be left blank.
The secret, however, did not long re-
main hidden from the world. Indeed,
it's very simplicity seems to have pre-
vented it's 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
glued to the sides of the paper, leaving
| the ends of the calico loose, and the
/ whole is perfectly dried. By a gentle
3 and equable pull on each side the paper
, Is split completely in halves, one OF
which adheres to the calico on one side
and the other to the opposite.
t The fact that the adhesion between the
1 paper and the cloth is greater than that
between the surfaces of the paper to
l each other is the cause of this phenome-
$ non.
| Having now divided the paper, the two
e halves may be emoved by damping, and
r 50 loosening the glue between the calico
S and the paper. What was once a great
J and puzzling secret is no longer in the
= possession of one person. Those happy
individuals with banknotes to spare may
while away a winter evening in trying
< this observation-disclosures Chronicle.