Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-06-07
SPLITTING BANK NOTES.
The Process Is Simple Enough When
You Know How.

The Process Is Simple Enough When
You Know How.
Some years ago the commercial world
was taken aghast by the announcement
that certain scientific man could ac-
tually split bank note 50 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 new kind of fraud The imi-
tation of the engraved plate, however
well performed, was always discover
able by experienced eyes. and he must
be a good forger indeed who could pre-
pare the paper on which the plate was
printed so as to initiate the peculiar
water marks on the Bank of England
notes with anything like success. But
here was discovery which set at
naught the precautions of paper makers.
engravers and printers.
1t was really serious matter. A
long correspondence ensued between the
proprietor of the secret and the officials
of the bank, the former asking a large
sum of money for his knowledge and
the latter 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 very extraor-
binary fact-that the thin tissue paper
of which bank note 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 were settled, and
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 examined, but in little time
the bank officials ceased to feel any
alarm, and confidence in the CONNER
cial world was quite restored
1t was true the bank note was com
pletely split. but it was also true that
on only one half of it was the printed
impression 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 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 bank notes.
Another kind of ink was therefore or
dered for the future to be used in the
printing of the bank securities, so that
in case any one chose to try the expert
ment the one half would be left blank.
The secret, however, did not long re
main hidden from the world. Indeed,
its very simplicity seems to have pre-
vented 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
glued to the sides of the paper. leaving
the ends Of the calico loose. and the
whole is perfectly dried By a gentle
and equable pull on each side the paper
is split completely in halves, one of
which adheres to the calico on enc side
and the other to the opposite.
The fact that the adhesion bStween
the paper and the cloth is greater than
that between the surfaces of the paper
to each other is the cause of this phe-
nomenon.
Having now divided the paper, the
two halves may be removed by damp
ing and SO loosening the glue between
the calico and the paper. What was
once great and puzzling secret is no
longer in the possession of one person.
Those happy individuals with bank
notes to spare may while away win
ter evening in trying this experiment.
Chicago Chronicle.