The Indianapolis journal., 1903-08-09
CHANGE in PAPER MONEY
NEW KIND OF PAPER WILL DO
AWAY WITH CRISP NOTES.
The Government Likely to Adopt an
Invention Which Is the Result
of Much Thought.

numbered. Instead of being crisp, the
money which the government Bureau or
Engraving and Printing will hereafter turn
| ont will be soft and velvety, If important
| experiments which are now being con-
| Quoted in the presence of treasury officials
for the purpose of demonstrating the ad-
vantages of a novel chemical treatment for
| paper. prove satisfactory. The prediction
| is made that the experiments viii prove
| satisfactory, as they have been almost
| completed The result of the adoption or
the new secret process will be TO revolu-
| tionize a portion of the work connected
with the printing of the paper money OF
| the United States. Under the new process
| 1t will take just sixty days less time 10
manufacture a bank note than under the
present method, which is regarded as ex-
! tremely important in the present CONNER
cial era, when new money is sometimes
! demanded Immediately, and TO supply
which the government has to lay most
| careful plans and keep bank notes printed
| ahead.
Besides rendering paper soft and velvety.
| the new process also makes it nonshrink-
| able, an important accomplishment which
has heretofore baffied the ingenuity of the
paper manufacturer. and which, when ap-
piled to the printing of postage stamps
alone, will make a saving of just 20 per
cent. of stock and work. Because paper
| shrinks after ii has received the impression
| of the head of George Washington the
/ one side, in the manufacture of postage
stamps, and the coating of mucilage on the
| other, and because no two sheets shrink
| alike, one-fifth are ruined in the process or
/ perforating. Experiments just made under
| the new process eliminate all of this loss.
a COMBINED EFFORT.
The invention is the product OF the COM
bined efforts for the last five years Of E. II.
| Fowler, chief draughtsman of the Coast and
| Geodetic Survey, and d. n. Hoover, chief
| printer of that bureau. When Mr.. Fowler
took charge of the draughtfng division. five
years ago, he was told by the chief printer
that it was impossible to print the maps
prepared in the draughting division, be-
cause there was no paper to be had which
would not shrink and thus render the maps
inaccurate to scale, and consequently of
no scientific value. All such maps, there
fore, had to be copied by hand on hand
made linen paper manufactured especially
for that purpose. In college Mr.. Fowler
had taken a great interest in chemistry,
| and he at once began the series of expert
ments which two years ago resulted In the
chemical solution which, when applied to
| paper, materially changes its quality. Paper
so treated is declared to be mellowed and
| nonshrinkable." The process is not ex-
pensive. 1t has been patented both in the
| United States and foreign countries, and
although no publicity has heretofore been
given to the discovery of Messrs. Fowler
and Hoover, the large paper manufacturers
| of this country have heard of the results
accomplished and are making fiattering
| offers to the inventors for royalty rights.
| The Japanese government has also bid for
the process, and as Japan has for CEN
| turies been considered the magician OF the
world i'm the art of paper making the offer
from the Orient is regarded as marked
| Acknowledgement of merit.
The United States government, however,
| is to have the first advantages of the dis
covery, and should the officials now investi-
| eating the process decide that its value Is
| too great to be kept under restraint OF pat
ent laws, the government may buy the
patent and make the process known to the
world.
NEW AND OLD METHODS.
BY the application of the chemical mix
| ture to Japanese napkin that article be-
comes as soft and pliable tissue OF
silk. The chemical preparation acts as an
antiseptic and preAervative. When ap-
! piled to old documents it seems to knit the
fibre together and prevent further decay.
Under the present process of printing paper
! money the paper has to be thoroughly
, soaked in water. While it is in this soaked
condition one side of the bill is printed.
! The sheet is then placed in steamroom
u
!, thirty days, the time necessary fer the
!. ink to dry. The sheet is again soaked as
In the first instance and the reverse side
|, of the bill printed. The thirty-day. drying
. process then has to be repeated. In cases
where third impression. on the bill is
necessary, which Is required when the
. | printing is done in two colors, the wetting
, | and drying process has to be repeated a
J third time and another month Is thus con-
sumed in its production. Besides the delay
| of this process, the wetting and drying rot
the fibre of the paper and, although ii is
'.starched' to give it the crisp appearance,
the starch soon wears out and the bill be-
comes limp and worn.
In printing bills on paper which has been
| treated by the new process no wetting Is
necessary. The ink loses none of its luster
when applied to the paper, as under the
| old process, and is thoroughly dry within
forty-eight hours after the printing is done.
| Not only is the appearance OF the bill
much handsomer than under the old meth
od, but it's wearing qualities are believed
to be greater. Further experiments are to
be made with the process this week and IT
may develop that the bills can be put
through the starching process the same as
| heretofore and their first crisp appearance
given, If that is desired although the soft
and velvety texture would seem to be more
attractive.
The inventors OF the new process had not
regarded their discovery as of great i'm
portance and it was only by accident that
the matter was brought to the attention of
the officers of the Treasury Department,
who are most enthusiastic over the results
obtained thus far. Particularly is this so
regarding the printing of postage stamps.
over which there was lively contest In
bidding between the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing and private New York firm.
The loss from the shrinkage of the paper
had to be figured by the private concern.
as we'll by the government, and the
bureau obtained the contract by narrow
, margin in its favor. With the application OF
! the new process and the consequent saw
ing of one-fifth in labor and material, the
government will fare much better on this
work than was expected. Tests have been
made of the process by julius Ben & Co..
a New York printing firm. on a piece OF
work for the government which had to be
printed in fifteen colors. Ordinarily the
} shrinkage of the paper after IL had re-
ceived several impressions would have
caused a large percentage of waste when
the remainder of the colors were applied:
But with the chemically treated paper
every impression registered" perfectly.
There are some details regarding methods
of applying the new compound to paper yet
to be worked out. but these do not present
any serious obstacles to its general applf-
cation TO all classes of paper. Neither does
, the expense of the preparation prohibit its
general use. The process does to paper
what mercerizing of cotton does 10 that
fabric, so far as analogous case be
: cited.