Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-06-25
FATE OF OLD BANK NOTES.
To he More Thoroughly Macerated,
For Pieces Have Been Redeemed.

To He More Thoroughly Mucernteds
For Pieces Have Been Redeemed.
Through an order promulgated by
tie treasurer of the United States the
old macerating machine I'm the sub
basement of the treasury at Washing
ton has been put out of commission.
and hereafter all paper money. wheth-
er issued by the government or by ma
tional banks. will be reduced to pulp
In the large maccrator ut the bureau
Of engraving and printing.
This order was brought about by n
claiming that the old machine failed
to do its work perfectly and that the
bank notes dumped into il not infre-
quently turned up in sections for re-
demption by the banks of issue. that
the pulp sold to various makers and
manufacturers of images. To be resold
rs souvenirs, was filled with large
pieces of bills and that these were
picked from the pulp images and Of
fered for redemption. Notwithstand-
ing the fact that the treasury macera-
tor has been I'm service for many years
and has reduced to pulp many trillions
OF dollars i'm bank notes which had
ceased To he current. this complaint
was the first one ever made against its
nonperformance of duty. but the treas
urer got such positive evidence that
the bankers were correct In their as
sertions that he issued the order.
Washington souvenir dealers have
found a heavier demand than any 9TH
or. and those made from the pulp OF
the notes last destroyed-or partly So
by the treasury macerator have always
brought higher price than the ones
manufactured from the pulp OF the
macerator at the bureau of engraving
and printing. this being due entirely
TO the fact that images from the latter
contain not n speck OF greenbacks. the
notes being reduced To almost Il whit
ish pulp. Naturally visitors prefer an
image made from real money" in
which some OF the money would be In
evidence. The treasury macerator pro-
duction. or output. was therefore worth
n great deal more To the manufacture
ers and always brought much larger
price. In fact. the bureaus pulp was
almost drug on the market.
But now the images-busts of presi-
dents. the Washington monument. Tn
Gle Sans hat. the national emblem 1.-THE
eagle). the capitol. the treasury. cats,
hnRG sasne aPsasn IN 4 Inc
from 5000 to $15.0O0-must be made
from the bureau pulp or first class
counterfeit. for every note destroyed
must be In this specially constructed
macerator. which works every day and
night In the year except Sunday. there
being from $i,JO0.0O0 to $2OOO.OOO
macerated every twentyfour hours.
This work OF maceration and the prep
aration for II are under the personal
direction OF representatives of the
treasurer. the secretary. the comptrol-
Ter and the register. and these repre-
sentatives go with the heavily guarded
wagon containing the money to the bu-
reau. where IL Is taken from the steel
boxes. checked of. placed i'm the mac
ta"tots thN nun tloStI.
and sealed. and then the machine be-
gins its work of destruction. The large
boiler or vat I'm which the money Is
placed Is filled with some kind Of chem
fcals. and network OF machinery
keeps up continuous churning and
grinding until II o'clock the following
day. when 1t is stopped. the pulp taken
out and another million or two placed
in. To be treated In the same way for
the next twenty-four hours
by this process OF maceration II is
utterly impossible for any one to find
any evidence of money in the pulp.
even the small silk threads which run
through all genuine notes being entire
ly destroyed save to form part of the
whitish pulp.-New York Tribune.