Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-06-09
PULP OF BANKNOTES.
RETIRED BILLS ARE TO BE morn
THOROUGHLY MAcERATED.
For the Reason That Pieces Of Note.
Taken from Pulp Have Been
Presented for Redemp-
" ton.
ion

macerating machine in the sub-base,
ment of the treasury, at Washington
has been put out Of commission, ane
hereafter all paper money. whether is
sued by the government or by national
banks, will be reduced 10 pulp In the
large macerator at the bureau Of en-
craving and printing.
This order, says the New York Trib
une. was brought about by a protest
made by national bankers claiming thai
the old machine failed TO do its WORK
perfectly, and that the bank-notes
dumped into 1t not infrequently turned
up in sections for redemption by the
banks Of issue; that the pulp sold to va,
rious makers and manufacturers OF i'm.
ages. TO be resold as souvenirs, was
filled with large pieces Of bills, and thai
these were picked from the pulp images
and offered for redemption. Notwith.
standing the fact that the treasury mac
orator has been IN service for many
years, and has reduced to pulp many tril'
lions Of dollars in bank-notes which had
| ceased to be current, this complaint was
the first n ever made against its non.
performance Of duty, but the treasurer
got such positive evidence that the
bankers were correct in their assertions
that he issued the order.
Washington souvenir dealers have
long realized that the pulp images found
a heavier demand than any other, and
those made from the pulp Of the notes
last destroyed-or partly 50, by the
treasury macerator have always brought
a higher price than the ones manufac-
tured from the pulp Of the macerator al
the bureau Of engraving and printing
this being due entirely 70 the fact that
imaces from the latter contain not q
speck Of greenbacks, the notes being re-
dueed to almost a whitish pulp. Nat
urally, visitors prefer an image made
from real money = in which some Of the
money would be IN evidence hetreas-
ury macerator production, or output
was. therefore. worth a great deal more
TO the manufacturers, and always
brought a much larger price. In fact
the bureaus pulp was almost a drug on
the market.
But now the images-busts OF presi'
dents. the Washington monument Uncle
Sans hat. the national emblem, the
eagle, the capitol, the treasury, cats
dogs. frogs. etc. each representing from
5000 to sl5. 0OO-must be made from
the bureau pulp. or a hrst-0ass counter
felt. for every note destroyed must b
IN this specially constructed maeerator
which works every day and night In Tx
year except Sunday, there being from
sl.50O.OOO TO 50. 000, 600 macerated every
"a hours This work of maceration anc
the preparation for It are under the per
sonal direction Of representatives Of th'
treasurer. the secretary. the eomptrollel
and the register, and these representa-
tives 70 with the heavily guarded Wagon
containing the money TO the bureau
where il is taken from the steel boxes
checked of. placed in the maeerator th'
iron doors closed, locked and sealed
and then the machine begins its o
of destruction. The large boiler or va
in which the money is placed Is hlle'
with some kind OF chemicals \ a net
work Of machinery keeps up a continu
Gus ehurning and grinding until !.
O'Clock the following day, when It Il
stoned. the pulp taken out, and an
other million or two placed in, to b
treated in the same way for the next 2
hours.
n "a. ,rooess ~ maceratiou Il IS ut
terly impossible for anyone TO n an!
evidences of money in the pulp, ever
the small! silk threads which rul
through all genuine notes being entirel!
DESTROYED save to form a part OF tn
whitish pulp.
With the issuing Of the order by IN
treasurer there are walls and weeping
nv a of old soldiers who have beei
manufacturing these pulp images. The!
feel that their occupation is gone AM
that sure starvation stares them IN mi
face If compelled to use the bureau pulp
hut some Of the dealers express the be
lief that business in the pulp image lin
will move along as usual, because, as on
expressed Il, there will not be much aim
Guilty in catching N 10 the fact mat
IS not hard work to pinch on a SINAI
nortion Of a bill and stick II on the i'm
ace hundreds of them being easily doc
tored in this way in a shortume ShouI
Chief wilkie or some Of his men catcl
nm with manufacturers or dealers mu
,iIating bills in this way 10 make image
y satahle another chapter would be added