Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-07-17
(By Marjorie Lewis.)


Washington, July $40 the great
uninterested multitude outside of
Washington making Uncle Sans
money" has always appeared almost
simple, and entailing rather less Of ac-
tual labor than any other form of daily
bread winning in which the American
people are forced to engage. To the
ones inside the sacred confines, how
ever, it is known that Of all the women
IN Washington who draw their salaries
from Uncle Sam, the ones who work
hardest are the ones who literally
make his money"
In the government bureau of en-
craving and printing, where every bill
current In the United States has been
made. there Is group Of young wen-
en- known as plate printers assist
ants" whose daily wage is $1.50, and
whose duties consist in standing oppo.
site the plate printers and feeding into
the presses the white paper. fresh
from the mills, which later will reach
the American people as treasury notes,
silver certificates, and other forms Of
paper currency.
The plate printer covers the engrav.
ed steel plate with the 1nalodorous ink
by means Of roller, and after each
impression wipes the plate with a
heavy rag, which after the first hours
use, becomes simply an ink-saturated
mop. Sometimes to polish the sur
face of the plate, he uses powdered
pumice. applying 1t with the palm of
the hand.
On the other side of the roller the
assistant Is selecting the sheets of pa.
per- dampening them that the i'm.
preston shall be the more easily made
and standing ready to take them from
the press when they have been printed
The work requires very little &C.
tual strength. and tho assistant has
only. to stand still and deal out the
fresh white sheets, but after the first
day or two her eyes begin to droop
with the foul, heavy odo- Of the ink
and her movements grow to be purely
mechanical, her listless, tired express
sion being evidence that she desires
merely strength enough to stand by
her post till the day is done.
The room where she works she
shares with 900 men and women, work
Ing so close together that oftentImes
the ink from one press spells the dress
OF Its assistants neighbor. Her hours
ar from o'clock in the morning till
In the afternoon, though the presses
are whirring till II each night with the
night printers who go on at 4 o'clock
The odor Of the ink from the night be
fore has not left the room when the as
sistant comes in ats O'clock to begir
her days work. and If her courage be
ever SO high as she leaves the pure all
outside. 1t GIBBS soon enough as hel
lungs become filled with the enervat
Ing. ink-fouled atmosphere.
The day workers are second In lint
of promotion. the night assistant beinf
the least paid In the department. Sh,
is given $1.25 till her olfactory sense
are sufficiently benumbed and her I'm
ruly impulses to throw the job up ant
leave" sufficiently chastened to admi
OF uninterrupted work
Tourists who are interested II
watching the bright green bills as the,
slip through the deft fingers OFF tn,
employees, are taken to little elevated
bridge in the center Of the room, AMI
from this vantage ground are show1
the rows Of men and women at thei
monotonous tasks.
The ink-smudged women are neve,
moved to laughter, except when som,
particularly uncommon looking touris
comes Shopping" around, awed int,
an evidently reluctant silence by tn,
sight Of such unlimited money or CAB
bling to her companions in the unmis
taxable vernacular of the backwoods
or wondering and murmuring audibl,
how them youns; women kin be KEEP
frum stealth is myst'ry to me-"
The assistants seldom speak to on,
another, they often do not know thei
nearest neighbours name, and if the.
are inclined to flippant conversation
they are definitely discouraged by th,
plate printers.
The printer is paid by the amount O
work he does, his wage running from
| IS to $40 per day, and out OF this b,