The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1909-05-27

Banking. how bonds and bank notes
are made at Washington. Thus he
says: The sheets OF paper on when
bills and BOMBS are printed are deliy-
cred daily by the loans and currency
division Of the secretary's office TO the
bureau upon requisiuon. From the
time the blank sheets are delivered, by
careful count, until thirty days later,
when the printed bills are sent to the
treasury to have the seal printed there
on, the bureau must account for every
sheet In its hands. 1t is counted some
fifty times before 1t finally escapes
from the bureau.
I'm the history Of the bureau none Of
its employees has engaged in counter
telling. The various parts Of the en-
cravings which appear on the face
and back Of notes are separately eu-
graved on the soft decarbonized steel
OF the very finest quality, the portrait
by the portrait engraver, the lettering
by the letter engraver, the script by
the script engraver, the lathe or cy-
cloid work having been previously pro-
duced by the geometric latheT. IL sat.
isfactory the dies (original engravings)
are hardened. Every piece of engraved
work is then taken up from this die
by a skilled workman, known as a
'transferrer' The original engraved
die is a negative, and is not used as
a printing plate; the transferrer takes
a blank cylinder rol OF decarbonized
steel, placing 1t on the hard die in a
powerful specially constructed press
for this purpose; the engraving on the
die being intaglio, the soft steel is
forced into every line and dot Of the
engraving on the die; when a perfect
impression OF the same is secured the
beautiful engraving on the die now ap-
pears in relief on the roll The roll is
now a positive taken from the mega
tive; these rolls are then hardened
by the same process as the die, The
several parts intended for use on notes
are then transferred and assembled
by the rolls on the dies to constitute n
note This is known as the original
die.
After the parts have been assem-
is done by the letter and ornamental
engravers TO unite the diffo,-St parts
into an artistic whole. This original
steel die, representing perhaps years
labor, is hardened; from 1t a roll is
made which contains In relief all the
lines that appear in the note as print.
ed. The roll is in turn hardened, and
from It the plates are made which are
employed in printing the notes, one
roll being capable OF making number
Of plates. After the transferrer has
completed his work, the plate is CIV
en- to the flnishers, who remove all
scratches and other imperfections,
FURNISH the steel, and submit proofs
Of the plate; II perfect, It is approved
by the chief Of the division and the
director Of the bureau; It is then ready
for the printer. The work Of the en-
gravers and transferrers is so technical
that 1t is dtfhcult 10 understand the
skill without some knowledge or ex-
perience In the art. Patience and skill
are necessary 10 accomplish the desir.
ed results. The plates used in printing
contain four notes, and to distinguish
one note from the other theyteac have
engraved on the face separate check
letters, A, B, c, d. At present you
will find a number in excess Of 1900 on
the 81 silver certificate notes; this sig
nifes that 1890 plates have been used
thus far in printing this denomination
THE system Of checks employed in
theengraving division toprevent irregu-
larities is as complete as human ingen-
ulty can devise. Each die, roll and
plate has q number In sequence stamp
cd upon It, and by said number IT is
recorded. Each employee receiving q
piece of steel to work on is charged
with the same by its number and q
description OF the engraving TO be
made thereon, and Is not allowed to
leave the building until the same has
been returned and checked into the
vaults. In the custodian's Office COM
plete records and the history of 49,
900 dies, 10000 rolls and $4,000 plates
are on file Once a year this office is
audited and checked up by commit.
tee appointed by the secretary Of the
treasury, each piece Of engraved work
being identified and compared with
the records of the office, The system
OF checks and rules governing the
custody Of the work is so perfect that