Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1910-10-27
Laundering Money.

Uncle Sam has Just embarked in a new
enterprise. He is washing, Starching and
laundering many of the soiled greenbackS
which are sent TO the Treasury al Wash
ington for redemption, and sending them
back into circulation clean, crisp, and
hard totelI from new money. Heretofore
all this money has been chopped up and
boiled into pulp, but with the recently IN
vented and installed process OF laundering
it is expected that three-iourthS OF il will
be saved and reiSSued, at saving 10 the
government OF nearly a million dollars
annually. The new money laundry is To-
Gated at the Bureau OF Engraving and
Printing, being an invention OF chairman
J. E. Ralph.
The waShing-machine, into which the
soiled greenbacks are put-a thousand
at time-iS ametallic tank with a round
bottom and sides curving outward at the
top. Along one edge of the rim there IS
a row OF water jets from which hot, ,Soapy
water is rapidly thrown along the side OF
the tank, the curved bottom causing the
liquid TO circulate round and round. The
overflow water is forced through the jets
again and again by means OF an electric
ally connected pump.
For five minutes the money is circulat-
ed in this bath, which is kept at temp
erature OF one hundred and thirty degrees,
then it stays in the tank an additional five
minutes in plain cool water, which nnSes
ali the Soapy solution off. After this the
notes are spread on wire trays 10 dry.
As we all know, our new money IS
crisp, so in order t. impart a similar still
ness to the laundered money a solution
of glue, alum and water is used, which
is called sizing.
The sizing machine, also run by cleo
tricity, is a sort OF gridiron OF narrow felt
bands revolving over rollers. The notes,
fed to this machine b. hand, are carried
into tank filled with the Stifiening Solu-
ton heated 10 one hundred and thirty de-
gresS. Aitcrward they are carried into
an antIseptic bath by means OF a combi-
nation Of felt ribbons, where a volatile
germicide OF the nature OF formaldehyde
kills all the germs which have accumu-
lated on them during their Journey in the
various ways OF commerce
Then comes the process OF ironing. A
network OF straps carries the notes from
the antSeptic bath and feeds them to
pair OF big rubber rollers, which press the
moisture from them; after this they are
passed in a conyeyor into a room ten feet
long heated by coils. When they have
been through this room they are thor
oughly dry, but what waSherwomen call
in the trough"
The ironing process, by means oiwhich
all the creases and wrinkles are removed,
is very simple. Forty notes are piled
one on top of the other and placed be-
tween pasteboard and passed through
heavy steel rollers, which subject them
to a pressure Of thirty tons. The notes
now are hardly distinguiShable from new,
and are ready TO enter circulation again
so far only greenbacks have been sub
iected to this new process Of cleaning, as
the strong lather used in the washing
bleaches the yellow side Of gold certifi-
Gates and the signatures on national bank
notes.
The cost to Uncle Sam ofthuS cleaning
up our notes is one-tenth Of one cent
note.