The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-06-26
Money Lallner Treasmys --latest Observation-Disclosures
Plant Which Cleaases and Reissues Dirty Greenbackx
M jobs ELrRErH WATKINS.

ny JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.
Washington, D. c., June 25.-Paper
money laundries n.,our subtreasurcs
and in the Redemption Office at
washington may cut in half the pres
emit cost of printing United States
Ereenbacks. One Treasury official pre-
diets that the economy effected VIII
reach this extent, and all others who
have studied the matter agree that 1t
will be tretnendous--will save the gov
eminent perhaps s1.ooa,000 annually.
The money laundry scheme from
start to finish is the invention AMI
creation Of j. e. Ralph, the progress
sive director OF the Bureau of Engrav
ing and Printing, who has already de-
vised several ingenious devices for
1essening the cost of manufacturing
paper money and stamps. Lately,
when he proposed to launder and re-
issue the greater part of our redeem.
ed paper money. now chopped up and
boiled into pulp, the Secretary of the
Treasury was sufficiently impressed to
appoint committee of Treasury Off
Gals TO investigate the matter. and II
has just submitted a favorable report.
C. S. Pearce, chairman of the commit
tee. tells me that its experiments show
that certainly so per cent and prob
ably so per cent, of our redeemed pa
per money, now destroyed by the
Treasury can be Numbered and reis-
sued in the form of clean, stiff and
smooth notes, nearly or often quite as
good as new He showed me some OF
the freshly Numbered notes once
finsy, created and bady soiled, but
now hardly distinguishable from
brand-new ones fresh from Director
Ralph's big paper money factory. Mr..
Pearce. who is chief OF the division of
loans, further estimates that notes can
now be laundered by the government
at a cost OF one-tenth OF cent per
note
AS it now costs 100 cents to issue
each new note, the money laundrics
will save l Ia cents on each note
washed, ironed and reissued. If the laun
dries can turn out 10000 notes day
he estimates the cost at only one-ff-
tieth of cent per note, which would
mean saving of / 1-3 cents on each
piece of Numbered paper money. Whe-
Their paper money now turned into the
subtreasuries is to be reissued or de-
stroyed is now decided by the money
handlers. Notes that look almost new
they reissue, but that which is partly
crumpled or soiled they stack in bun
dies of 100, which are placed under a
knife and cut in halves. each package
OF halves being shipped to the Treas
sury at Washington on separate days,
this being a protection against train
hold-ups. In the Treasury the halved
notes are put into a big macerator,
which reduces them to pulp while
dignitied committee looks on
But, as suggested. Mr.. Ralph's
scheme will save from three-ffths to
four-fifths of the filthy lucre now
macerated. And In addition to thus
saving perhaps million dollars a year
to the tax payers. he will give COM
COZ tn nSa
dirty money the benefits of clean and
crisp greenbacks free from germs.
A money laundry is already in opera
ton in the Bureau of Engraving and
Printing, and by courtesy of Mr.. Ralph
/ have been permitted TO inspect every
stage of the process.
The washing Machine.
The soiled money goes first into the
washer metallic tank whose end
View, as seen in the accompanying
photograph, Is vase-shaped. That Is
to say 1t has a round bottom and sides
curving outward at the top. Along
one edge of the rim row OF water
jets throw a rapid stream of hot soap
suds down along the side of the tank,
whose curved bottom causes the liquid
to curve around and around Tho
washer stands on a zinc-topp table,
beneath which is motor beted to
pump which takes the hot suds from
the overflow and forces it back into
the descending jets.
A stack of soiled greenbacks is laid
before the operator of the washer,
who rapidly feeds them to the revolv-
ing current of the tank he distrib-
utes them as equally as possible. and
they swim up and over and down in
rapid procession, while the strong
washing solution is doing its work.
This lather is so strong that IT
bleaches the yellow sides Of our GOLD
certificates or yellow backs" as we'll
as the signatures and other lettering
added to national bank notes by the
ordinary pefr. the.-typewriter of fac
smile stamps. But all of our green
backs which constitute the great
bulk of the paper currency, Withstand
the process because they are printed
numbered and sealed entirely in inks
made with a metallic base For these
reasons, therefore, the greenbacks
alone are to be Numbered until gold
certificates and bank notes can be is
sued wholly in metallic ink
The washing machine takes 1000
notes at each BATH and they remain In
the tank until the motor-driven pump
has circulated the solution for five min
utes, all of which time the bath Is
maintained at temperature of 80 de-
Erees. Then they are similarly cir
culated for five minutes more in plain
cold water, which thoroughly washes
out the suds. After this they are
spread to dry upon wire trays.
Restiffened With Glue and Alum.
But they are yet to be starched, ster
1lized and ironed, SO to speak The
money laundry, however. does not en-
-