The Emmett index., 1913-12-04
DIES and PLATES
Fate of Those Used In Printing
Our Money and Stamps.
ALL ARE JEALOUSLY GUARDED

But, While the Dies Arc Invariably
Saved, the Steel Plates Arc Melted
Down and Become Some Part of thu
Armament of Uncle Sans Warships
All of the notes. bonds, checks anc
miscellaneous issues of the govern
ment. Including postage stamps. inter
nal revenue stamps and the different
denominations of currency issued to
national banks. are printed from en-.
| graved plates in the bureau OF engray-
ing and printing at Washington.
The original dies are never destroy
ed. By system of transferring the
impression or design is passed from
| the die to a soft steel roll. which is
later hardened. A hundred plates can
be produced from one hard steel roll.
All of this engraved work receives
the same supervision and is accounted
for just as accurately as the securities
that are printed therefrom- Every
morning the plates are issued to the
various printing divisions of the bu-
reau. and in the evening. when the
days work Is over, they are returned
to the vaults of the custodian of dies.
rolls and plates. where they are count
ed. checked and locked up with time
locks
After approximately 10000 impress
sions are printed from a steel plate Id
becomes useless as far as its original
purpose Is concerned. The delicatelyl
engraved lines and geometric lathe
loses its detail. When the plate be-
comes SO affected as to render il unfit
for further satisfactory printing du-
plicate is ordered to be made for
printing future orders from the treas
ury department The old plate is then
Cancelled and laid aside. subsequently
to be destroyed.
This destruction. or. rather. trans
formation. takes place just after the
1st of January each year under the d.
rection of committee appointed byl
the secretary of the treasury composed
OF three persons. one of whom repre-
sents the secretary and acts as chair
ternal revenue and the third looking
after the interests of the comptroller
of the currency.
Under instructions from the depart !
ment the committee makes a schedule
in duplicate of all the Cancelled mate
rial. the original list being retained by
the committee to form a part of its re-
port to the secretary and the duplicate
placed inside the box in which the
plates are to be packed. The boxes
are made to hold an average of 80
pounds each. AS each box is filed the
cover is nailed on and the box 'hum-I
bered and sealed with the treasury
in the vaults of the bureau until such |
time as is convenient for their convey |
ance to the place of destruction.
The committee recently reported to |
the secretary of the treasury the de- |
struction of 1926 pieces. weighing |
41.S10 pounds-over twenty tons-with-
drawn from the vaults. To convey |
this vast amount of metal required the
services of eight laborers and team
of draft horses attached to one of the
huge money wagons of the bureau.
making eight trips to the United States
navy yard. where the cremation takes
place In the foundry.
On arriving at its destination the
committee directs the unloading. The
boxes are removed from the wagon on
% hand trucks and taken by elevator
Up to the floor level of the cupola door.
rhe boxes are here opened. the carbon
duplicate schedule removed and the
,lates again counted and checked as
hey are cast into the furnace.
From the time the plates are taken
rom the vaults of the custodian until
he last one is thrown into the fire they
re under the watchful eyes of the
embers of the committee. who see
hat none goes astray. for if one or two :
f these plates should fall into illegiti- .
nate hands and later be put to i'm
roper use it would probably cause
considerable embarrassment TO the gov
In order to ascertain whether the de-
truction has been complete. the COM
littee must wait until all the melted b
teel Is drawn from the furnace and r
le cupola opened and cooled. The 6
lelted steel is poured into molds Gov
ring a great variety of castings that
ventually find their way to the arma .
tent of our modern battleships n
1t may be yoke for an eight inch l
I'D weighing three or four tons. or 1t a
ay be some minor casting for a tor
edo tube. 1t is not beyond the range 9
possibility that the officer who sights !
lie of the immense fourteen inch rifles
ay have in his pocket at the time a
,te Of some denomination printed
ON steel money plate that has de
'loped by a series of evolutions into
lrt of the very gun he is adjusting to rt
reak destruction upon any object in N
e path of its flying projectiIe. :;
What appears TO be a waste In one
partment of the government thus be- =
mes a valuable asset in another
aw York Times.