The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-10-24
DIES AND PLATES
Fate OF Those Used In Printing
Our Money and Stamps.
ALL ARE JEALOUSLY GUARDED

All OF the notes. bonds, checks and
miscellaneous Issues of the govern
ment. including postage stamps, inter
nal revenue sta mps and the different
denominations Of currency issued to
national banks, are printed from en-
graved plates in the bureau Of engrav-
ing and printing at Washington.
The original dies are never destroy
ed. BY a system OF transferring tho
impression or design Is passed from
the die to a soft steel roll, which In
later hardened. A hundred plates can
be produced from one hard steel roll.
All OF this engrave work receives
the same supervision and Ii accounted
for just as accurately as the securities
that are printed therefrom. Every
morning the plates are issued TO tho
various printing divisions OF tho bu-
reau, and I'm 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 It
becomes useless as far as IFS original
purpose Is concerned. The delicately
engraved lines and geometric lathe
work become worn, and the portrait
loses its detail. When the plate be-
comes so affected as to render II unfit
for further satisfactory printing du-
pllcate 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, traSs-
formation. takes place Just after the
1st OF January each year under the d.
rection OF n committee appointed by
the secretary OF the treasury composed
of three persons. one OF whom repre-
sents the secretary and acts as chair
man. another the commissioner Of In
ternal revenue and the third looking
after the interests Of the comptroller
Of the currency.
Under instructions from the depapt-
ment the committee makes schedule
In duplicate OF oil the Cancelled mate
rial. the original list bsin9 retained ny
tho committee to form . part - ~ 20
port TO tho sccrsfa~y and the duplicate
placed inside the box I'm which the
plates are to be packed. The boxes
are made 10 hold an average Of 100
pounds each As each box In filed mo
cover is nailed on and tho box num-
bered and sealed with the treasury
seal. The sealed boxes are then stored
In the vaults OF the bureau until such
time as Is convenient for their convey
ance to the pace of destruction.
The committee recently reported to
the secretary Of the treasury the de-
struction of 1926 pieces, weighing
1910 pounds-over twenty tons-with-
dra wn from tho vaults. To convey
this vast amount OF metal required the
services OF eight laborers and a 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 Mt Its destination the
committee directs the unloading The
boxes are removed from tho wagon on
to hand trucks and taken by elevator
up to the door level OF the cupola door.
The boxes are here opened. the carbon
duplicate schedule removed and the
plates again counted and checked as
they are cast Into the furnace
From the time the plates are taken
from the vaults OF the custodian until
the last one IL thrown into the Hre they
are under the watchful eyes Of the
members OF the committee, who sec
that none goes astray, for II one or two
Of these plates should fall into illegiti-
mate hands and later be Tut TO i'm
proper use IL world probably cause
considerable embarrassment TO the gov.
ernment
In order 10 ascertain whether the de-
struction has been complete. the COM
mittee must walt until all the melted
steel Is drawn from the furnace and
the cupola opened and cooled. The
melted steel is poured into molds GOV.
ering a great variety OF castings that
eventually fird their way TO the arma.
ment OF our modern battleshiDs.
II may be yoke for an eight inch
gun weighing three or four tons. or II
may be some minor casting for a tor
pedo tube II Is not beyond the range
Of possibility that the officer who sights
one OF the immense fourteen inch rifles
may have In his pocket at the time a
note OF some denomination printed
from n steel money plate that has de-
veloped by series Of evolutions into a
part OF the very gun he IL adjusting to
wreak destr,' rtion upon any object In
the path OF Us flying projectiie.
What appears to I've waste In one
department or the government thus be
comes valuable asset In another
New York Times