The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-09-19
BANKS
ADOPT FINGER
PRINT SCIENCE
Art mark Twain" Made Fam
Gus Scientifically Applied to
Protect Bank Depositors-
Mr.. Flax Explains Method.

P. A. Flax, a noted finger print ex-
pert, was in Bridgeport today, in
structing the employees of the Bridge
port Savings bank in his method OF
finger print Identification, which has
come into large use among banks in
this country and abroad.
The system is now in use in the
Mechanics & Farmer Savings bank
and in the Bridgeport Savings Bank
1t is especially valuable for use with
depositors who do not write, ami with
those whose signatures vary widely
from time to time. Mark Twain in
his "Puddinhead Wilson, made finger
print identification a household word
in the United States long before it had
come into general use by the police as
a means of identifying criminals.
Some banks require a, finger print
with every depositor, which saves time
in the future Identification of the de-
positor, If doubt arises.
The finger prints are easily obtain
ed, and may be cata1ogued on the
same card with the signature of the
customer. Some of the largest banks
tenn.
The method, evolved by Mr.. Flax
from years of experience with criminal
records of India, where he was head
of the Central Fingerprint Office at
Singapore, is free from annoyance to
CQSLOU1STS OIL the D6hk. On tdhlnS
out a pasSbook, the customary record
card is made out by the clerk. Then
a little slab of plate glass, neatly
mounted in a rosewood case, on which
has been spread, thinly and evenly. a
small quantity of specially prepared
window. The depositor is instructed
to press the first three fingers of his
right hand on the linked glass, and
then transfer their markings to the
space left blank on either the face, or
the back, of the regular signature
card. A little pad of cloth, wet with
a solvent. removes the remaining ink
instantly from the customers fingers.
That is all there is to it.
The two basic principles of finger
print Identification, which have been
laid down in song and story-and CEN
trail office ,reports-ever since Mark
Twain wrote ''Puddinhead wilson are
these: The marks of the fingers of a
man never vary from birth to old age;
no two sets of finger prints are alike.
The little ridges which may be seen
by examining the tip of the fingers are
modelled into four standard types
arches, loops, whorls and composites.
The arch is a pattern in which the
arches run from one side to the other.
making no backward turn. A loop is
a pattern in which some of the ridges
make a backward turn without twist
ing. A whorl is a pattern in which
some of the ridges make q, turn to at
least one complete, circuit shown in
the first and third prints. A COM
posite is a pattern in which there is a
combination of an arch, loop and
whorl, and is occasionally found. By
fixing these types in mind, and no
ticing the other peculiarities OF the
prints, such as slight scars, and so.
forth the clerks become SO expert
that they can consult the Identifies
ton record without actually compar-
ing the two sets of prints Zone az
quires a knack of seeing number OF
pecuIiarities at glance so that a de-
positor's identity may, as rule, be
established in a few seconds" explain
ed Mr.. Flax.