Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1914-02-20
O!ES AND PLATts

different denominations of currency
Issued tn national banks are printed
from engraved plates in the bureau
of engraving and printing at Wash
J ington.
1 The original dies are never de-
stroyed. By a system of transfer.
ing the impression or design is
passed from the die to a soft steel
roll, which is later hardened. A
hundred plates al be produced
from one hard steel rtll.
All of the engraved work re-
l%ceives the same supervisor 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 bureau,
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
counted, checked and locked up
with time locks.
After approximately $4,000 i'm
pressions are printed from a steel
plate it becomes useless as far as
its original purpose is concerned.
The delicately engraved lines and
geometric lathe work becomes
worn and the portrait loses its de-
tail. When the plate becomes so
affected as to render it unfit for
further satisfactory printing a du-
plicate is ordered to be made for
printing future orders from the
treasury department. The old plate
is then cancelled and laid aside sub
sequently to be destroyed.
This destruction or rather trans
formation, takes place just after
the lst of January each year under
the direction Of a committee ap-
|, pointed by the secretary of the
treasury composed of three per-
sons, n of whom represents the
secretary and acts as chairman,
another the commissioner of inter.
nal revenue and the third looking
G after the interests of the comp
: trcllcr of the currency.
- Under instructions from the de-
4. partment the committee makes a
schedule in duplicate of all the
cancelled material, the original
e list being retained BY the commit
tee to form a part of its report tc
the secretary and the duplicate
placed inside the box in which the
+ plates were to be packed. The
n boxes are made to hold an average
n of $50 pounds each. AS each bos
is filled the cover is nailed on ant
8 the box numbered and sealed with
the treasury seal. The sealed boxe.
are then stored in the vaults Of The
bureau until such time is conven
: lent for their conveyance to The
b place Of destruction.
The committee recently reported
s. to the secretary of the treasury O
B the destruction Of 1926 pieces
h weighing 4l,Sl0 pounds -ove,
u twenty tons-withdrawn from tn,
Is vaults. To convey this vast amour
q of metal required the services O
Y eight laborers snd a team of draf
8 horses attached to one of the hug,
= money wagons Of the bureau, max
/ iEg eight trips to the United State
5 navy yard, where the cremation
takes place in the foundry.
IOn arriving at its destination tn
2 committee directs the unloading
The boxes are removed from tn
o wagon OF tn hand trucks and takel
= by elevator up to the floor leye
& Of the cupola door. The boxes ar
here opened, the cerbon duplicat
& schedule removed and the plate
again counted and checked rs the.
arc cast into the furnace.
From the time the plates are tax
s en- from the vault Of the custodian
until the last one is thrown into tn
5 fire they r under the watchfu
6 eyes Of the committee Who see
( that none goes astray, for il on,
8 or two of these plates should fal
into illegitimate hands and late
be put to improper use 1t woulc
probably cause considerable en-
barassment to the government.
In order to ascertain whethe
the destruction has been complete