Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-03-27
Dies ] and Nd PLATES
Fate Of Those Used In Printing
Our Money and Stamps.
ALL ARE JEAL 0USLY GUARDED

But, While the Dies Arc Invariably
Saved, the Steel Plates Are Melted
Down and Become Some Part Of tho
Armament Of Uncle Sans Warships.
All Of the notes. bonds. checks and
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 u the bureau Of engrav-
ing and printingsat Washington.
The original dies are never destroy
ed. By a system of transferring tho
impression or design is passed from
the die to Il 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 $4,000 impress
sions are printed from steel plate it
becomes useless as far as its original
purpose Is concerned. The delicately
engraved lines and geolnetric lathe
work become worn. and the portrait
loses its detail. When the plate be-
comes 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 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
LIST of January each year under the d.
rection of a committee appointed by
the secretary OF the treasury composed
Of three persons. one Of whom repre-.
sents the secretary and acts us chair
man, another the commissioner of in
ternal revenue and the third looking
after the interests Of the comptroller
of the currency. H..
Under Instructions from the depart
ment the committee makes schedule
in duplicate Of all the Cancelled mate
rial. the original list being retained by
the committee to form q part Of its re-
port to the secrctaf Fund the duplicate
placed inside TIE fDx III which the
plates IRE to- III alcked. The boxes
are made to hold m average Of 80
pounds each. N AS each box is filled the
cover Is nailed on and the box num-
bcred and sealed with the treasury
seal. The sealed boxes are then stored
in the vaults OF tlet bureau until such
time as Is convenient for their convey
ance to the place Of destruction.
,rhe committee recently reported to
the secretary Of the treasury the de-
struction Of 1926 pieces, weighing
41.S1O pounds-over twenty tons-with-
drawn from the vaults. 10 convey
this vast amount Of metal required the
services OF eight laborers and team
Of draft horses attached to one OF tie
huge money wagons Of the bureau.
making eight trips to the United States
navy yard. where the cremation takes
place iii the foundry.
OH arriving at its destination the
committee directs the unloading. The
boxes are removed from the wagon on
to hand trucks and taken by elevator
up to the floor level al the cul,oln door.
The boxes are heresdpenet. the carbon
duplicate schedule removed land the
plates again counted and checked as
they are cast into the, furnace.
From the time the1platcs arc taken
from the vaults of the custodian until
the'laSt one is thrown into the fire they
are under the watchfut eyes Of the
members of the committee. who see
that none goes astray. forif one or two
Of these plates should fall into iIfegiti
mate bands and later he put to i'm
proper use it would probably cause
considerable embarrassment to the gov
eminent II s5%8s
In order to ascertain whether the de-
structiom has been complete. the com.
,nittee must wait until all the melted
steel is drawn from the furnace and
the cupola opened and cooled. The
melted steel is poured into tmolds GOV
ering u great variety Of castings that
eventually find their way to the arma-
ment of our modern battleships
1t may lie yoke for IN eight inch
gun weighing three or four tons. or it
may I've some minor casting for Il tor
pedo tube. 1t is not, beyond the range
Of possibility that the officer who sights
one or the immense fourteen inch rifles
may have in his pocket at the time
note Of some denomination printed
from u steel money plate that has de-
veIoped by 4 series Of evolutions into Il
part OF the very gun hesi is adjusting to
wieak destruction upon any object IN
tie path Of its flying projectile.
4wy ~ ~ III -. = .