The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-03-03
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"In no other form of printing can the beautiful
soft and yet strong effects in black and white be
obtained as in steel engraving The introduc-
tion Of cheap mechanical process work has super
seded the beautiful creations OF master
graver commercially, and now find the art
limited to the engraving of securities as applied
in the governments bureau of engraving and
printing"
In the engraving division of the big shop the
work is so divided and classified that the engrav
ers individually become skilled in some particular
branch of the art. Therefore, It is that they are
classified as portrait script, square letter and
ornamental engravers. When the classification
and division have been made each workman is
made to confne himself to his own speciality, and
so il is that he becomes extraordinarily expert
The result OF this system is that not only better
execution is secured but much greater amount
is turned out In given time, and what OF course
is of much greater Importance, increased safety
for Uncle Sans belongings is obtained.
Everything which is issued from the engraving
department OF Uncle Sans bureau combines ev
dences of the individual skill and characteristics of
a number of men. nasmuch the handiwork
OF several men appears upon each plate, 1t readily
can be understood how difficult thing 1t is for
any one engraver to make perfect reproduction
of one OF these plates The combination of differ
ent styles of workmanship, all excellent, on a
single plate makes counterfeiting one OF the most
difficult things possible.
In the halls of the bureau specimens OF the
work are to be seen and examples OF the money
are shown In different stages of the progress OF
the work No one is allowed to the engravers at
their work. II Is absolutely necessary that the
plates should be guarded against theft. and so It
is that they are under watch all through daylight
hours and at night they safely placed within
great vaults. One curious thing Is TO be noted,
the government never prints from the original
plate A duplicate of IL is made and this is used
for the printing II this were not done and some
thing should happen to the plate first made. Its
place would have to be taken by a new one. and
even II the skill of the engraver should produce
one almost exactly like the original II would at
best be only copy of II. and anything that was
printed from the new plate would in way be a
counterfeit provided of course. the original plate
had been used for printing purposes.
Visitors to the bureau shown the printing of
the notes There are six or seven hundred en-
ployees engaged In this work The paper is a silk
fbered material and the process of its manu-
a trade secret Anyone who is found with paper
OF this kind in his possession. imitation of IT,
is a violater OF the law.
All OF tho printing is done on hand presses. A
man with a woman assistant at each press
There are four notes to each sheet and each
pressman turns out about five hundred sheets a
day printed on one side only. most careful
count is kept OF the sheets. The counting is done
by several persons and after IL is done the notes
are sent to numbering machines, where blue ink
is used to mark the series letter and each notes
number.
Every day I'm the year except Sunday a stee
conveyance goes from the bureau OF engraving and
nrinting to tn treasury department. carrying as Id