The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1916-01-26
Numbered BILLS
Uncle Sans Method of Cleaning
SoiIed Paper Money.
WASHED AND THEN IR0NED.
This Work Is Done In the Treasury
Department by Machines. Each One
of Which Can Daily Make $4,000
"a 49,
Pieces of Used Currency Look New.

Department by Machines, Each One
of Which Can Daily Make $4,000
Pieces of Used Currency Look New.
by washing soiled paper money We
save the government $500 every day.
said Miss Annie L Thomas. In charge
of the laundry" of the redemption di
vision OF the United States treasury IN
Washington.
"Soiled money" she went on. comes
to us daily from banks all over the
United States 10 be redeemed. For
merly all of this money was destroyed
and new was issued in it's place. Now
we take the least soied and worn bills
and put them through the laundry to
be washed and ironed. These are al.
most as good as new and are redistrib.
uted with the notes which come from
the bureau of engraving and printing.
1--WE laundcr about $4,000 bills daily
and call this good days washing. 1t
costs 80 cents to wash 100 dirty notes
and $1.30 to print the same number
Through the laundry we save 81 on
100 notes. Washing. as we do, an av.
many are not fit to send out again, we
estimate that our saving amounts to at
least $500.
1--WE wash 10 per cent of all the
money that comes to be redeemed
Nothing higher than a twenty dollar
bill goes through the washing machine
The small bills are in constant circula
ton and wear out rapidly, so they have
to be reissued more frequently thar
those of high denomination. Bills OF
high value are never Numbered.
Banking opinion is divided on tins
subject of Numbered money. Some
banks desire new money and will not
accept any other. while many banks
request the washed bills, saying that
they are softer than the others and are
easier to handle.
I'VE have received this testimonial
especially from men who have Ions
payrolls and must handle thousands o.
dollars to fill many pay envelopes
These men tell us that the washed bill:
do not stick together as do the other:
and can be more readily counted out
1.-THE washing machines occupy foo
space of about four square yards ant
are combination washers and ironers
Two girls work at a machine, which Il
operated by electricity. One feeds tn
soiled money to the washer, and thu
other catches the clean money as
leaves the ironer.
LOT hnl
Of wet blanket. which carries them OF
to meet another moving blanket from
above Thus secured between thes,
two blankets they pass over and aroun'
a number of rollers in tank Of soap,
suds, which cleanses and 'sterilize'
them. Then they pass through rinsin:
water and on to heated rollers, which
dry and iron them.
"They drop out at the end Of thu
course into the hands of a girl, wht
scrutinizes each bill to determine
whether it is fit to be sent out into cir
culation. AS she asserts the bills she
stacks those which she considers per
feet into piles ready for the expert
counters. When the counts are verified
the Numbered bills are made into pack
ages containing 1000 of one denomina
ton and kind and sealed for redistribu
ton among the banks
"By this practice of redeeming mon
ey by washing it." said Miss Thomas
I've also have an extra means Of check
ing up on the counterfeiters. Our ex
pert counters spot counterfeits as soon
as they are sent in with the govern
ment money from the banks They
pass these bills along to the secre
service detectives. who trace them tC
their makers.
"A counterfeit hasn't a chance to es
cape us. From the time the banks
packages are opened by the counters
to be verified to the time the money
leaves this division finally it is watch
ed by expert eyes. When the washable
money is separated from the rest and
is turned over to me to put through the
laundry | give it to the operators
They look at it carefully at the time II
enters the washing machine and when
it comes out After this my counters
go over it. BY this time you may be
sure any counterfeit is discovered
ut is a remarkable sight to watch
the sixty expert counters, who average
10000 notes daily. run lightly through
a bunch Of bills and stop short sudden
ly when they come to counterfeit in
their hands. They identify these notes.
almost perfect as they often are, by the
feel of the paper. Under their trained
vigilance counterfeits seldom get as
far as the laundry."-New York Sun.