Evening star., 1918-03-24
This Woman Is Finger Print Expert for the Government

plete chemical laboratory where tbs
Identification badges are made, 20,
this branch of the work means con-
stant manufacture of these little but
very indispensable tags.
These badges are metal and are hung
around the neck upon a thin chain
They have on the face an etched replics,
of the soldiers thumb print On the
reverse is the name and company identi-
hcation of the wearer. But in case
this name wears off, the print still re-
mains as permanent mark. II the
man is killed in action and his body
recovered, it is very simple TO compare
his thumb mark with his badge. If
they are the same the badge is re-
tanned and transmitted to the office at
washington, where the name. and
permanent record are on file. In this
way his identity cannot be lost
Even in the case of naval ,lisa sters.
when the fingers of victims are greatly
%rinkled and shriveled from being in
the water some time, the making of n
satisfactory print is possible though
1t is difficult. Water is injected with a
hypodetmic syringe beneath the skin
OF the ball of the finger. This srnooths
out the skin and restores the impres-
SION to its natural condition. so that if
the badge be lost from the mans cloth
ing. ne can be traced through the com
parison which may be made beween
this post-mortem print and the record
on file at Washington
Such IS the work which Miss Dahm
is doing. 1t is an intricate task and it
IS remarkable that she should have
progressed SO rapidly without q .rea -.
deal OF preliminary training. She SAYS,
however, that she has studied finger
prints on ard off for two years before
sne s1., entered the bureau. with the am
bltion of obtaining an appointment in
one of New York's police magistrate
courts
one may imagine how hard-woried
thIs once is when one learns just wha I
the process of taking finger prints in
wolves. The apparatus for taking the
impression consists of a plate of glass
and a small quantity of ink, which is
spread on the glass thickiy enough TO
receive clear impression. Two kinds
of Impressions are used plain" and
rolled"
pam impression is made by press
ing the bulb of the finger, with the
plane of the finger nail nar.uer tn the
plane of the glass, on the linked surface,
A rolled impression is obtained by
placing the side OF the finger on the
mixed plate. with the plane of the
nneer nail at right angles to the plane
until it reaches position where the
nail is at right angles with the bulb
OF the hnger. however facing in the op-
posite direction to it's position in the
oeslnnlhg. rms makes large impress
son and includes all the points neces-
sary for an accurate classification
Such an operation is followed in the
office in regard tosall ten fingers AS
each HnGer contains different marks.
1t constitutes an almost perfect means
of Identification for every man in the
service.
While this Office was formerly mainly
useful as means of providing a clue
for tracing deserters and finding out
whether recruit had ever enlisted be-
fore, it is now assuming 4 significance
as means of Identification of the SOL
diers, which is more important than
any one would have imagined before its
wartime possibilities were thought of
Its possibilities have so greatly i'm
pressed the heads of the service that
it is being constantly enlarged to ac-
commodate the increased work of the
war.
The Army maintains a similar bureau
Both bureaus contain a fund of in
formation which is calculated to allay
the fears which beset the loved ones of
every fighter who goes into the war
The offices will be the means of doing
away with that mournful phrase,
buried in an unmarked grave"