El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-21


TTTASHINGTON. D. c.. sept 21.-This
w IS story Of a Liberty bond, It
is the story Of your bond and mine.
it is the story Of the 20OOOO0O bonds
which have been sold to that many
people Of the United States within the
past year. and Of the 25.0oo,000 more
to which we shall subscribe during
the next few weeks Each OF these
bonds is only a scrap Of paper, but It
IS worth more than its weight in
south African diamonds The value
OF this bond is based upon the wealth,
brains and muscle OF the most pros
porous section Of Gods green earth
and upon the honor Of the United
States. which has never been ques-
toned. 1t is the signatures upon the
bond that make up its value, and
s7zo tie fact that the paper. ink and
engraving are Such that they cannot
be counterfeirec-
Paner Made From Linen Clothes.
Take first the paper and see now Il
is made. The most OF IL originates
I'm the flax fields OF Europe, and II
comes TO this country in pure linen
RAGS II has already served its Ilrsl
purpose In the shape OF handkerchie1s.
tablecloths, lingerie and dresses OF
one kind or another and II IS as re-
fuse that it is shipped across the
ocean and sent 10 a nest in the Berk-
shire hills Of Massachusetts, where
the paper is made It is manufacture
in mills which do no other business.
The owners have 10 give large bond
and the making OF this paper for any
other use than that Of the United
States IS considered a crime equal 10
When the rags reach the mill they
are cut into bits by women skilled at
the trade. The women use scythelike
Knives and the rags are chopped 1lne.
They are next disintected, Inen
bIeached by the use of chloride OF
lime. and then mixed with the purest
snpring water, which comes from an
artesian wei far back in the hills
This well is said to have the best
uaner making water on earth. It was
bored for the purpose. and 1t is guard
ed from contamination the water be
ing carried in underground pipes 10
the mill
Churns Linen to Pulp
As It flows through the macerated
white rags the water churns the
fibers until they are reduced TO a pulp
which looks like whipped cream or
that IN a freezer. Just before freezing
II seems clean enough TO eat and you
feel Ike dipping up a spoonful ana ana
taking a taste. The pulp contains
absolutely nothing but the linen and
this purest spring Weter- II IS now
ready TO be dropped on the rolls from
which It comes forth as white paper
Adding SIX Threads
There is, however, an important
process that has to be added, in or
der to make the paper impossible TO
counterfeit. Tbs Is Introducing Ihe
little silk threads which run here and
there through It II you VIII look
carefully at a bond you VIII see that
there are lines Of fine red and blue
six threads scattered here and there
over Il, and that these threads 90
through the signature and the chieI
rarts Of the engraving The thread
comes from japan. II IS made there
by silk worms which are fed on null
berry leaves, and which spin the CO
coons from which raw silk IS made.
This silk IS twisted into very thin
thread. in which form Il comes TO
the government mill It IS there dyed
red or blue with colOrs specially
made for the purpose, and then cut
into lengths Of about quarter OF an
inch These silk lengths are fed into
the linen pulp as IL IS spread on the
rolls, and that in such a way that
they run straight and form a part
Of the paper It IS Impossible 10
initiate this BY any other method than
that used IN the mills
III Of these processes OF paper max
ing are performed under government
inspection and in factories equipped
with government guards. Men armed
with rifles stand at the doors, and
Uncle Sans agents see that nothing
Is lost Every bit OF paper made Is
measured and counted. II g scrap IS
torn from a sheet or roll II must
be found the same day and no one
IS permitted 10 depart from the mills
until every bit is accounted for and
back IN its place
Finishing the Paper.
After the paper comes from the rolls
81 goes through a drying and finish
ing process, and Il is then cut into
The sheets used for printing the
bonds Each sheet IS large enough
for six bonds These sheets are
hacked up in pine boxes firmly fas-
tened and bound around with wire
Zach box contains Just 10000 sheets
and IT'S weight IS 600 pounds. When
packed Il IS sent by guarded express
10 the bureau Of engraving and print
ing at Washington and there stored
away IN the vaults until used
The paper is counted before Il
leaves the mills OF Massachusetts,. and
10 is inspected and counted again at
the bureau OF engraving and printing
when Il IS taken out OF the boxes.
II comes in sealed packages Of 100000
sheets. Every package is looked over,
and every bad sheet taken out and
sent back 70 the mills Only the
amount to be used for the day is
issued each morning. the sheets being
counted as they 90 out by women
some OF whom can handle as many
as 10O.O sheets Q day The count
ing is not done as we count money. a
bin at a time. but by running the
fingers through the sheets taking five
OF ten at a time The Women's hands
seem TO walk through the sheets, as
it were. I asked one girl how many
sheets she had counted that day up