Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-16
Unerring Efficiency
U. S. Finger Printing

WaShington.--t'ing print identi-
fication has been developed by the
, army to the point of efficiency where
its application at times vieS with the
thrills Of detective fiction. Any I'M
identified man who has served in the
regular army can be located in from
10 to 20 minutes. and his full record
laid bare. In that short time a
searcher finds him among the more
the army since 1906, when the finger
print system was introduced. He
may have been one of the 50,32S
Smiths. the 40,101 Johnsons. the 2S,-
902 Browns or one of the 27,93S nam
ed Williams. All the army needs is
mis- finger print to turn up his record.
Walter S. Kaye, in charge of the
bureau, says the indeXing has been
worked out so efficiently that even a
new clerk, one never before having
lad knowledge of the system, can
begin work as searcher with little
preliminary instruction.
The science of finger print reading
is based on the study of the curious,
clrciinS network of all but invisible
lines on the ball of the thumb and
each finger. EXamina ton of millions
of specimens shows that the normal
formation is the Whorl. or the scroll
which winds these lines from the
cutter edge in u gradually reducing
circle to the inner termination at the
core OF the network. A majority OF
human beings are marked with this
scroll, but there are others whose
InSer PRINT lines run in flattened
hSures or in complications of figures
far removed from the simple, easily
lcad Whorls. The first step in
identification has to do with de-
termining the broad general di-
vision in which the prints under ex-
animation are to be sought.
There are but four main groups
or classlfcations of prints. arches,
loops, whorls and composites. Each
type has its gradational cases. The
Whorls have 1924 values or combina-
ions and the loops, arches and com
rosites have each their respective
values TO simplify segregation for
ming and TO make them easily To-
Gated when idcntifications are sought
Inc eNaluauon of prints thus made
mas overcome all difficulty of deal
ing with large collections of finger
markings, such as are in the army
files.
ringer prints, since their adoption
IN 1876, have exposed frauds. pro-
Iected innocent men from injustice.
Kept undesirables of the criminal
type out of the service. protected tho
government from scrupulou
claimants and uncovered the guilty..
Many interesting accounts Of such
instances are contained in official
papers of the war department during
the last is years.
Ih0Se who have worked IN tbe
ioehtlicatlon bureau since its estab-
llshment are authority for the state
nent that never has a mistake been
Indue They have made more than
ZO0.00O identifications.
Inc finger print system" Mr.
haye says, is superior to any other
system SO far devised in that il
permits OF no error. This may seem
Stfong statement, but the finger
print When clearly made, allows of
no misrepresentation: it is an actua
presentation and does not permit the
personal equation of error to enter,
other systems allowed errors of
measurement and errors in location
of marks" 'io''
In the more than 10000 900 digit
Photographs in the Identification bu
reau files, Mr.. Kaye saws. there are
no two of them alike. There is inst
as much chance of finding two prints
dllhe as there would be in going into
me he'dS and finding two flowers ex-
aCtly alike"