Year: 1864

How Government Money is Made.
FULL DESCRIPTION or The MANUFACTUIE OF


/" GREENBAcKs."


The Washington correspondent Of The Cncin-
natl Gazette gives the following interesting de-
scrption of the manner of making government
money prepared by an Ohio ex.editor now a
clerk in the Treasury Department


10 obtain access to the note printing bureau
requires pass from the Secretary OF the Treas
ury himself For obvious reasons it is privilege
rarely granted and never except under the most
thorough surveillance. No lady not employed
upon tue work is ever permitted, under any cir
cumslances, to enter that part OF The Department.
II for no other reason the crowded machinery
would make ii dangerous.


THE MACHINE sHoF


is lhe frs room We enter. 1t is supplied with
iorses lalhes, planes and drills capable OF dong
a. the repairing necessary to be done to the ma.
chnery Of the building, and TO facilitate the set
ting up and working OF such new machines as are
demanded by our extensive paper circulation.
Compactness and utility ha. been studied
throughout this branch Of the Treasury Depart
ment.


THE PAPER MILL,


though not as extensive as enc Tor general manu-
Iacturng is sufficient for all the labor required
in making the note printing paper. The engine
used in this room is great beauty, gtlerng
with brass as highly polished and clean as the
work Of a watcn, and running almost as quietly
and smoothly.


The manufacture Of paper combining the
qualities Of year, and being spitless and unpho-
tographic, was a much desired desderatum. Ac-
cordingly, it was resolved to make some expert
mfnts, which we're entrusted to Dr. Cwynn. lie
has produced paper firm as parchment, smooth
as satin and Of a combination Of uatelals known
only to himself, and secured 10 the exclusive use
Of the government. he has introduced INTO il a
fibre which cannot be photographed without dis.
eoIorlng the paper to which impressions may be
transferred, gvlfg il the appearance OF q coarse,
black spider web. Being moulded into the body
Of the paper it is impossible to erase it, aud it
must be great preventive OF counttrfeltIng by
the Photographic process, which has latteily been
the most successful.


THE INK MILLS


are six in number, lor making as many different
colors. Each one is called a iour-hOrse power mi 4,
though The whole SIX are driven at the same time
bv an engine which one could pick up with one
hand 1t not only turns these mills, but at the
same time turns three Hoe cylinder presses. 1t
was made in the machine shop OF the Depart
men', and derives IL force from its great boiler
capacity. OF the manufacture Of ink but little is
to be said, Tor any one having seen common
paint shop has the process at once, and perhaps
the only difference is that here none but frs quail
ity material is used.


THE ENGRAVING ROOM


is OF more interest than any we have yet been in.
Here science and art are both displayed to perfec-
ton. There is, perhaps, no engraving, SO fine
and requiring so much time to execute as that on
the plates now being prepared tor n tional note
printing One the size OF bill, on which the
workman has been employed almost year, is a
copy OF one Of the paintings in the rotunda Of the
Captol. The figures were OF exquisite proper
tions, and the whter-lines, though plain extreme
ly delicate in their uacery.


Win lhe single plate, as il comes from the
hands Of the engrayer. 1t Is impossible 10 do the
printing req1ired and as il is equilly impossible
TO have a number OF plates engraved, it becomes
necessary to repeat them in another way This is
done in the following manner The engraving is
done on plate of soft steel Just the size OF a DILL
or bend, and the cuttings are indenuiions.
When finished, the plate is hardened and taken
TO " transfer press" where roller of soft steel
Just ofa circumference to take in the size Of fat
plate, is rolled over it, under heavy pressure
leaving the impression on the roller in raised
form. This roller is in turn bardened, and then
any number Of hat plates similar 10 the or giral
are prepared ana receive IN like manner the i'm
pressions from tbs roller, and become fac sp,iieS
of the plate engraved aud we have reproduced
in few minutes what it has taken months with
chsel and eye-glass to mtke


ThE PRINTING.


is now done on the odlashloned engrAver's
press, being nothing more than simple iron
roller covered with cloth and paper to press the
printing paper into the indentures, placed in a
strong frame and turned back and forth by hand
by spokes placed in the end of the roller Two
rersons work al each press, man and woman,
the former attending the plate, the latter the
paper The pllte is kept warm while working,
by gas-heater. The sheets when printed are
each laid beeween other sheets OF thin brown pa
per to keep them from burring, and sent in hun.
dreds to the drying room. Tue first process of
bond printing is numbering the coupons and the
denomination with yellow mordant, and as they
fly from the press are bronzed as they appear
when issued


Yellow is used because i cannot be photo
graphed without showing too plainly to be mis-.
taken, as was remarked about the fibre in the pa
per- This discovery was made in the following
manner When Mr. Clark was at the head
OF the Bureau OF Construction, he had a
map made for military purposes which it was
necessary to repeat. IL was photographed, and
an obscure road marked with faint yellow line
was discovered to be black To the copies. lie
then photographed specimen sheet OF inks, or
paints and Of all the colors except black, yellow
was the only color which might not have been al
tered with touch OF the brush. II was black as
the black itself Hence any attemp, to photo
graph this ooler will only lead to the discovery,
aud as il is the Groundwork Of bonds and other
securities and covered by the printing, it seems
another security against fraud.


TUE sERlEs.NuMBERiNG


is the last process belUre trimming. The work
is done by women, the machines being worked
with treadle. The figures are placed in the
edges OF six disks, placed side by side and fasten-
ed to an arm worked by the treadle, something
after the style OF Wheeler & Wilson sewing
machine The disks are turned by ratchet, and
will number from one to 999999. For conseou.
tive numbering, little hook Ia attached to the
ratchet and the machine shifts itself. Otherwise
the disks are turned by the number.


THE TRIMMING AND CUTTING
4 a