Year: 1877

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Their crispness is particularly attractive
feature, and the bright green and mod
crate quantity OF rose color are very
pleasing to the eye. The engraving
too, is really artistic, and, taken in its
entirety, Uncle Sans money, when new,
may be pronounced very pretty money
indeed. But, unfortunately, the nation.
al bank note and the 10, IS or 80 cent
fractional currency pieces are subjected
to very hard usage. First, they may be
handled by the dapper bank clerk, who
understands their manipulation perfect
ly, and from whose hands they pass none
the worse for the contact. But the man
who receives them next may be a grocer's
clerk, who, disregarding their beauties,
uses his unwashed digits that may few
moments previously have been engaged
in handling q nice fitch of bacon, to
count the bills. The pork butcher may
be the next one to have temporary pos
session of the representatives of value,
and while in his custody they are sure to
take on moro or less of the badge of his
calling. Probably they repose next in
the wallet of fashionable lady, and the
odors of the grease are neutralized by
musk, ylang- ylang, or some one Of the
many popular perfumes. Next they may
fall into the hands of a careless young
man who uses no pocketbook, but makes
his vest pocket the neutral ground where
greenbacks, cigarettes and odds and ends
of ali kinds meet on friendly terms.
The vicissitudes of currency are many
and varied, and there is little room for
wonder that the presses in the Treasury
Department find constant occupation, as
they do, in turning out fresh supplies Of
paper that only too soon becomes really
"hlthy lucre." The destruction is very
rapid, and one of the chief occupations
of large force in the treasury is that of
subjecting the condemned cash to the
processes by which it is finally wiped
out of existence. About two years since
il was the custom to burn the redeemed
bank notes, bonds and fractional cur
rency, but q more economical and in
every way more acceptable plan is now
pursued. On the White lot, immedi-
ately in front OF the treasury, may be
noticed two brick buildings. The
largest of these.is the machine-shop, car
penter-shop, and general repairing estab-





also an adjunct, and is known as the
macerating establishment. Here it is
that the, frolicsome currency, after it
has been made worthIesa- hy reason of /
too much abuse, is converted into pulp
that finds its way to the paper manufac-
tories, where 1t is reconverted into
paper. Here also the bond rendered
useless by redemption at expiration or
some other cause.is made indistinguish-
able from, let us say mortar, by an ex-
tremely simple process. In the first
place, the fractional currency is subject
ed TO most rigid scrutiny and count
for the purpose Of detecting counterfeits,
and then it is turned over to men who
with machine cancel each note so ef-
fectually that by no possibility could it
ever be used again; another count is
then gone through with for the pur-
pose of checking the operators
of the machine, and preventing
them from appropriating any Of
the redeemed money. After the
canceling the money is next cut in half,
and once more the separate halves are
counted, and when ascertained to be all
right are placed in boxes for the pur-
pose of removing them to the macerat-
ing building before alluded to. These
are securely locked while in transit from
the treasury TO the maoerating establish
ment, where they are opened in the
presence of three representatives of the
treasury, one acting in behalf Of the
Secretary, another Tor the Treasurer, and
the last for the Register, for each batch
is usually accompanied by quantity of
bonds. From the boxes the bonds,
which are cut and cancelled thoroughly,
and the fractional currency are emptied
into the macerating cylinder, which in
also locked with three separate locks, the
keys of which are held respectively by
the officers named above. The process
of macerating is very simple. The
macerating cylinder is revolved by
sixty horse power engine, and at the
same time Jets of steam are injected into
il, which speedily soften the mass of. pa
per. The moistened paper by its own
gravity keeps dropping, and is reduced
to a pulp by the sharp ridges which
form the inside of the cylinder. After
being subjected to this treatment for
about thirty. six hours the cylinder
is unlocked by the three officials and
the pulp il then allowed to fall ON an
elevator, which conveys it to large
tub, where it is thoroughly cleansed,
and all fatty matter removed by the
agency of quicklime and soda.


The washing of the pulp completes
the process, and it is finally dumped in
a heap to lie until purchased. Yester-
day about 81 500. 600 worth of fractional
currency was placed in the macerator.
This was an unusually large batch, the
average "burnings," as the maceratings
are known, being much less. There is
now an immense quantity Of the pulp on
hand, probably several hundred tons.
This will be sold to paper manufacturers.
The rate usually paid for the pulp is in
the vicinity of 95 per ton, and the prin-
cipal purchaser is Mr.. George +. Hill,
of this city, who manufactures from it
very nice article of paper at his mills
in Geoi getown. An approximate esti-
mate of the quantity of pulp annually
made out of fractional currency or bonds
at this establishment is $50 tons. The
proceeds resulting from the sale of this
may be accounted as q net gain over the
Oiu mttuOu, d5 Tic DufuluB VI TIE
money or bonds required the expendi-
ture of as much labor as does the present
macerating system, and consumed a
great deal more coal. The whole work
of converting the played out money at
this place is under charge of Capt. -,
and under the immediate supervision of
- Barnett. The national bank notes
are converted into pulp by the centrif-
ugal process inside of the treasury
building, the method adopted being al
most in every respect similar to that
pursued with the fractional currency and
bonds, as described above. The i'm
provement on the burning plan is too
obvious to need extended mention.
Extraordinary precautions were required
to keep the destroyed money from fly
ing out of the furnace chimney, and the
odor of the burned money was an intol-
cradle nuisance, and was very injurious
to the health of those residing in the
neighborhood of the place where it was
carried on. The last reason would have
been sufficient one for changing the
method, If the additional one of making
absolute saving to the Government did
not suggest Itself,