BANK-NOTES, MANUFACTURE or (ante). The bank-notes of the United States are now manufactured by the government in the treasury department at ‘Vashington. The processes of this manufacture are briefly' described as follows: The design of the note, including all the lettering and devices thereof, upon a sheet of the required form, being in the hands of the workmen, they first proceed to make the die. A plate of soft, highly polished steel is selected, and upon it is sketched the design, or such portions of it as are of the same color, if more than one tint is to be used in printing. A separate die is needed for every shade used. This is then carefully engraved. It will be under stood that, unlike the method of wood engraving, the lines which take the ink are cut into the plate instead of being raised above its surface. The eagrav- r is limited to such parts of the work as can be done by hand; otter portions, suet' as the scrolls and elabo rate tracery, are done entirely by machinery. The principal apparatus used is a com 'dictated piece of mechanism, which actuates a plate to which the steel for the die is attached and caused to press against a diamond point. Perfectly true and delicate lines are thus cut into the metal, making figures technically termed "cycloid rosettes." The machine, in theory, resembles a kaleidoscope, as it requires to be set by accu rate pointers and dials to some special figure, which, when the combination is changed, can never be reproduced. One of these instruments is in use, aud its work, together with that of the geometrical lathes, can be readily recognized on the national currency.
The die being complete, is ready for the transfer process. Postage stamps, for instance, are made iu sheets of two hundred, so that the die must be transferred that number of times on a single plate. It is first case-hardened and then put, face up. in a press which is made with a combination of levers actuated by the foot, so as to give the tremendous pressure of twenty-one tons on it single line. A cylinder or "roll" of soft steel is, by careful gauging, placed so as to rest directly over the face of the die, and, at the same time, is so arranged as to revolve easily along its surface even when under the full weight. The pressure is then applied, with the result of forcing the soft steel of the roll into the lines of the so that when complete, the periphery of the cylinder shows an exact reproduction of the face of the die, only the lines sunk on the die are now raised on the roll. Next, the cylinder is case-hardened. Then the plate— soft steel again—to be used for the final printing is placed in the press and the roll is arranged above it. Now the cylinder leaves its impression on the plate, the hard steel of the raised lines cutting deep into the surface, so that a precise duplicate of the origi nal die is obtained. This is repeated as many times as there are to be repetitions of the stamp or note on the single plate, which is then ready for use.
The ink for printing is made on the spot. In a large room are ten or a dozen paint mills, which are busily grinding the colors and oil together. Two large ones are filled with green ink, another with vermilion, while others are making blue, red, and other tinted inks. Nothing but the finest color and the best boiled linseed oil is here used. We now pass to the paper room, where the paper is received directly from the govern ment, cut in sheets of the required form. The fractional currency and larger notes aro made of a peculiar material containing- colored fibers. The paper for postage stamps is made of the hest linen. It is of short fiber, very fine, and extremely strong. The sheet.? on which currency is to be printed are counted as soon as received, and the result reported for verification. They are placed in heaps, marked off in sets of 100 and 1000. When issued for printing, the workman receiving; them has to present an order signed by the superintendent. They are then charged against him in his pass-book. when he carries them away to be damped, by simply wrapping them in wet cloths. The presses used are simply cylinders moved by long-handled levers, and are each attended by three men and a girl. The plate rests upon a small iron box warmed underneath by gas flames. A workman using a plate-printer's roller rapidly covers the plate with ink and passes it to another.operative at his side, who wipes it with a soft cotton cloth, and then polishes with the palm of his hand covered with whiting, thus the ink from its surface, but not from the engraved lines which remain filled. Chic done, the plate is placed, face up, in the press. - The girl stands ready with a sheet of damp paper which she carefully lays upon the plate. The pressman turns the levers, the cylinder revolves, the plate passes under it, and the paper is removed bearing a perfect impres sion. As soon as a printer has completed the work assigned to him, he hands it, made up in "books" of 100 impressions, each sheet inclosed between two others of brown paper, to a clerk. lie is then credited with his delivery, spoiled sheets being counted the mamas perfect ones, an that if his return is correct his debit account on his passbook, which is kept in a different apartment and by other employes, is thus balanced. The finished impressions are now carefully counted and inspected. he spoiled ones are removed and sent to the proper agents to be burnt, while the others are hung in the drying room. This apartment is heated by steam-pipes, and the paper is suspended by wires, for a day or two, until perfectly dry. Then the brown paper is removed, and the sheets, packed between leaves of press board, are subjected to the action of a powerful hydraulic press. They are then once more inspected and counted.