Butte record., 1854-04-08

ing together. The bars are thus rolled
out number of times until they are of
nearly the proper thickness for the coin.
The rolling mill is made so that the bars
can be rollod out of any thickness. The
bars, when rolled out several times. be-
come somewhat brittle, and are then ta-
ken to the
ANNEALING ROOM.
This room contains a large furnace of
brick work, with long chambers to re-
ceive the bars, which we placed in cop
per tubes and heated to cherry red
The gold is thus made softer and more
duciIe, and is again taken to the rolling
mill, rolled sufficiently, and again an
neaitd previous to being drawn. The
bars cannot be rolled out to an exactly
equal thickness, and to secure exactness
in this respect the bar is drawn through
an orifce in piece of steel, and this or
ifce being somewhat smaller than the
bar as rolled, reduces the whole to the
same exact width and thickness. The
bar, not quite so thick as the coin, is ta-
ken thence to the cutting machine, which,
by punch cuts out from the bar round
pieces, IA little longer than the intended
coin. These pieces are called blanks.
The blanks are carried to the Annealing
Room. and washed with soap and water
They are then taken to the
ADJUSTING ROOM.
Here each blank is weighed separate
ly, and made the exact weight for the
coin. IF two heavy, the blink is filed
down if too light, it is thrown into
box to be re-melted. The work in this
room is done entirely by ladies.
COMING AND MILLING ROOM.
The adjusted blanks are run through
the milling machine which congresses
the blank to the exact diameter of the
coin and raisas the edge. The purpose
of making the edge thicker is TO make
the coin pie neatly, to protect the fig
ures and to improve the general appear
ance. About 250 blanks are milled in
a minute
The milled blanks are carried back to
the Annealing Room, placed in an air
tight cast iron box and placed in the fur
mace to be annealed, so that they may
take the impression well. When they
are at cherry red they are taken out
poured Immediately into water with
little sulphuric acid This softens and
cleans the gold. The blanks are taken
out, washed with cold water, put into
hot water again, taken out, mixed with
saw dust, which is then sifted off and the
blanks are dried and perfectly clean.
They are again taken to the Coming
and Milling room, aud stamped. The
coming machine is elegant and massive.
The blanks are placed in tube or pipe,
and from this the machine takes them
one by one. puts them between the dies,
stamps them, throws them out of the die
and carries them down into box, and
they are then delivered to the Treasurer
and are ready for circulation.
Such are the main features of the pro-
cess. The treatment of silver is, of
course, somewhat different. The differ
ence between the United States coin and
the California coin is, that the latter is
alloyed with silver, the former with cop
per. The California gold contains
good deal of silver, and it is troublesome
and expensive to separate it from the
gold besides, it is more difficult to make
a copper than silver alloy. The Cali
fornia coin being one-tenth silver, is
worth more than United States coin, and
a premium is paid for it at the United
State mints. There are about seventy
five cents worth of silver in a hundred
dollars of California coin. The copper
is a much better alloy, being harder,
more durable and more beautiful.
All the machinery is of the best quail
ty, having been manufactured under the
supervision of George Eckfeldt, of the
Philadelphia Mint 1t has been put up
under the direction of John M. Eek
feldt. The officers of the Mint are DR..
Birdsal, Superintendent; Jacob r. Sny-
der, Treasurer Col. Harazthy, Assayer;
John Houston, Melter and Refner and
John NJ Eckfeldt, coiner. About thir.
ty men will be constantly employed