Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1856-05-31
The Mint of the DATED States.

seat of government of the United States"
(Which was then at Philadelphia The Act
of l4th of May, 1900, directed that until the
4th day of March, 1901, the Mint shall remain
in the city of Philadelphia" which period of
continuance was heightened for two years, by
Act of March Sd, 1901 and this last enact
ment was revived and continued in force for
successive periods of FIVE years, until the 4th of
March, 1928, when the location of the Mint
at Philadelphia was made permanent, by Act
of Congress of May 18th, 1928 and here it has
since remained, a great addition to the many
architectural beauties of our City, and an object
of much interest to its citizens and to stran-
gers.
The original Mint building, a portion of
which is yet standing, was in Seventh street,
opposite Zane, and is still known as the I" Old
Mint 1t continued in this location until the
present noble edifce, was erected at the north
west corner of Chestnut and Juniper streets, in
the years 1929, 80, '3l The cornerstone of
this magnificent structure was laid July 4th,
1929, and the building was finished and occu-
pied in the spring of 1888 The work was
completed under the direction of VIM Strick-
land, Esq, architect; the masonry was execu.
ted by Maj. Peter Fritz and the marble work
by Mr.. John Struthers of this city The build
ing, which is of the Ionic order after the cele
brated Grecian Temple on the river IIysus, near
Athens, is of marble, faced with ashlers, hav-
ing front on Chestnut street of l20 feet, di-
vided into portico of 81 feet, and two wings
of the width each of 80 feet.
During the past nine months the interior
has undergone very extensive repairs, intended
to render it completely fre-proof, conducted
under the supervision of Capt. ANDREW TAI
CoTT, late of the U. S. Corps Civil Engineers,
and advantage has been taken of the opportu-
nifty thus afforded to introduce slch alterations
in the arrangements of the several departments
Of the institution, as will afford increased COM
fort and facilities in the operations, and insure
still greater security to the bullion and trea-
sure. In the execution of these alterations
all the woodwork, which it was practicable
to remove, has been substituted by iron frames
and girders so that no danger can possibly
he apprehended hereafter from accident by
fire
1t may be interesting to present to our rea-
ders brief statement of the modus OperGRdi of
converting the precious dust into the form of
coin, and for this purpose we will follow a
deposit through its several stages in the in
SIltullOHJ ulltll IL HAS Dccu manufactured tulO
coin.
The deposit is made in the Weigh Room"
of the Mint, in its crude state, and receipt is
given for what is termed its weight before
melting" Thence it passes into the Deposit
Melting Room," where it is converted into a
bar or ingot, in such manner that the foreign
substances-dirt and sand in the depost-are
collected together in concentrated form, and
the weight of the metal remaining is then re-
gstered as the "weight after melting that
upon which, and determination of the fine
ness by assay, the value returned to the deposi-
tor is calculated The bar or ingot thus form
ed from the deposit, is then transferred to the
Melting and Refining Department, and is here
made of standard fneness," (9OO-1OOO) by
the addition of the proper proportions of sill
yer and copper, if the gold is Of higher 6neness
than standard, or the refining Of the deposit
by the removal of the requisite amount of for
egn substance or metal, if under the legal
standard of fineness. 1t is then turned into
ingots of the fineness required by law, and in
this form is passed into the Coming Depart
ment. Here the ingot is rolled into strip of
the width and thickness of the coin into which
it is intended to be converted, and the strip
thus obtained is passed through a cutting ma
chine, by which the disks or planchets of the
size of the proposed coin are cut from it. The
planchets are then transferred to the adjusting
room, where they are severally weighed by the
adiusters, and if found to be too heavy, they
are reduced by filing to the proper weight but
if too light, the planchets are condemned"
and returned to the Melting and Refining De-
partment, there to be re-meted and cast into
hnfora rIbuc aAiucto1 in u-aifrbt
the panchets are passed through the stamping
and milling machines, and are then transferred
to the Office of the Treasurer for distribution in
the payment of deposits, with the devices and
edge familiar to us all.
This brief statement, of course, can give but
an inadequate idea of the several manipulatons
and operations nececessary for the manufacture
of the dust, as it is taken from the mines OF
California, into the pieces into which it is con-
verted and VIC have purposely avoided any
description of the several operations of tough
cning, refining, assaying, &c, as requiring the
use of technical terms unfamiliar to the read
er, and occupying more space than we can al
low to this article, We may add, that the
supposition entertained by many, that the iden-
teal bullion deposited is returned to the depo-
sitor in coins, is an erroneous one this would
occasion too great delay in the payment of de-
posits BY the assay of a portion of the ingot
into which the bullion is east after the first
melt we have described, the fineness of the
whole deposit is determined /; upon the fneness
thus found and the weight after melting"
the standard 6neness of the bullion is calcula-
ted, and the value paid to the depositor, geu-
orally the day succeeding that of the making
of his deposit.
All the machinery of the Mint is OF the most
complete and beautiful description--the engine
a very model of elegance, of workmanship, and
of accuracy in operation. 1t is believed that
when the repairs to which we have alluded
shall be full y completed, the capacity of the
Mint will be amply sufficient to meet every de-