New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-08-15

now IT Is DONE, AND WHO pors II.


and irregular Jumps and grains which the sssayer and rnsr
turn out into the condition fe and attenuaed gold
eai with which We less familiar, almost entreS
by pure manual labor From the crucbe of the Assay Ocs
the precious metal comes In cornered lnps
In the form OF what technically kno wn as dust which
dust really is like very coarse yellow sand. whom a
| leaves the shop OF tho gold beater it has been
worked into sheets so transparent that letter, Gao
be laid through them and delicate in thsa
texture that tool ia fine and dainty enough handle them
the worker being compelled to manipulate the ayaway
rial solely by of his breath. And all this wonlroys
transformation mped solely and only BY labor
and with certain exceedingly rude and primitive tools, The
potent strength Of steam is not invoked but armed With bat
clumsy mass Of iron Tor hammer and rough block o
marble for anvil the patient gold beaer tolls for ho1 Al
his task until last the shapess Jumps of metal are changed
into gossame sheets which almost dainty ths
butter9ys wing TO describe this curious process Is ta'
object Selecting for visit the establishment,
| In this city. tho work from which was ewsrde4
| the first premium at the Crystal Palace Woridt
Fair 1853 enabled TO obtain information every Val
Trustworthy. The gold Il comes from the Assayer 10 pee
fectly pure karats Gne this state is worth aboW
sic an ounce gold coin Being too soft by reason Of s
perfect purity work. IL alleged with silver and copper
proportion Of grains of silver and grains
TO the Of gold The mixture is first placed in crncbs
made Of peculiar sort Of hrecsy imported from Germany
and which holds about pint being placed in heated for
mace Is or 20 minutes suees melt and perfectly mng'
tho three metals steel bar prOidel having cat s
upper surface deep grooves with closed ends which serve
mods. Into these indentations the melted is poured
where it quickly cool', forming "ineos" or bare
| of about five inches long by one inch in breadth
and a quarter Of inch in thickness, When cooled
the ngos are heavy metal cylinders whioh srs
gradually aud closely together pressing the IN
got thinner leach time until at last 1t drawn from h' ms
chine long strip of golden ribbon inch in wdio and %
the thickness thin silk ribbon. 1t is Gu; into pieces
an inch long which gives number OF perfectly square bs
,rffu vsix Al
sx.gain pieces destined to make book" OF p leaves
Each being % inches square, and Of thickness or rabs'
! thinness that cannot DO appreciated in figures
The bits Of gold ribbon placed between thia leaves
Of peculiar thin transparent material and are piled op
ayefs-Grst bit of gold then leaf until there mas o'''
thus used $50 leaves which are called a mold
These leaves are manufactured Ia France from the ass
intestine Of the OK which is dressed and prepared until
looks like very thin translucent osk They are somsThp
expensive "mod of 60 skins. each five inches sSs
| costing 81 in gold.
The mold" having been laid up that h the bits o. go,
being placed between the leaves is laid upon the anyd
This marble post one end Of which passes down throu
the floor securely fastened In mason work in the esa
the other up through the workmans beach soi
there appears polished square Of marble. The mold
being upon this marble the workman begins his noaoton
ous labor Of beating it until gold shall spread on. to tai
required thnues this purpose he steel hammer
shaped like ordinary "dumbbell with handle SCI
in the middle Of the part right angles to its ength
the weight Of which may from 10 to e pounds Il Is
found that marble the Only substance which be used f,s
the anvil as possesses the time sufficient sohiy "a
afford the desired resistance and at the time enough
elasticity to give rebound to the hammer without which iisr
quality the lifting Of that heavy tool after every bow woid Ia
simply dead weight which would very speedily fatigue thu
stoute arm would be solid and dead and ay sorf
of wood even prngg to The purpose
of an anvil heavy blows struck at the rate OF about
30 TO 80 in inmate that in hour the mold iecegs
from 800 to 1900 blows from hammer of 10 to IS pounds
weight During the first beating which lasts hour sad
half the heaviest hammers employed as the gold IL Ties
tckes and requires greater weight and force Ia tae ooFsn
make necessary impression Having been under the din
mer an hour and 30 minutes before stated the slips Of gold
are found to have expanded about four times their Original
size having of lost correspondence In thickness
the beater pracced workman the square OF metal ex
pands under his hammer. equally in every direction.
! so that though four times as large as at hr't. 10
still retains pretty accurately its original quadgsngnai
form II taken slip by slip from between the leaves
the mold with long slender pair ofwooden nppers sad
each slip laid separately leather ouhionwheEe with 40
oddshaped tool known wagon" is divided accurately
into four equal squares quite large each the ORG
inasp squares placed again between the eiVe'
Of the mold and arc second tame PLACED the marbs,
block TO undergo another beating this time With gltes
hammer but continuing foF four hours At the end al an
time another subdivision into furs is made ani the sp
again placed between the leaves aud subjected to TIER tlI
and last beating for hours To ubdyide and SAFE
the slips mold another takes six hours; 50 Ma
beating OF mold" OF gold takes tweny''eyen anis
half hours
The leaves OF skin slightly rubbed with powdered cal
cucd gypsum peculiar sort before the beating oni az,
arward cleaned Of this by being themselves placed bet~ee
paper leaves and being beaten.
Each set Of leaves viii endure about $50 beatnss VITA g,i
leaf after which they sold to be used for beating oop2s
foil leaf In the Of tue beating the gold gets more
or less heated when it has be passed through COLI pe
for purpose cooling aud also pressing OFT SMOOTH aay
creases in the gold skins the tendency of the heating beng
70 crease and wrinkle the leaves OF skin in which case
course the gold would be also thrown out Of shape.
The beating completed the thin leaves Of gold are uo'
taken from mold and placed between tie leaves OF
small books each which IS leaves in which shape
offered for sale Thi, work done BIZ girls who each
Il from 90 books day and can earn from 81 %
50 week These paper books manufactured IN ths cry
and made OF soft printing paper generally that which D"
been used Before the gold is laid the leaves thy are
slightly sprinkled with red oohre The material Os th",
paper formerly the Bib, House being spoiled
or waste thrown by the bookbnder 5u OF aa
years the managers at the Bible House refuse sell
more paper this purpose for strictly moral knoEn
only to themselves OF all the world The books cost s51a'
$40 per thousand
The gold foil used by alleged all aal !, no.
beaten SO tlxn for gders though oherxss
prepared In the same manner.
Silver leaf is not alleged and beaten four inches square
thin gold.
To show the extreme malleabty of pure gold il stated
that single grain gold spread silver wire csa BE-
drawn the thirtyeghh part OF milo without rae
in the continuity Of the gold covering II is also "a
yorte saving golibeaers that vedr gold piece csnH
beaten horseback and LIS stsei
though is Doubtful il the experiment has been ever aesaig
tried.
In good tclss ourneyman gold can max,
from $40 10 per week. but present work SLACK aai
nces low though even now il said that the journeyneu