Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-31
Mint Assays and Private Assayers.

80 SASS
Sixteen of the present and former
assayers of Virginia, Gold Hill, and
Silver City, have petitioned Congress
to amend the laws regulating the op-
erations of the United States Mint, so
as to forbid the a savers en- loyed III
Il ct institution from assaying sam
pies for private parties, and in that
manner interfering with the business
and profits OF assIyerS in the to vns
and cities of the Stale. The complaint
is principally against the asSavers at
the Mint at Carson, and the complain
ants say
The occasion of our thus petitioning
your honorable body to modify the
pending Mint Law As above, is the
fact, that, without authority in law,
the Carson Mint habituslly assays
ores for the public; also manutac-
lures, assays and issues mere mercan-
tile silver oars at rates so low III 1t il
10 only by ignoring their me- es AIRY
actual costs tn the Governments, OF
else by constituting IA portion of them
into coinage OutlayS. that the charges
for the work perto, med can he made
to appear to its expenses. The
result OF making ore ASSAYS for the
public, together with the issuance OF
bars at these low rates. to a portion OF
Of our number. has been utter destruc-
ton in business, while their large in
vestments in specially aiapted build-
ings, furnaces, machinery, imple-
ments and tools. have been rem
dered almost valuelesS. Aud those
Of our number who have not vet been
driven out Of business, have been
com PEELED by intensified competition
to reduce charges so largely. that
nothing but n very large amoun OF
work, or else an unS vStematic method
Of doing their work. can ever again
afford them those honorable pro its
which their investments, qualitica-
tiOns. character. and sponSibilities
should secure them. They still re-
main in business largely. because
they rebel at being wrOngfullv driven
from a lifelong pursuit, while there is
20 much good reason to hope for tina!
Justice which 10 we respectfully
solicit at your hands.
We are decidedly of the opinion
that many of the assayers have only
themselves to blame for the encroach-
ments of which they complain. The
business of assaving in the United
States Mint for the public at large has
grown to its present proportions with
out any effort to produce that result
by the Mint employees. Alarge nun
Der of people regard assays, by many
who make that occup ,tion a speciali-
ty, as wholly valueless to the owner
Of mines. who desire to know the
true proportions Of the precious met
ais in their ores. 1t is su Scep.ible OF
proof that mines in this district have
been parted with ut an insignificant
price, on the basis of assays. the ores
Of which have been since found en-
ceedingly rich, even at the surface.
We are also cogniZant Of the fact that
samples to be assayed here have been
broken into two parts, one OF which
was sent to the Mint ass,verS,
and the result of the two assays.
when compared, were as widely diff
ferent as the value of an ounce OF
gold and that OF an ounce of silver
would be. SIepticism rs to the hon
csty of most assayers is frequently
expressed; and in several notorious
instances, fraud and deception have
been directly charged, and could be
proved upon individuals of that pro-
fession in different mining camps. We
have at least two of this sort in our
minds eve at this moment. II the
private assavers wish for the sympa-
thy of legislators and the people in
this matter, they must do something
to remove the suspicion that attaches
to the operations of many OF their
number, particularly in this State.
Their professional cards guarantee
their assays to conform to those of the
United States Mint yet, when two
from the samas sample are com pared
one of which is assayel ut the Mint,
there is a marked difference. s. long
as there is no prohibition to the con
trary, many persons will prefer to re-
ly on a Mint assay, rather than on a
professional one.