Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-02-06
PROCESS uF COMING oot1.


The process ofcoining gold is very
accurately yet suecinctly described in a
recent letter to the Boston Post. We
condense the description as follows
The miners have to grind the gold rock
tine, keeping it wet constantly, and as
1T becomes fine, it washes off. They
have a hard kind of stone for grinding
They then b, ~ mix fIx. quicksilver witt it, and
that collects the gold dust It is wash
cd out, dried, and goes through some
kind of heating process. The gold
dust Is then usually sold to the superin-
tendent of the mint. So ihh iii s the
miners melt the dust and cast it into
bar before offering it at the mint. To
lind the value, each parcel has to be
essayed. The assaying is most cur
ious and scientific of all the business in
the mint. The meters take the go1d
dust, melt it, cast it into a bar, When
it is weighed accurately, and piece is
cut off for the assayer. He takes it ;
NETS it with, twice its weight of silver,
and several times its weight of lead.
1t is melted in some small cups made of
bone-ashes, which absorb ali the lead.
when large amount of Tie silver is ex-
tracted by another process, and the
sample is then rolled out to a thin shay
ing, cooled up and put up in sort of
glass vial called mattrass, along with
some nitric acid. The mattresses are
put on furnace and the acid is boiled
some time, poured off, new supply
put in, and boiled again. This is done
several times till the acid has extracted
all the silver and other mineral substan-
ces leaving the sample pure gold. The
sample il then Weighed, and by the diff
tereneS. beiofe iassaying aid after, the
true value is found. The gold after it
has been assayed, is melted, refined, and
being mixed with its due proportion
Of alloy, (equal parts of silver and cop
per- is drawn into long strips, in shape
not unlike an iron oop for cask the
round pieces cut out with sort of
punch, each piece weighed, and brought
to the right size by a file, if too
heavy, when it is milled, or the edge
raised and put into q stamping press.
whence it come forth i peffect coin,
bearing the endorsement IF ~. S."
The Legislature Amt What it Used to Was"
From the Fredericksburg News
In old times about six western mem
bers, some OF whom could not write
their names, fact, would room together
and vote together; Keep joiht jug OF
whiskey under the bed, and go home in
the spring, each with little nigger and
side OF sole leather-clear profit from
their Legislative pay.
R"f thoee Legislators were wiser, more
honest and better thai we have now.
Tie members then had good hard
sense and integrity, They served the
Commonwealth, not themselves, faith
fully, to the best oftheir ability. They
did not accept brides and call them
'.yees"
What have we now?
The present Legislature by purity, hon
esty, uprightness and integrity, must
perge itself from the almost Universal
suspicion that it is corrupt and corrupt
ble
My young friends-I mean you boy
legislators-do you know that in spite
of the Noisy gable ST eross-toaa aefha-
gogues, who preach reputation and
call it ''relief," that deep down in the
hearts of the majority OF men and all
women and children, there is an in
stinctive adherence and detestation of
the real dishonesty of what you call re-
lief. You may get tip excitement, and
the people iftas say 1T is a gob4 Thing
to be relieved from taxes Afla, debt.
But when the sober; second thought
comes to the public mind, and heart
and conscience, woe be unto you polit-
ical scribes and pharisees ''The deep
damnation which awaits you as the be-
trayers Of the people will be fearful
Pause now. You have bad advisers.
You are poor; Ind money tenpts. But
ga g5od rlane is more to be desired
than great riches" and ''be sure your
sin will find you out"
TO conclude our faithful remarks to
this Legislature, we will say that as our
intercourse with the people, not confined
to any particular section of the State,
has impressed us, is about as follows:
lst. The Legislature thinks that
the people are. morally rotten and dis
hortest, and viii consent to and applaud
anything for present immediate relief
from pressing, urgent necessities and
demands for just obligation. (How
mistakenly
I'd. The pe5ple think that about one
half Of the present Legislature are in
competent; hot to say fools, and that
good marry Fight smart members can be
bought.
What chance is there, then, for hon
est legislation. if either side is correct in
its estimate of the other.
Let us hope that both are wrong.