The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-02-26
GOLD COIN.
DESCRIPTION TO MAKE ONES FINGERS ITcl

young Iowan, employed in the San Fran
cisco United States mint, writes his father a
Des Moines all about how gold is turned int
money there He says:
Gold ordinarily comes into the mint il
shape of dust, scales or bars, the first tw
coming from the placer or gravel mines an
the last usually from the quartz, havin,
been melted and retorted at the mills. Eacl
deposit is separately weighed and numbered
by the receiving clerk and is placed in TIL
iron box by itself, accompanied by tas
indicating its number, and thereafter tina
deposit retains that number Until it is read,
for coinage, the name of the depositor only
being known to the receiving clerk and the
assayer. Il is then sent to the melting room
in charge of the melter end refner, where il
| is melted and run into bar about the size OF
a brick, and stamped with the number of the
tag by which it was accompanied, and is re-
turned to the receiving clerk to be weighed
again, to ascertain what loss, it any, has oc-
Cured in the melting. Then it is sent to the
sampling room, where small piece about
| the size CT half dime is cut from one corner
| of the top, and a like piece from the diagonal
corner Of the bottom, and the bar is then re-
turned and locked up in the vault to await
the report Of the assayer upon the value Of
the deposit, which value is to be ascertained
BY assays from the pieces Clipped from the
bar as before Indicated and upon his report
the depositor, if he SO desires, is paid at once
without awaiting the process of coming the
metal deposited by him.
Deposits are received up to II o'clock noon,
and all the deposits received are melted and
Clipped, and the assays made during the day,
each deposit being kept separate. The day
following these several deposits are run into
n re afa har uyhja oh oil
Clipped and assayed, and these bars are sent
to the refinery.
Gold very rarely, I might say never, comes
to the mint perfectly pure. 1t always con
talns more or less silver, and generally some
iron OF baser material. 1t is parted or
separated from these at the refinery, and
the gold and silver contained in the bars
sent from the mint to the refinery is returned
to the mint in the shape OF fine gold and fine
silver, supposed to be freed from all impure
ties. These bars are weighed, and the gold
bars are again Clipped for assay in the same
as the original deposit, and if found
to be pure, the gold is alleged with the neces- |
siry quantities of silver and copper to bring
it to the coin standard 800 gold, .O05 silver |
and .O95 copper-and is melted and run into |
lngots. These ingots arc also Clipped and |
assayed, and, if found to be Of the exact stand
ard Of tineIess, are sent to the coiners' depart
ment.
In the coiners department the ingots are
irst rolled into strips about five feet in length
md Of the required width and thickness of |
he coin proposed to be made They are
5hen annealed by being placed in copper
ubes, probably fifteen or twenty strips in a
ube, which is closed up and put into an oven
md treated to a cherry-red heat, and after
,eing cooled they are taken out and run
trough a cutting machine which cuts out the
hape and as near as possible the size OF the
equired coin. The blanks as they are called
re then taken to the adjusting rooms, where
ach piece is carefully weighed, and if found
o be too heavy, enough is filed off the edges
o bring it to the standard weight, and any
hat are found to be light are returned to be
emelted.
The adjusting room is connected with the
Diners department, and the adjusters are all
'omen, the only females employed in the
lint. There are from twenty to thirty OF
nem. Their work is not heavy, but, as Won
i'll see, requires some degree OF skill and
cry great care.
After being carefully adjusted the blanks ,
re run through the milling machine, Which
lickens the edges and makes it the proper
ze. They are then stamped by press Of
immense power, power equal to rs tons
eight being required and used to stamp
.ch double eagle, the impression being
ade on both side at the same time. This is
le last process and the coin IS then turned
YER to the treasurer, to be paid out as re-
Tired. :,
The compromise is unwise as matter Of
olicy and sacrifices the dearest and most
tai principles Of free government. i