The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-04-04

INTO ilttlo fclt6u teftneu 'COTnet."
The silver that remains IL extracted by
tn> use Of sulphuric acid. This is effsc.
ted by the use of the platinum apparatus,
an English invention. It consists of a
small tfay, technically called basket,
made of platinum, divided into twelve
small compartments, each Of sufficient
siEe to hold cornet. In this is boiled
nitric acid, which extracts the silver and
leaves the gold free from admixture with
any other metals. The gold is then left
in its purity. But, while 1t may be pure
gold it still may not be up to the stand
ard of the quality required by the Mint,
for there is as much difference in the
quality Of pure gold as there lie In any
other metal, in iron obtainsd from differ
ent niines, for instance. The gold OBJ
tanned from the Georgia mines is the gold
nearest purity, being purer than even the
California gold. Tho final weighing Of
the little coil determines the fincness of
the original sample by proportional
weights in thousandths. Tho arriva! at o
just conclusion lie by comparison in
weight with cornet Of chemically pnre
gold. The entire process 10 beautiful,
and the delicacy to which 1t has been
brought exhibita tue rapid advance made
AZ ncsato' SiSoi CheinistIy Wltuin tulb
century.
Granulated silver Is used In the silver
assay, ss it has been demonstrated by
this Mint and the Miut of Paris, France,
that out of granulated mass the same
6neness results, whether by assaying
single granule or o number together.
From q asmple of silver prepared In this,
way, the weight 1115-l6O0 of @ fixed.
very email quantity is taken, which ie
dissolved with nitric acid. Into this 80.
luton pipette fall of standard solution
Of salt is introduced and it instantly pro-
auces wk;ts prScP;;::aa:ss which which is oiio-
ride of silver, containing of metallic silver
1000 parts. "a pipette 10 small vial.
shaped glass vessel.5 To make thib chic.
ride subside rapidly the liquid should be
violently shaken, end this 10 done by q
mechanical arrangement. the time occu-
pied being about twenty minutes. If the
entire amount of silver 10 not precipita-
ted on introduction of portion of the
Golution Ia made capable Of precipitating
q thousandth Of silver, and white cloud
of the chloride will be seen. This is re-
peated until the liquor is clear. If in
this operation three measures of the dec
imal solution is effective it will show that
the ,115 parts of silver contained 1908
parts of pure silver. Alrthe. excess was
impure matter. This department of the
Philadelphia blint has been brought to
the utmost limit Of present netallurgical
science. As confirmativc of their evident
superiority ali incident would not he in
appropriate.
Some years ago, when but moderate
quantities of gold were mined in this
country, the Mint depended for its supply
mainly upon the receipt of British coin.
1t was discovered by an assay that con-
signment from England was below the
English standard. Notice TO this effect
was served upon the Royal Mint ut Lon
don. The assertion was strenuously de-
MED on their part, and insisted upon just
as firmly by the officials Of the United
States Mint. The controv -sy, which
was animated, gave rise to the formation
of o committee Of investigation on the
part OF the London mint, and the result
completely sustained the allegations of
the American experts. From that date
there has been no questioning of the de-
cisions of our mint masteTs.
The separating room occupies the
greater part of the western side of the
building on the second floor. The gold
and silver id large masses are separated
from each other after samples have been
once melted and assayed. In separating
and purifying gold certain quantity Of
pure silver is added. The whole is then
immersed in nitric acid, which dissolves
the silver and leaves the gold pure. Tho
silver solution is drawn off and the gold
is left at the bottom of the tub. In pre-
pairing silver the mass is melted and gran
ulated and dissolved in nitric acid. It is
then chloride and contains all of the
baser metals. The chloride is precipita-
ted by using common salt, and rendered
into thick, creamy mass BY putting
zinc on the precipitate it becomes metallic
silver, and washing and melting brings it
to virgin silver. a.' =, =, :,
In the melting department there is o
force of forty-one men engaged in sueit-
ing gold and silver or in Subsidiary ope.
rations. Of thiB force there are seven
:.e!te:s and seeSSes:;:11sin seventeen helpers engaged
solely in melting silver. This gang are
now working exclusively upon the pfApa.
ration of the silver dollars. It is claimed
by Professor Booth thss he can malt daily
with this force ingots sufficient to make
$4,000 silver coin.i This ie their full
capacity of work within ten hours, and
is larger than has ever been executed in
this Mint or in any other. BY working
overtime with the same furnaces and
the came force they could produce $75,-
600 daily, or, lastly, by using the addi-
tional furnaces and overtime $4,000
per day might be produced. This,would
increase the ratio OF production from
81 ,Ooo, 900 per month to s2,6OO,000 Per
month. i.,f ~ -
It is.cuEious to note the amount OF
work $1,000, 900 per month involves.
The $90, 900 production per day weighs
6,i70 pounds, and being handled I6 times
day makes $500 pounds. The iron
mou!ds, weighing 40 pounds each, carried
81 times for each melt, makes 76,800
pounds handled, the total being 175,52O
pounds, or 78 tons. A melt of silver
from the present pots averages 64 ingots
weighing altogether about 5000 ounces
The size of the ingot is 13 inches in
length, IA inches in width and one-hali
inch in thickness; weighing about "A
ounces troy. These ingots are rolled
down fer the new dollar to o thickness Of
82-1000th of an inch, and cut TO a diam.
eter of ~ inches. The Keeping up Of
the average of purity in the smelling Il
j ,.oil0 uy g vonotanO succession or granu
lated assays. In melt after the frs
two ingots they pour granulated assay
and next 20 the last another assay. /
the two do not agree tho melt is con
demned. The silver now in use is the
Dore silver, from the Comatock lode. L
seldom needs refining, and 10 taken ss I
rule from the bar 10 the melting pot.
The loeses in the melting department