The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-03-22


PHILADELPHIA. Pa. March 12.-Ths
Mint has begun to grind its grist. Or
Thursday Colonel Bosby Shell, chiei
Icoiner, will turn over his first batch oi
struck pieces 10 Superintendent Pollock
who will at once pass them on 10 tho
various sub-treasurIes, through which
they are to be LET loose upon the public
This early delivery, Of necessity small
will be followed day after day by piles
containing something like $4,000
every twenty-four honrs, and when the
needfuI implements Of coinage. now be-
ing manufactured here, shall have reach.
ed the san Francisco and Carson City
Mints. the whole hard money making
faculties Of the country will, in less than
Ia fortnight. be under heavy strain.
The first Of the new silver dollars, the
planchet or blank Of which was dropped
INTO the receiving tube of the coming
press by Mr.. Albert Downing, foreman
Govcrnor Pollock. Colonel Bosby Shell
and George 4. Morgan. the designer
standing near, was caught by the nimble
forks, that have shut to on many coin
before, pressed quickly toward the lower
Idie, grasped around the edge BY the
hard steel collar. stamped heavily BY the
obversed die above. and. as the machine
shuddered in relaxation. rolled down
into the catch box with a chink q poor
blurred and deformed silver dollar, that
mad 10 be melted over again.
dollar No. came out glittering and
perfect.
That's the veto coin. because the first
|piece goes to President Hayes" These
nrrt pieces of the press are specimens
Tor official distribution.
Dollar No. fell into the box and
rested by the side Of the President's
keepsake
Here we have Secretary Sherman's
little memento," whispered the Chief, 6,
the coiner placed tie pieces in two OF
the twelve envelopes which he held in
his hand.
When the dozen coins were ready
the press was stopped. but soon started
up again. steam turned on. and by six
loclock this evening. $4,000 had been
turned. These coins have gone in the
last week through the following steps
Upon III arrival at the Mint, the crude
silver goes into the deposit or weighing.
room, is weighed upon most delicate
scales, and taken to the deposit melting
room. After the first melting IL i
wheeled back 10 the weighing-room and
placed upon the scales again.
The Assavor clips from the bnlk q
little piece of about three pernvweighfs
and from this in his laboratory deter.
mines the fineness of the metal.
The depositor Of the bullion, who has
in the meanwhile been given certifi-
cate for the gross weight. is paid accord
ing TO the determination Of the Assayor.
The metal itself passes the second
time from the weighing-room 10 the
separating department. where the pure
silver II taken from il by chemical pro-
cesses. Thence II passes through minor
stages 10 the melting and refining de-
partment, thence 10 the rolling-room,
where much pondcrous work is done.
Rollers turned by huge engines crush
the metal into thin strips. which being
annealed. are rolled several times and
passed over to still finer machines Of the
same kind.
From these, after another annealing,
the silver Is removed to the drawing u
table, by which the strips are shaped.
The next process i the adjustment Of
the strips. Then they are placed in the
cutting machine, and made into round
blanks. The blanks are somewhat
larger than the coin, but when run
through the milling machine are JAM
med up at the edge 10 the exact size
This il the last mechanical stage but the
stamping with the dies. which IL has
taken the workmen ten days TO make.