Vicksburg weekly herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1868-1883, 1878-03-22
Silver Coinage.

GRIsT - SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS
TURNED oCr-sPECtMENs ~ THE
SEw CCIN FOR OFFICIAL DI.TRlBU.
TIoN-A "vETo DOLLAR FOR PREst.
DENT HAYES.
Cincinnati Commercial!
PHILADELPHIA, March IL The Mint
has begun to grind lie gri,I. On Thurs.
day, Col. Bosby Shet', chief %cOiner, will
turn over his first batch OF struck
pieces 10 Superintendent Pollock, who
will al once pass them on 10 the various
sub reasuries, through which they are
10 be let loose upon the public.
This early delivery, Of necessity
small, will be followed day after day
by piles containing something like
$I50,000 every "a hours, and when the
needful implements of coinage, now
being manufactured here shall reach
the SAu Francisco and Carson City
Minls, the whole hard money.makiDg
facilities Of the country will, 10 less
than Q Fortnight, be under q heavy
strain.
The lrst of the new silver dollars,
the planchet or blank of which was
dropped iTo the receiving tube of The
coming press by Mr.. Albert Downing,
foreman, Gov. Pollock, Col. Bnsby
Shell, and George L, Morgan, the de.
signer. Standing near, was caught By
the nimhl forks that have shut TO on
many a coin b fore, pressed quickly TO.
ward the lower die, grssped around
the edge BY the hard steel collar,
stamped heavily by the diverse die
above, and as The machine shuddered In
relation, rolled down into the catch.
box with a chink, a poor, blurred ana
deformed silver dollar, that had to be
matted over again.
Dollar No. 3 came out glIttering
and perfect.
That's the veto coin, because this
first piece goes to President Hayes
These 6rst pieces OF the press are spec
linens for official distribution.
Dollar No. 3 fell into the box and
rested by the side Of the President,
keepsake.
"Here we have Secretary Sherman
little memento," whispered the Chief
as the colner placed the pieces in tive
OF the twelve envelopes which be helC
In bis hand.
When the dozen coins we're ready
the press was stopped, but soon started
up again, steam turned on, aud by {
o'clock this evening $4,000 bad beef
turned. These coins have gone In th'
last week through the following steps
Upon its arrival at the mint, the crudI
| silver goes into the deposit or weigh
ing-room, is weighed upon most deli
cafe scales, aud taken to the depOsi
melung.room. After the first meltinI
It 10 wheeled back TO the weighing
! room, and placed upon the scale
/ again.
The Assayor clips from the bulk
little piece of about three pennyweightl
and from this in his laboratory deter
, mines the fneness OF the metal.
The deposition Of the bullion, VIII
. has meanwhile been given a certifcat
9 for the gross weight, is paid according
= to the determination of the Assayor.
The metal itself passes the secout
. time from the weighing room 10 til
separating department, where the pur
|, silver is taken from II by chemical pro
cesses. Thence 1t passes through mino
stages TO the melting aud refining de
pariment, thence to the rolling room
where much ponderous work is done
: Rollers turned by huge engines crus
the metal Into thin strips, which beinI
annesled, are rolled several times snC
. passed over to still finer machines 0
, tho same kind.
From these, after another annealing
the silver Is removed TO the drawing
. table, by which The strips are shaped.
The next process - the d justment o
the strips. Then ttey are placed in III,
cutting machine, aud made inio rOunt
blanks. The blanks are somewha
= larger than the coin, bat when Iul
through the milling machine ar
|, damned up at the edge TO the exac
} size. This 10 the last mechanical stag
but the stamping with the dies, whicI
{ it has taken The workmen ten days Il
make.