The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-04-04
are permitted to be used. The planchets

are permitted to be used. The planchets
after being adjusted to the requisite
weight are carried to the cleaning room,
and ere then ready for the final process.
The dies used in coming are at present
made under the direction of Mr.. Morgan,
former employee ir his special depart
ment in the Royal 3lint of London, a
gentleman of rare ability as designer
and engraver, and of fine artistic taste.
The new coinage, which may be expected
this week, will illustrate his abilities in
quo measured degree. The mode of pre-
pairing the dies is slow, requiring great
care, first in the separation of the mate
rial, aud second in the annealing and
adjustment for the blow. Each die under
ordinary usages is subject to one bloH a
day; but Mr.. Morgan, in order to facili-
tate the production of dies to meet the
present urgent calls, has undertaken to
give them two blows every twenty-four
hours. This is but an experiment and
may prove failure. In preparation for
the blow the die must be brought gradu-
ally to cherry-red heat in charcoal
furnace and permitted to gradually cool
within the furnace, the operation occu-
pying from sixteen to twenty-four hours.
The blow producing the impression is
from hydraulic press exerting power
of about one hundred tons. 1t is not q
rapid blow, but may be truly termed a
pressure exerting 4 quick but not per-
cussivc power. A percussion always
crystalizes the metal, an objection entire
ly avoided by this application of force.
The preparation of the dies, as will be
seen by the above description, must be
slow, and, taking into consideration the
time necessarily occupied in their adjust
mepts, it would be impossible, under the
most favorable circumstances, that COIN
ing can begin prior to The 14th of this
month, if then. The first delivery of
irgots for the coinage was made on Mon
day, and blanks are being cut rapidly,
the chief coiner, MIR. Bosbyshell, giving
as his opinion that already there are
sufficient on hand waiting stamping to
amount to 100000. The Mint is being
placed in effective condition to do all
that its contracted quarters will permit
toward supplying the demands that the
bill calls for. Ninety thousand ounces
Of silver are now delivered from the re-
fning and melting department, an
amount that will produce somewhere
near $4,000.
The popularity Of Mr.. Morgan's work
is the bringing into, relief, with a slight
depression, that which was considered
unattainable except by strong lines and
deep work. The secret Of effects is in
the sharp lines used in the delineation of
the figures, which brings rhe lights and
shadows out boldly, and thus gives the
appearance of heavy work. Aside from
the relief this light cutting gives to the
die in its work the coin is more rapidly
removed from its bed after completion
by the "feeders."
Occupying the larger portion of the
eastern floor it is considered the most in-
teresting part of the operations of the
Mint. There are eleven presses in this
room of different sizes, varying according
to the work required of them. Each
press is capable cf coming 120 pieces
per minute, but the average run is but
eighty, rs beyond that number the dan.
ger of injury to the press in case of acci-
dent is much increased. The larger
presses, of which there are i've, will only
be used in the coming of the new silver
dollar, and at the rate of eighty pieces
each per minute there will be produced
400 pieces 4 minute, or $4,000 an hour.
On each silver dollar, to create perfect
impression, force of eighty tons is used,
and yet the machines are so delicately
adjusted that the observer deems the as
sertion as bordering on the marvellous.
The impressions or both sides of the coin
are made with one motion of the press.
The steel die is fastened upon what is
termed q stake and placed ON the bed of
the press, surrounded by collar. Work
ing directly over the lower die the diverse
die is fixed, and it is from this portion
the needed pressure is regulated. The
iron arms called feeders each the coins
as they drop from the brass tube, which
is filled with planchets, grasp it and
place it on the lower die. At the in
slant this die sinks below the collar the
upper one descends upon the piece, its
impression given, and in all instant the
completed piece is caught by the feeder,
removed, and another planchet takes the
position.
This is the finishing process, and the
coin, bright and sparkling, is taken to
the counting board to be reckoned,
weighed and shipped to its destination.
1t may be observed here that in this, as
in all other departments of the Mint,
the weighing process and an exact entry
of the same is of vital necessity. The
gold and silver coins, when completed,
are transferred to the chief coiner's room,
where they are put up in packages ready
for delivering to the Treasurer.-M T.
Herald, 18Th Mar:h.