The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1878-03-28

wood fire. and then being allowed TO cool
gradually. The silver dollar strips are
passed through the rolls nneor ten times
before the anneaing and four or five
times aiterward. Then the process OF an.
healing is repeated. After the anneaIing
the strips are run through cutters which
divide them into drafts Of the proper
thickness for the coins, and these in
their return, are run though n steam
punching machine which cuts planchets
the proper sieze for the coin. From $50
to 200 are cut in minute. As the metal
gets greasy during the pro ess, the plan,
chefs are dipped into bath of diluted
sulphulic acid, which is too weak to act
upon the surface, but effectively removes
all foreign matter, The planchets are
adjusted; that is to say, they are carefully
weighed, and all that are lacking in
weight are cast aside; such pieces are
called lights" and the "heavies are
the pieces which weigh too much and are
filed off, The adjusting is done by women
1t is process which requires much
delicacy, and scales are used which are
sensitive to one sixty>tourth of a grain
After the adjusting is finished, the next
operation is the milling, which is done
with curious sort of machine. The
edges of the coin are thrown up and
grooved by this process. After another
cleaning with sulphuric acid the coins are
ready for the die, The stamping is done
on screw presa, and both sides OF the
com are stamped al the same time. The
dies are cylindrical blocks OF steel, upon
which are carved the designs to be trans
ferred by pressure to the coins. Art Of a
high order, as well as fine mechanism, is
conspicuous in this part OF the coming
process. The designer in the case Of the
new silver dollar, Mr.. Morgan, tirst draws
his design on paper, from which is made
n model in wax, OF which a plaster cas-,
is taken, and from this cast an electrotype
is taken, upon which careful revision
is made with the graver. Thi,
electrotype, like the model and cast
which preceded it, is three or four times
larger than the impression which appear,
on the dollar. The design is transferred
to a steel die hy using Hills reducing
machine, constructed on the principle OF
the pantograph. One arm of this nstru.
ment, with blunt point, follows the
lines on the electrotype, while the other
arm, to which is attached a strong and
rapidly revolving drill, reproduces the
same lines on n smaller scale upon steel
block. BY means OF press this i'm.
preston is transferred to another block
in intagliO and thence upon another
block, which is the parent die. After
each transfer the lines are carefully inn
proved with graver. Steel OF the same
quality as that of which the parent die
is made is used for the coming dies
They are annesled, and trued on both
ends. Two or three blows in the screw
press, which is worked with Il large
wheel, secures perfect impression, and
both the diverse and the reverse of {
! coin are struck at once Machinery placel
the planchets between the dies, and at
terwarG drops the completed coin in ;
box, Two or three pieces OF each coin
age are reserved Tor the annual govern
ment assay.
The processes Of melting, refining and
assaying gold and silver are carried OF
in the assay Office, in this city, on quite
az large a scale as at the Philadelphia
mint Not only government work is
done here, but large deposits are made
daily of gold and silver bullion by pri-
vate individuals. Gold il always found
alloycd with silver, and it is never found
with any other alloy. TO separate the
silver from the gold, the bullioni is boiled
in sulphuric acid, which removes the
alloy; the gold is then reboiled and re
duced to coarse powder resembling
clay. Its purity then is 99S and 500,
The silver, mixed with copper, is run into
vats on the lower floor, and is purified
and granulated, wnen it resembles pipe
clay. The granulated gold and silver
are pressed into large cheeses in a hy'
drauic press. A cheese Of gold, twelve
inc es in diameter and three inches thick
is worth 800 000 a silver cheese of the
same size is worth 5000. The sulphurC
acid after il is used, produces sediment
of blue vitriol, which il much prettiel
than either the gold or the silver seen in
the assay Office. The vitriol and the
weak acid are both sold for as much
money as the original acid costs
The substitution of sulphurl'
acid Tor nitric acid has causeC
saving to the New York Assay Office
alone OF 100000 a year. Deposition
receive their gold and silver separatel.
at standard purity, 900. Pure metal i
also sent to the Assay Office from tn
various refneries to be alloyed. Fror
United States refneries silver is general
sent in large bars or cakes; and sma
amount of Mexican metal is received
thin, irregularly shaped pieces calle
disks. The fumes from the va,s an
furnaces in the Assay office are COZ
densed and sold as weak acid. Only
small amount of the gas escapes into Il
l atmosphere, and although it Is slight
r offensive it is not injurious. On Il
contrary, this gas is an excellent di
infectant, and acts upon dead matt
Y rather than living. The same preca
Z tions are taken 10 prevent loss in u
y Assay office as in the great mints. II
i ashes, the sweepiDgs from the floor, u
i crucibles, and all the instruments whl'
i come in contact with the pfeclo'
r. metals are washed and ground in
e machine constructed for the purpose. aI
n the stray Particles of silver and gold a
6 gathered together.--[N. Y. Times
n An Interesting Young Man.
!, ,L,s;c;an well known hereabou