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

are permitted to be used. The planchets
after being adjusted to the requisite
weight are carried to the cleaning room,
and are then ready for the final process.
The dies used in coming are at present
made under the direction Of Mr. Morgan,
g former employee in his special depart.
nent in the Royal Mint of London,
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
suo measured degree. The mode Of pre-
pairing the dies is slow, requiring great
care, first in the separation of the mate
rial, and second in the annealing and
adjustment for the blow. Each die under
ordinary usages IL subject to one blow
day; but Mr.. Morgan, in order to facili-
tate the production Of dies to p,eet the
presant urgent calls, has undertaken to
give .hem two blows every twenty-four
hours. This is but an experiment and
may prove failure. In preparation for
tie blow the die must be brought grsdu-
ally to cherry-red heat 10 charcoal
furnace and permitted to gradually cool
within the furnace, the operation occu.
pyiDg from sixteen to twenty -four hours.
The blow. producing the impression il
from hydraulic press exerting power
Of about one hundred tons. 1t is not q
rapid blow, but may be truly termed a
easvo eome eoss quas psacsssn SGs not wpsS. psr
crystalizes the metal, an objection entire.
iy 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
meuts, it would be impossible, under the
most favorable circumstances, that COIN
ing can begin prior to the l4th of this
/, month, il then. The iirst delivery of
ingots for the coinage was made OH Mon
day, and blanks are being cut rapidly,
the chief coiner, Mr.. Bos5yshell, giving
as his opinion that already there are
dufiicient on hand waiting stamping to
amount to 100000. The Mint Ia being
placed in effective condition to do ali
chat its contracted quarters will permit
coward supplying the demands that the
bill calls for. Ninety thousand ounces
Of silver arc now delivered from the re-
fining and melting department, an
amount that viii produce somewhere
near $4,000.
The pecuilsFity OF Mr. Morgan's work
is the bringing into relief, with slight
depression, that which was considered
unattaipable except by strong lines and
deep work. The secret of effects is i'm
the sharp lines used in the delineation of
the figures, which brings the lights and
shadows out boldly, aud thus gives the
appearance of heavy work. Aside from
the relief this light cutting gives to the
die in its work tho coin is more rapidly
removed from its bed after completion
by the feeders"
Occupying the larger portion of the
eastern floor it is considered tho 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 of coming 12O PIECES
per minute, but the average run is but
eighty, as 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 five, 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
40O pieces minute, or $4,000 an hour.
On each silver dollar, to create perfect
impression, force of eighty tons il used,
and yet the machines are SO delicately
dHJuotSN tiiht LIZ OuSSEfcE ueCILb tDo 29.
sertion Us bordering ON the marvellous.
The Impressions on 10th sides of the coin
are made with one motion of the press.
The steel die is fastened upon what il
termed stake and p' iced on the bed of
the press, surrounded py q collar. Work.
ing directly over the lower die the obverse
die is fiy'd, and it is from this portion
the needeu pressure is regulated. The
iHn arms called feeders catch the coins
as they drop from the brass tube, which
is filled with planchcts, grasp it and
place it on the lower die. At the in
stant this die sin!:s below the collar the
upper one descends upon the piece, it's
impression given, and in an instant the
completed piece is caught by tho feeder,
removed, and another planchet takes tho
position.
This is the finishing process, and the
cein, bright aud sparkling, ir taken 10
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 coner'ss room,
where they are put up in packages ready
| for delivering to the Treasurer.-M Y.
Herald, 1871 March.