The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-01-07

4 ANiuS pOtentaleS-
| BLOCKS OF SOLID GOLD.
Gold dust, grains of gold and crystalline
Jumps here ready for the meters pot To
the deposit melting-room next it goes in
locked iron boxes, from which it is placed in
pots and with a suitable fiux is melted and
nodded Bits are cut off for assaying. and
then 1t goes TO the refner and meter. For
assaylng gold the small piece is taken to the
aSsayers room, now dark apartment re-
sembllng DIR. Faustus chamber. with its
cruclDies, kettles and pans. The gold is put
IN black lead pot, melted and fuxed and
stirred to make complete mixture: cooled
and rolled out. Then half gramme is accu-
rately weighed, which is stamped 600 and
all the weights hereafter used are decimal of
inns to the ten-thousandth part. Silver. for
the alloylng, Is next added, and then the
LEAD for the cupeliation; then the whole
Is cupelled until the base metals are
used, and then the remaining bullion is beat
en- into spiral and the silver dissolved out
ana the remaining gold determined bv
weight 10 return To the melting-room: il
Is there that all the gold and silver used in
the mint are melted; iron molds are used
winch are previously CREASED TO prevent
sucking, and as the metals are in a molten |
mass they are poured into these molds and |
speedily cooled, after which thew are called |
lngots, aud are long, thin blocks of a rich |
: 1oior' though not yet showing their perfect |
beauty. Here literally gold and silver are
~ the air, for'the very clothes on the work
mem the sWeeplngs from the floor and the
water used Tor washing are found to be full
OF them, and are worth about 500 600 a vaor
From the melting room the bars 90 10 +ho
rolhng-room. The mighty revolving laws
which in the day put forth souirm;5o sn5
writing tongues of gold are now still. In
me day the ingots are passed through the
rollers to the number Of 200 an honr
% each pair of rollers, and come
.orth just the thickness of a coin
6enlnd them, in the same room. are
he cutting presses, which, with a continual
map, snap, bite out 225 pIanchets or plain
,oln pieces minute Of these machines
mere are nine. AS the planchets are cut they
ire taken In boxes to the annealing furnaces
or the hard treatment they have received
makes them brittle In these furnaces the
metal is heated to red heat when it becomes
s SOFT and pllable as leather, and is then Ia
zen out to cool. Then the planchets 90 to the
dJustlng room, where they are weighed and
Inspected. Iftoo light, they are remelted: if
90 heavy, but near the weight, thew are fled
own 70 1T but If altogether too heavy
ney zoo are remelted. From the adjusting
DOM lhey go to the clearing room. where !
nth acids and heat they are Thoroughly
ieansed, then dried with sawdust and nea.
ut-t oaster arrangements. Now comes the ;
oining. Massive monsters are the presses ;
which there are 10, each capable of turning
ut over 100 coins a minute. which. if thew !
Iere double eagles, would amount to s34 600
'eiore the planchets are put in the coinino !
resses they are Inilled or have their edges ;
irned up. Now comes the final operation
which money is literally made The
mount OF pressure required to make per- >
ct coin is from 20 to so tons-the larger the !
I'm the larger the weight. The planchets are | =
Ut In brass tube, and with each impression :,
the press are caught in two iron arms and
laced on the lower die, which is in the he'd 8
tne press, corresponding to the upper die. :,
ID oy the coming together of these two dies :,
e the CONS struck. As the planchet rests =
the lower die, the upper descends and the 4
anchet Is pressed by them; instantly the -
~ arinS eaten the struck coin and throw it | :;
TO box beneath. At this moment II ;s
gal coin and not before. Gathering the coin (
ON the boxes, they are placed on counting- y
ards, which are grooved boards somewhat '.
re Westinghouse, which are divided so as 70
hold just certain number of coins. As -
e CONS are run in the grooves and counted. ',
ey are poured in a drawer, from which they Il
taken, counted, put in bags, and are then o.
ady to go forth TO make their work of "
'etchedness or happiness, and so ends the y,
pplness But the cabinet of ancient and ';
'derr coins remains. In it are the widows $
tie OF the Scriptures, and, curiously enough. 8,
ere Is coin from an older Philadelpbia -
mt, one 1000 years old, which existed in ~
Ia. Here, too, are specimens of coins of To IT,
nations Of the globe, and here is the end NC
the visit to the mint. w