Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-07-28
NINETY.NINE TONS OF GOLD.
How Sixty Millions Of bullion Looks Al
In One Room - TuRRed About ans
Weighed, "a Hundred Thousand Dollars
Worth NJ % Time.

| II recent Issue OF the New York Sun
says II costs 81, 200 TO send IS, ,OOO, 900
in bullion from the New York assay
Office to the Philadelphia mint. That
is why a room in the assay office is at
present walled around with gold bricks.
The weight of $4,000, 900 is eight tons
and quarter, or, more accurately,
| lG, $50 pounds. Congress was asked for
$4,000 to cover the expense Of trans
| porting bullion to the mint, but il only
appropriated $4,000 Between the
second of August last and May
800, 900 900 in gold was received in the
assay office, and for lack Of money to
send it to the mint SGO,000,OOO yet re-
mairs on the hands of Superintendent
Thomas g. Acton. This 5000, 900
weighs about ninety-nino tons. 4 man
who should own it would be able 20 wall
himself up in it as in well, and the
well would not be 80 wide or 80 high
but that he could stand in the middle
and touch every brick. The num-
Der Of gentlemen in this country who
could perform this interesting expert
mcnt with their own gold is small The
bricks in the assay Office average about
$4,000 apiece in value. The most Of
them are not much to look at. They
are as black and dull in color as a cheap
quality of stoycpipe. II you scratch
one with a knife, you make bright
yellow mark, and this mark will not get
black again. These black bricks are
composed Of melted foreign coins con
tanning about the right amour, Of alloy
for American coinage, and so the alloy
Is allowed 10 remain in them. When
the melted gold is poured into the
molds the oxygen Of the air attacks the
copper Of the alloy. and turns it black.
If 1t were worth while to protect the
bricks from the air until they got cold
they would never get any darker in color
than a gold coin would. Two.thirds
Of all these bricks are made Of French
twcnty-franc pieces. Those bricks
made Of gold directly from the mines
arc very nearly pure metal, and are as
bright as coins. The drainage from all
this gold, if it were put at interest at
five per cent, would make a golden
stream OF S3i2 an hour running dny and
night.
i know just as we'll how much gold
there is in this ROOM" Superintendent
Acton said, as he Razed about at the
piled up wealth, cas- ] know my own
age. but, Notwithstanding that, it must
all bc weighed again in anticipation Of
the account to be rendered. If We had
had money enough to send it to the
Philadelphia mint, We would not have
the great trouble Of weighing it. About
500, 900 Of it only is put on tho scales
at a time"
Six men were at work. Down the
faces of all but two Of them the sweat
rolled, and their hands were grimy with
black oxide Of copper. They tuggcd
at the gold bars like 'longshorcmen I'M.
loading pig iron. A heavy platform
truck on four small wheels was rolled
into the room, and on this about twenty
five bars or bricks, taken from the built.
up golden walls on three sides Of the
room, we're laid. The truck was then
drawn along the floor BY four men, two
pulling and two pushing, into an adioin-
ing room whore the scales were. The
scales are about five feet high, and the
index needle is more than four feet long.
The beam and the pans are suspended
on steel edges as sharp as knife blades,
TO avoid friction. When the small
weights had been added to the large
ones to balance the gold, the point Of
the long index needle would tremble
over the middle line OF the ivory grad.
uated scale. This pair of scales is OF
a kind so delicate that when brought to
a balance with two pieces of paper Of
equal size in the pans, the mere writing
Of name with lead pencil on one of
the pieces of paper will add enough
weight to the paper TO turn the scales
in its favor. This has actually been
done on one of the scales in the assay
room, but that pair is protected from
air currents by glass case.
The men who handle the gold, though
not different much in outward appear
ance to the casual observer from coal
beavers, are, in fact, men of intelligence,
Of approved reputation. and who re-
ceive good pay.
1--WE would not have all this trouble, :"
said the chief weigher, as he put 300
ounce weight gently on the scales with
his right hand and wiped off his brow
with his left, elf we had arrived at the