The Russellville Democrat., 1881-04-21
A MINT O MONEY.
A Ramble Through the Philadelphia Money NH and the Things
 Seen Therein.
Philadelphia Cor of the Courier-Journal.

Seen Therein.
 Philadelphia Cor. of the CourierJournal.
 am all anxiety to inspect the mint, so q clear, cold morning finds us approach ing q large marble building of Grecian architecture, whose appearance reminds me forcbly of the courthouse in Louis vile. We seem to ascend the same steps. reach the same portico, and enter at the great door, Here we are immediately taken possession of by one of the numer- ous guides, who are kept perpetually busy by the constant tide of visitors that frequent the place from 9 a. m. to noon, six days of every week. Of course the mint is an objective point for tourists, and it is estimated that 30,000 persons are received there ill the course of a year. Parties of six or eight persons are taken in charge by courteous and well informed guides, who conduct them through the establishment, giving mean while clear and succinct account of va rous features worthy of notice-value, weight, time, etc. Hearing such large figures rolled off ill rapid succession, We are at the moment as unable to grasp the idea as when, in our school days, we announced, glibly, "a ray of light from distant fixed star must travel 5000 years at rate of lS3, 900 miles a second before it reached the earth" We can only wonder vaguely, "how much is that"
 In December 1S4S, was received the first deposit of California gold, which was brought by Daniel Carter, via the Panama route. from San Francisco. It weighed ,S0409 ounces troy, valued at $1S0s per ounce. Previous to that time gold was obtained from Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, though it has ney- CT been found in large quantities in any of the Southern States. Georgia, how ever has produced the purest specimens known.
 Of course California leads in value and quantity of this product, her largest sin gle contribution to the mint being mug get valued at $6,000. Comparatively lit tie metal from the golden State finds it's way to Philadelphia, as most of that ob- tained west of the Montana Territory goes to the branch mint at San Francis co. The territory now affords the chief supply to the United States mint, and of late years Nova Scotia lends valuable aid in this respect. In former years silver for coining was imported from Mexico and South America, but now our terri tories supply us; the country guarded by the Rockies and kindred chains being
 
 from our Lake region, and nickel is fur nshed by Pennsylvania and other sec tons of the United States. Thus we seem, year by year. to prove more con clusively that within the borders of our native land may be found everything necessary to the welfare and prosperity of her inhabitants.
 In the tour of the mint our first visit is to the deposit and weighing room, used for the purposes it's name implies. It is estimated that $600,000,000 in gold have been disposed of in this apartment. Here and in other parts of the building are scales and weights of various styles and dimensions Objects varying in weight from 1000 ounces to one-iifth of penny weight may here receive valuation. The smallest weight used in the mint isfound in the assaying room it is the thirteen hundredth part of grain, and is almost invisible to the naked eye, unless viewed in white background. The scales are examined and adjusted on alternate days, sometimes oftener. Of the delicacy re. quired in their use, an idea may be ob- tained from the fact that some of the scales are kept in glass cases, and used therein, in order that atmospheric dis turbances may have no effect upon the registry.
 In manufacturing coin from metal, of course the first step is to melt the latter, and any one who has visited a glass mandatory may have some idea of the scene in the furnace room. After being melted the metals are sampled by the assayer and then refined and rendered fit for coinage.
 The whole process has been rendered so familiar to the general reader that it is scarcely worth while to detail it again. We observe apparently little punches of golden iaggots-say punches foot long and seven or eight inches in diameter each of the sticks" forming the collec- tiOn has had coins cut from it, having q long array of holes connected by golden circles. How pretty" one thinks; they might be cut into pairs and used for spectacle rims just as they are"
 But our guide says, "Those punches are each worth Sl0,000; they are clippings from gold coins, and are sent to be re- laeted. Here"-further on-"is what they looked like a short time since, and we see lot of narrow strips-ribbons, they might be termed-about an inch wide and five feet long. Each of these strips will make $500 in ten-dollar gold pieces, and there will remain bunch of SNl' ha lO bC ISHlSll6u ana dSall run into ribbons.
 am surprised to find silver in bricks so creamy looking; it is very pretty, hay ing a soft, mellow luster, unlike the white glare given by alloy and working up. In the melting room the floors are noticeable. Over the solid floor is laid a secondary one, a mere frame of countless perforations, that acts as a scraperi olall passing over it, and receptacle for small bits and dust. This frame work is made in sections, and is occasionally removed; the wisdom of this arrangement is ap- parent from the fact that from these sweepings are obtained in precious dust S5O,O00 a year. In an adjacent room are melted the metals that furnish us with 'coppers" and "nickels" 0ne-cent pieces are of bronze, weigh forty-eighi grains, and furnish l20 pieces to the pound; two cents are doubled in weight and half in number
 Of our "nickels," nickel constitutes about one-fourth only, the balance being copper; these contain each seventy-sever grains, and run seventy-four pieces tC the pound