Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1881-08-05
NORTHERN BELLE BULLION.
WHY 1T GOES PAST THE CARSON
HINT.
G w. Bryant Lets Some Light into the
Jobberies Which Have Kept the
Mint Closed.

In the investigation now in progre.
in San Francisco regarding the mi.
management of the San Francisco Min
the causes of the frequent suspension
of the Carson Mint are being fully ex
planned. G. w. Bryant, the Melte
land Refiner Of the Carson Mint, Whel
placed on the stand testified as follows
~ am the Meier and Refiner of tn
carson Mint and have been twenty
|years in the employ of the Government
/ know the Northern Belle bullion. Ii
November, 1878, we were running shor
of bullion, and Mr.. Crawford, the Su
perintendent, suggested that as thi.
bullion was going past our doors every
day. we could get it if we RENTED the
refining charges. / told him we would
if we could. The first bullion we had
from the Northern Belle was high grade,
running S73 to 97l fine. l rejected
that bullion which contained the most
lead, and / also used some of the bull
lion with our best silver. I had at last
to Object to working the bullion because
THE INGOTS WERE GETTING SO BAD.
l told Mr.. Crawford it was impossible
to make understandable bullion out of
it, and he told me to do the best we
could with it. Subsequently Superin-
tpndent Crawford wrote to Mr.. Low
that the refining charges on the bullion
would have to be imposed, and the
bullion was taken away from us. Some
of the bullion we received contained
anthony. 1t was impossible to make
legal ingots without making the 900
parts silver and 100 copper. Lead in
the bullion spoiled the ingots. IfIhal
been requested to make ingots less
than 500 and 100 copper, should have
protested to the superintendent of the
Mint against doing it, because that
officer has charge of the operations of
the Mint. If an assayer turned over to
me metal that would not make pure,
legal ingots, l should pursue similar
course. During the fiscal year Of 1889
our loss was about ten per cent. less
than the amount allowed by law. The
next year it was about fourteen per cent.
and the succeeding year it fell again.
No copper should be used in making
ingots except it was strictly pure. If
the bullion contained other ele-
l., l>.c f1l tn
for melting and refining
The Northern Belle mine is in Esmer-
aida county, Nevada, about 100 miles |
from the Carson Mint. The bullion
from that mine passed through Carson
on its way to San Francisco. There are |
equally as good facilities at the Carson
Mint as the Mint in this city. I can't
say the reason why we do not get |
Northern Belle bullion at Carson al
though we pay the same price for it as
is paid in San Francisco. The only real
son 1 can give is what Mr.. Crawford |
told me-that Northern Belle would
not pay the refining charge which we
imposed. am not informed what are |
he express charges from Carson to
San Francisco. If the refining charges
were not imposed the loss would fall ON
the government.
In reply to Commissioner Ramsey |
the witness stated that one ten-thou-
sandth part of lead in bullion would do
great mischief It would make it brit
lie. Bone ash was used in extracting
the lead; the extraction is an expensive
in consequence of the large
amount of labor necessary.
Cross-examined by General Barnes
We work our Mint by sulphuric acid.
Here they use nitric acid. The differ
ence between the processes is, that
nitric acid will destroy lead. We once
1ad some bullion from Virginia like
Northern Belle bullion, upon which the
authorities at Washington
REMITTED THE REFINING CHARGES
know nothing of the negotiations be-
ween MIR. Low and Mr.. Crawford, ex-
ept what the latter told me. Prior to
1878, we never had any such
efractory bullion as that coming from
he Northern Belle. l proposed to take
no bullion and remit the refining