The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1885-03-16
WEIGHING COINS.
How Light Weights Are Detected at the
Bank of England


Bank OF England.
Tn another room of this department.
aha weighing of1ice--are seen the ma
hines for detecting light coin. These
r,ocbines are marvels of ingenious
.,scbsnism. Three or four hundred
.overeigns are laid in a long brass
.oaop. or semi.tube, OF such diameter
a. N admit them comfortably, and self
sernlating to such an incline that the
.oins gradually slide down by their
avn weight on 10 one plate Of
little balance. placed at
~ lower extremity. Across the
lace of this plate two little bolts make
slferuate thrusts, one to the right, one
.Is II the coin be of full weight the bal
.nce is held in equipoise, and the right
hand bolt, making its thrust, pushes it
al The plate aud down an adjacent tube
into the receptacle for full weight coin.
r. on the other hand, the coin is ever so
iittla "light,N the balance naturally
rises with it, The rigbt-hand bolt makes
lis thrust as Before, but this time passes
barmlessly beneath the coin. Then
comes the thrust of the loft-hand bolt.
which, as we have said, is fixed at a
frsctionally higher level, and pushes the
coin down tube on the opposite side,
through which it falls into the
lipbt-cOin receptacle. The coins thus
Condemned are afterward dropped into
another machine, which defaces them
nv a cut hair way across their diameter.
AZ the rate Of 200 minute. The weigh
ING machines, of which there are l6. are
scLuated 10y small atmospheric engine
in one corner of the room, the only
manual assistance required being to Keen
them supplied with coins. Il Is said
5000 soverigns and half-sovereigns can
be weighed here in single day. The
weighing machine in question is the in
yention of Mr.. Cotton, former gov
ernor of the bank, and among scientific
men is regarded as one of the most
striking movements of practical me-
shanics
In the bullion department we find
another weighing machine of a differ
ent character, but in its way equally re-
markable. 1t is the first of its Kind.
having been designed specially for the
bank by Mr.. James Murdoch Napier,bv
whom il has been patented 1t is used
for the purpose of weighing bullion.
which is purchased in this department
Gold is brought in in bars of about s
inches long, wide and | thick. A bar
of gold of these dimensions will weigh
about 200 ounces, and is worth, If pure.
about $500. Each bar when brought
in is accompanied by memoran-
dunn Of its weight. The question
of quality is determined by the process
of assaying; the weight Is checked by
means of the weighing machine we
have referred 10. This takes the form
of an extremely massive pair of scales,
working on beam of immense strength
and solidity, and is based, 80 as to be
absolutely rigid on solid bed of con-
crete, The whole stands about six feet
high by three wide, and is enclosed in
alright plate-glass case, a sash i'm
which is raised when 1t is desired to use
the machine. The two sides OF the scale
are each kept permanently loaded, the
one with single weight OF 800 ounces,
the other with number Of weights of
various sizes to the same amount
When II is desired to test the weight
OF bar OF gold, weights to the
amount stated lin the corresponding
memorandum, less half an ounce, are
removed from the latter scale, and the
bar of gold substituted in their place.
Up to this point the beam of the scale ia
kept perfectly horizontal, being main
tanned in that position by mechanical
brake; but now stud 10 pressed, and by
means of delicate machinery, actuated
by water power, the beam is released,
II the weight of the bar has been cor
rectly stated in the memorandum, tho
scale which holds it should be exactly
hall an ounce in excess. This or any
less ex cess of weight over the 800 ounces
In the opposite scale is instantly regis.
tered by the machine, pointer travel
Ing round dial until ii indicates the
proper amount. The function Of the ma
chine, however, is limited to weigh
ing half ali ounce only. II the discrep-
tncy between the two scales as loaded
is greater than this, or if, on the other
hand, the bar of gold is more than half
an ounce less than the amount stated in
the memorandum, an electric bell rings
by way of warning, the pointer travels
right round the dial, and returns to
zero. So delicate is the adjustment that
the weight of half penny postage
stamp somewhat less than hall rain
will set the hand in motion and be re-
corded on the dial.
The stock of gold in the bullion vault
varies from fl,0O0,000 to f3,OOO,OOo. The
bars are laid side by side on fiat trucks
or barrows carrying 100 bars each. In
glass case in the vault is seen portion
Of the war, indemnity paid by King
Coffee, of Ashantee, consisting of gold
ornaments, little short of standard
hneness.-IC Chambers Journal,