The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-11-21
THE SILVER DOLLAR.
How the Bullion Becomes the Gilt
tering Coin.

"Thcre's millions in it, said Colonel
Sellers, looking at the United States
Treasury building in Washington, ''and
millions after it, " he concluded In the
work of keeping the millions in it.,
which the millions after it are con-
stantly depicting, the Philadelphia Mint
is the chief agent, and to this end
turned out daily average of 100000 of
those large white coins to which Wash
ington Irving gave the title of AL
mighty" afterwards disclaiming all
impious intent in its manufacture, when
the phrase became rs widely circulated
as the token to which he applied it.
Divided only by the length of a short
corridor of the Chestnut and Juniper
Street Temple of Mammon from the
hopeful or hopeless faced people hang
on the favor of the new uperintendent,
is a small stone-payed courtyard, open
as courtyards are to the air. All around
the walls Of inclosure are ranged crates
of merchandise The crates are pad
locked and made of the stOutest of wire
netting. This, their central position
and the guard by day and night
are the only protection of the
crates of merchandise. From the
action of the elements they have and
need no more defense than piles of pig
iron. Yet in each of the half dozen
crates were piled one day last week,
when Press artist and reporter saw
seventy-tive blocks of dull colOred metal
containing each the mighty potentially
S1,000-that is to say $50 375-1000
ounces of silver. Thus were 49, 900
embryo dollars separated only by wire
s2otti,. : list and a newspaper
man, and only by that and hallway
from a crowd of Office seekers. As the
visitors continued their journey the
eXigencics of the furnaces called for
more bullion, and the workmen set to
work wheeling it off on battered old
trucks as complacently as if the bic
bricks were composed of the stuff that
bricks generally are composed of.
I'VE get it in shipments twice a
week, said Colonel Maurice, who, as
vi u NslIl N IilNhOth SttN. COuiu ltIl
more about the Mint than ANYBODY else
in it. It's about $4,000 fine when it
comes from Colorado, and enough
copper has to be added to make it 900
1000 fine" The copper had been added
by the meters in the hot room to the left
of the courtyard, into which the Colonel
led the way, and in white-heated ladies'
they were dipping the molten money
out of the furnaces and pouring it into
the ingOt moulds. Six great furnaces
were in operation. Three of these are
normally gold meters, but the call for
silver has kept them busy these last
weeks at producing the much abused
Bland dollars.
I'VE are melting only clippings now,"
said one of the bare-armed artisans
before the row of glowing furnaces.
'We'lA be after the bricks later"
"Ho%pany melts are you running?"
asked NNonel Maurice.
''FiltS-four day." was the answer.
Each melt is of 5000 ounces. so that
the iifty-four shows a total of 1920
ounces or 1880 pounds of silver a day,
taking its start into circulation via the
furnaces. 1t was q curious scene in the
melting room. Like all the rooms in
the Mint, it was low and heavy. The
walls were blackcncd with SCOT and
Crime and the furnaces looked well
worn and primitive, There is this same
air about all the Mint machinery Des-
pite its perfection there is an absence
of decoration and iimcrackerv about it
which makes it all look old fashioned
and in measure foreign. Yankee no.
tons of gay paint and gliding are every
where absent. Taken with the proven
durability Of all the Mint machines this
appearance gives one n certain con-
tempt for the gingerbread work found
on the exterior Of machinery in other
and less important establishments. 1t
seems proper that the appliances which
are entrusted with the execution of the
most necessary if not the h CHEST func-
ton of great Government should have
a sober air about them, and when one
is told that the great engine which runs
all the works has never needed repairs
since it was built by n Kensngton arti-
ticer a quarter of century ago, one is
inclined to think that the attention
which might have been given to the or
namcntaton of the monster has cone
into the construction which enables it to
work through the lives of a generation
OF men without hitch or stumble in its
undev ating course.
Assistant Meter Culp, q giant whom
the visitors saw in the melting. room,
should, by reason of his massive size, be
associated with the care of the big engine.
A. - l. - IL = 4 l..