The Opelousas courier., 1886-10-16

ing room. Here are stored the
silver bricks as they are received
from the Omaha (Neb.) Silver
Works. Each brick contains
about one thousand ounces of
silver, stamped 500 fine. They
are weighed on a scale adjusted
to such a nice point, that a va
ration of one-hundredth of an
ounce is instantly noticed. The
weight of each is recorded in a
book, and as each is numbered,
Identification is easy. The cop
lper alloy, which is received from
Philadelphia, is also stored and
weighed in this room.
After having been washed,
Clipped and assayed to ascer-
tain if the ineness is up to the
standard, the bricks are convey
led to the melter and refiner's
department., where they are
melted in crucibles composed of
plumbago and sand, and the al
10y put in. The proportion is
90 per cent of silver and 10 per
cent of alloy. The mixture is
then poured into a mould, and
after sufficient cooling is taken
out in the shape of ingots,
weighing on an average At
ounces, and measuring Ii inches
in length.
The ingots are next taken to
the rolling and press rooms and
passed between rollers five or
six times until they stretch to
the length of about four feet
and u half. After having been
subjected to this process the in
gots are cut in half, creased with
tallow and run through presses
to give them the regular gauge
and thickness of the dollar piece.
The cutting machines came
into requisition at this stage of
the proceedings. There are six
of these machines, each a beau
tiful, powerful, almost noiseless
and very ingenious combination
of mechanical accuracy and per-
lection. These machines cut
round pieces from the slips of
silver with ease and quickness.
What remains of the strips is
carefully gathered together and
sent to the meters room to be
melted again into ingots.
The blanks are next taken to
the adjusting and weighing
room,' wherein are employed a
number of ladies whose sole
duty consists in adjusting and
weighing them, one at a time.
Their expertness is wonderful.
The reporter was notsallowed to
view the fair operators too near,
but saw them 'sfrom affair."" "It's
against the rules" said Condnc-
tor Quirk, ''to allow visitors in
this department.. The ladies
will stop work and look about,
and that will interfere with the
dispatch of the work"
The adjusted blanks are de-
livered to an active and dexter
Gus individual whose duty is to
drop them ten or twelve at a
time and piled one upon the
other into a tube to slip to a e
volving steel disk which gives
them the 'trim" and by rotating,
carries the trimmed pieces to a
slit through which they drop
into a box. The trimmer finishes
900 pieces per minute,
From the milling machine the
silver blanks are dumped into a
heater, wherein they are subject
ed to a high temperature for ff-
teen minutes. Taken out, they
are washed in rain water, then
placed in sawdust and bleached,
ready to be stamped.
The coming department is
situated IN that part of the Mint
towards the river side. It is a
large, airy, Well-lighted room,
divided ii two by a railing.
The coming machines are mar
vels Of elegance, speed, power
and precision. The blank dol
lars are placed IN a silver
acollar," into which they fit ex-
actly, and then placed within
the stamping mill !; and quick
as a flash the machinery per-
forms one revolution and the
dollar is stamped.
The bright, s~himmering dol
lars as they dropped in q silvery
shower from under the coming
machines made harmonious mu-
sic.
Iii the basement are the rooms
wherein the silver dollars are
stored. There are three Or four
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