The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-02-11


it's name, with it's suggestions OF treas.
IRE galleons and buccaneers, about all
the roman there is in the nomencia-
lure of money. 1t has in itself SO
worth of silver prepared by the melter
for the coiners' use the shape OF bar
Twelve inches long, two inches wide and
half an inch thick. 1t has RAPID,
varied and rather trying experience be
fore 1T is on it's way into dollar shape.
The first room in the coiners depart
ment was full of artisans rolling, draw
ng. cutting, and milling the ingots.
Thorough sheer force is the frst o.
the coiner art exercised on the ingot.
That which the visitor had followed was
inserted between the jaws of two huge
rollers and slowly went through proe-
ess of deglutition down an iron throat.
Twelve times it had to go through this
ordeal, the pressure being increased by
the narrowing of the space through
which the ingot passed by a sixteenth
of an inch each time. 1t is then twice
its former length and so reduced in
this press that when split in the middle
the two bars which are produced are
.ust the thickness of dollar. The
rolling process imparts O heat to the
metal which necesitates the use OF
handling it and brittleness to over
come which another trip to the furnace
lis required.
Some coiner of imperial Rome was
doubtless long time hammering out
Judas thirty pieces of silver The
machine which was working across the
room from the rollers cut out in the
minute which the visitors looked at it
ust eight times as many pieces as
Judas sold his master for-24O, all told
using up in the process about ten
bars of metal which had been heated n
furnace and Strengthened in draw
ing machine before they reached the
cutter.
"It's like a girl cutting out cookies"
said Colonel Maurice as he watched the
big machine clanking silver like a
greedy boy. Each bar of cuttings was
bent into three folds by workman as
the machine finished with it and slowed
in box for return to the meters.
Then the milling machine was set
whirling. It is d thick circular piece
of steel with grooved edges, revolving
in circular hoop of steel, with the in
side edges also grooved. Agrist of the
metal disks from the cutter was dropped
into tube, of which the bottom was
the space between the whirling and the
stationary grooves. Then the milling
machine began scattering the disks
from q slit in its circular side. The
disks when they came out had raised
edge on each side. They began to look
like dollars. Very dull and zinc-like
looking dollars they were, however.
The visitors followed them into an ad-
joining room. where they were plunged
into an acid bath and then placed in a
revolving wire cradle with quantity
of hot sawdust. There they were left,
turning brighter and more dollar-like
every moment.
The adiusting-room, where the tour
next led, looked not unlike meeting of
a Dorcas society, for at least do en-
matronly looking for the most
part-sat and stitched in knots of
three and four, talking meantime in
low tones.
"They are sewing coin bags said
| Colonel Maurice in explanation.
But of all the flying fingers in the
busy room, the most sentient and human
SCI med the steel digits of the coin press.
1t seemed a satire on humanity TO one
watching the workings of this machine
that it should do so much and the
mortal who ruled it should do so little
All the share the quiet lady-l Ike look
ing woman who sat before the press
had in its operation was in placing pile
after pile of bright silver moons in its
tube. Then at every three uarters of
a second the two steel fingers OF the
machine would catch the bottom moon
of the pile, pilot it on its course to it's
place between the dies, and leave it
there. Then, with pressure of sixty
tons exerted, every three-quarters of a
second the head of Liberty above came
down on the eagle beneath and the sill
yer moons received their impress.
Piled on the table at the far end of
the room the visitors saw heaps of dol
lars waiting to be marshaled forth in
weighty columns to their tremendous
work In the world. Four ordinary
mortals-a man and three women
stood there with mechanical fingers
busy among those dormant forces.
They can count the output of $780,
900 day." said Colonel Maur ce. mo,
it doesn't require special knack. only
experience. "-Philddetphia Press.