Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-15
WEALTH IN MERE DIRT
HOW UNCLE SAM MAKES MONEY BY
LOOKING AFTER LITTLE THINGS.

HOW UNCLE SAM MAKES MONEY BY
LOOKING AFTER LITTLE THINGS.
How Gold and Silver Is Lost and Found
Again in the Assay once - Methods
Employed for the Recovery of Escaped
Metal
During the year 1885 over s4s, o0o, 900 in
gold and nearly s., ooo, 900 in silver passed
through the assay Office in this city TO be re-
melted, refined and cast into bars. All this
vast quantity OF metal IS passed through a
complicated process 10 separate il from alloys
and baser metals, and even to separate the
gold from the silver. It is melted IN fur
naces, treated with acids and chemicals, re-
duced 10 a liquid state, washed II many
waters, cast into molds, baked IN ovens and
carted from one portion OF the building 70
another dozen times before the process Is
completed that turns the golden and silver
grains into bars Of standard hneneSS, on which
Is put the government stamp Of the number,
weight and value. In the course Of this long
process soma particles of the metal are nec-
essarily lost at different stages OF the work.
While in the powdered state some Of it VIII
sift out upon the floor; II the liquid condi-
ton it VIII evaporate and float away in the
air; and IL the melted state portions Will be
carried up the furnace chimneys and out Of
doors.
The actual loss is Of course but small per-
cen.ags of the whole amount handled, but
in the aggregate amounts 70 6 considerable
SUN, and every possible effort IS made to re-
duce the amount of loss TO the lowest posi-
bic figure. The care that is taken may be
understood by the fact that every day or two
inc floors Of the assay building are swept
thoroughly and the sweepings, placed in bar
rels until sufficient quantity is gathered 70
put it through process to extract such por-
ton of the metal as is possible without too
much expense. But, even after that, the re-
fuse, or tailings, Is not thrown away, but
sold to what are known as sweep smelters,
men who purchase the sweepings from jew
elry workers, as well as the assay Office, and
by their more expensive, but perfect, method
of fusion, are able to extract even another
small percentage from the unproulising ma
terial
LOST IN THE DRAINS.
Another means employed to obtain escap-
ing particles is by the drains running from
the buildings All the branch drains and
conduits are conducted into one large main
drain pipe, which is provided with a series
OF So traps, containing a deep settling
pocket at the lower bend, into which the met
ais fall by force OF gravitation. All the water
used In the building, from the washing of the
metals TO the scrubbing Of the floors, even
that in which the employers have performed
thei- additions and 1t Is one Of the Tegule-
tons that every employee shall carefully
wash his hands before leaving the building,,
passes through this drain. The settling
pockets are cleaned out once or twice year,
and the recovery from this source amounts
TO several hundred dollars-even as high as
81 200 TO 81 SO q year. Still some of the
lighter particles escape the traps, and pass
out into the main sewer, asld find their way
into the East river, where no doubt quite
mine, or placer digging, has been formed at
the mouth OF the sewer.
But the most important operation for the
recovery of escaped metal Is the annual clean
ing up, when every old crucible and the fur
naces in which the smelling is done, and
even large part Of the hues and chiulneys
are taken down. ground up, and such of the
metal as had adhered to them is extracted.
But even in this case there is still proper
ton that is carried out in the open air. and
NATURAL settles down on the adjacent roofs
and streets Occasionally the roof of the
assay building is swept off, but this more
as matter of curiosity TO see what amount of
gold and silver that may have been lost could
be recovered from that source. A little gold
and still more silver iS always found in
these deposits, but not enough to pay for the
trouble of gathering.
DIRT FROM THE ROOF GUTTERS
The other day, however, while some repairs
were in progress at the sub-treasury building,
it became necessary to clean out the roof
cutters that had become somewhat clogged
with the dirt and dust that had gathered for
the two or three years preceding. The
workmen shoveled the dirt down into the
alleyway between the two buildings, when
Assistant Superintendent Martin, of the as
say office, who Is always on the lookout for
leakagss and possible recoveries, caused
sample OF dirt to be assaYed, and found it to
be worth something over $50 per ton. There
was about half ron of this earth, which was
at once conveyed to the barrels where the
sweepinss are thrown, and the government
is Just about SIS ahead On the transaction
Other buildings In the neighborhood which
have not been cleaned off in years, doubtless,
contain pay dirt even richer than that from
the sub-treasury building.
Mr.. Andrew Mason, superintendent OF the
assay Office, laughed when he was asked if
there was not enough of the metal on the
streets by this time to pay 20 sweep it up and
work it, and replied that even If all that
had fallen for years stiu lay on the ground
the amount would be SO small in COM
parison to the trouble and expense OK
gathering and refining it that it would not
be a paying undertaking. Moreover, the
ordinary street cleaning operations had taken
most Of it OF and the ram had washed most
OF the balance into the sewer. But still d
little could always be found The percentage
of loes is inGnitesiu1al he said, but the aggre-
gate for several years would, be thought,
make quite pTesentabls sua.-New YORK
Commercial Advertiser.
Pooling with the Language
Col Carthagena Smith arose 70 make an