The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-07-28

k~pt In y Table Drawer at the Govern
ment Printing Once.

ment Printing Once.
Seven thousand dollars worth Of gold
dust in a table drawer! Poke your fingers
into the yellow stuff and notice how soft
and agreeable TO the feeling IL Is, says the
Washington Star, while the attendant In
charge watches you carefully and seer
that you do not get away with any OF II.
II is smooth to the touch, because II Ia all
composed Of e~old-bcatcr's film rubbed TO
almost impalpable powder. For the same
reason, too. Il is absolutely pure and vir-
gin metal, t~wenty-four carats fine.
The drawer is In charge of n pretty
young girl at the government printing Of
flee. Her work there is to stamp gold
lettering and characterization upon book
covers. The precious substance comes to
sheets of foil inexpressibly thin, laid be-
tween layers OF tissue paper made up. i'm
book form. each book holding
twenty-four gold sheets. Holding them
is N matter requiring great skill, though
you might not imagine II from casual in
~spection. To begin with, say the young
woman places on the table before her an
ordinary leather book cover. She takes
from the little gold book u e OF the
foil, not with her fingers, but by catching
IL up with n small pad OF raw cotton. Lay
ing down the sheet OF pure yellow gold
upon a little slab, she cuts u into three
pieces with n sharp knife. She makes IL
smooth by blowing gently upon with her
breath. One of the pieces she applies to
the back Of the cover where The title is to
90; another she also puts on the back,
where the name of the author Is to he,
while the third biggest piece Is spread
over the middle OF one flap OF the cover,
where an ornamentcd design Is wanted:
Next. after smoothing the piece OF gold
film dawn firmly nm the leather. tne
pretty girl slides the cover beneath a
small press that stands on the table. In
the press, face downward, IL a die en-
graved in relief with the name OF the
book that is To he incased In the cover,
the authors name, and the ornamental
design referred To. The die is kept heated
by gas. A movement OF IA lever worked
by hand brings the die down upon
the cover, aud the raised lettering and de-
sign burn the gold foil wherever there IL
contact. so that IL is made 10 adhere 70 the
leather in those spots. The die Is lifted,
and the gold il rubbed OFT with a piece of
soft leather on the end OF a stick. Wher-
ever the die has not touched IL The film
comes of readily, leaving thel lettering
and the design adhering so CLOSELY To the
leather tnat,they could not be removed,
save by hard scraping. Finally the young
woman rubs the leather with a chunk of
LII nora ~ ,ha, ,bo nrnan,entaI
,a,,arn anI ,ha names ~ hook and author
shine out with beautiful c~learness of out
line in "a carat gold. The whole process
has taken "A good many words To describe,
but Il is actually performed very quickly,
.or .,;,, ,ha h.a,oJ III. and r,hhad
aW IT, raniL a,ccess;on' Each fresh SORT
- haaInn,.r hos In have n new lie. III
course.
oG an. inoso ,alJ af,er Zach s,amning, so
as 10 iosa nm. ~ IL A shc ,ses the
We unn,I s,;.L aho n,r,n',s ,L. vel.
.,.,,W, ~ fau ,hn,,,nh = .r,cL in Tho
- ,n., 800 H. L. 49, ,.naa,h in ,ho
Ian. ~ ,I,s, I, 10 aIlowei 10 accumu-
IIa,i ,ho,a ,,n,;i he ,raw.r 4, fill Trhc
,Iirawar i o'i,a h;c ami deer. AMI will
III S,n ~, wor,is ~ III. ,I,s, yo, w,o,,iL
S ,an,,,. !, 90 Ln any y.ry wr.c;ors
subs,ancn h Won found "A uuanti,v Of /, in
sn,na n,,d Mace. h, looks ms u1,ch ike
nowJcrcd tinsci MS ANYTHING else. How.
ever. II is worth SO an ounce. and when n
drawer full is collected the gold is for.
aar,,o'I ~ the mini in phiIadeinhi. which
s,,h;ec,s I, =" assay and scn,ls hack N
chcck for i,s yaiue' TLe youny womnn
H. hoid rns,nns;hl. f,r III, s,f.,,,
~ Tho ,,oiJ in ,b, drawer She
aruins n. I La. -, ,hn,,, With her aiuaxs
.a mahnn,,, ~ ~ barsois ~ ,I,nuoi nccass
~ a, I'h.,o .i,as NO, s.c,n On hc ony
. a. ahy sho sho,,,J mo, .i,,y nocLea y
s,noiia "a1,i,v ~ 4, nccasionniiv n She So
.IIna;n , i ~ u,,aLar - haaIs ~
III ~ ahar a,ai"", har i, sar,. a.
so.u ,o 1872 i' H. amo,, ~ ~ H.
,mm'a ~ ,his .a,
arha h''rn, r,hhar rel To- ,h, final mol
;.hin. IN - H. Ia io,,ar;n, o. -
,i''nl. LIZ r,,hh.r a,h;.h no. Ioon .,h,
s,an.,p'i " a"an,I;ar ~ "r,nass ,hn, n,aIns
,. 80, p"a,Jinsa an,II pahsorI.n, =" ~,
- ~, - r. I,,,,r ,,aI;,. ~, cL,nL
~ rs 49," t"a ,n"s m",a.. Lii
~ Us '1p 10 ,han sint ALT, ~ ,n,J ~
~ VI W." o.. 49,, :" :" 80 20