Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-10-12
THE q. ). MINIS.
Something About sths Process OF
Coming Money.

Coming Money.
IL 70 quite natural that the United
States mint should have many visitors
II aruuses one, the manufacture OF
money. and even the hardened million
ARE or the passlonlezs cashier of q saw
ipgs bank Is bound 10 be impressed by
the fine sang froid of the maidens who
sit At the coinage machines. their laps
heaping fall OF the precious blankets
and handle gold and silver a. soolly
a. though they were Smelling pesA
Yes. 10 n well worth while 70 como
TO Philadelphia just 70 see them
You lind the mint on Chestnut street,
Just below Broad a rather squat but
striking structure Of white marble
with Grecisn facade
The first building erected In the
United States for public use, under the
authority OF the federal government,
was one for the United states mint II
was a PLAIN. brick building, on the east
side of Seventh street. near Arch. and
the cornerstone wa laid BY the great
David Rittenhouse. director of tho
mint, on July 81. tTsa Tho following
October operations Of coming began.
on the 10th Of May. ts20. M act was
passed by congress locating the United
States mint on its present site. Tho
first coinage was OF SILVER half-dimes,
In October. 1902 The first metal pur-
chased for coinage was six pounds Of
old copper. at one shilling and three
pence per pound. which wa coined
and delivered TO she treasurer IN lTo&
The first deposit o< silver bullion
was made on July ~, 1874. by the
Bank of Maryland II consisted of
.'coins of France" amounting 30 $780,
TIaTsN The first return Of gold coin
age Was on July 81. i795, and consisted
Of seven hundred and forty -four half
esgiesl
Over forty Thousand persons visit the
mint in the course Of year. Owing to
.heimaense amount OF the precious met
ais which is always In course Of transir
sion and the watchful care necessary to
correct transaction Of business, tho
public Is necessarily excluded from
come OF the departments The system
OF surveillance adopted in the mint 10
% precise and the weighing 80 accurate.
chat the abstraction OF the smallest
particle of metal would lead 70 almost
Immediate detcsst IN.
All the gold and silver received for
coming N FIRST weighed Tho lasgest
weight used in the deposit-rooqn is eve
hundred ourceA she smallest Is the
thousandth part of an ounce The
scales are wonderfully delicate, and
ere examined and adjusted on aftermath
days. Oa the right of this room is one
Of ths twelve vaults in the building.
OF solid masonry, several Of them arc
iron-lined, with double doors OF the
same metal and most complicated and
ourgiar-proof loc<A
It Ia estimated that about fifteen
hundred million dollars worth OF gold
has been received and weighed IN this
room. probably nine-tcnths Of the
amount being from California since its
discovery there in che year lszS Pre-
vioas 20 that time the surplus of gold
came principally from Virginia. North
Carolina and Georgia During the past
ten years considerable quantities have
been received from Nova Scotia but
Nest Of the gold that reaches the mint
ct the present time comes from Califor~
MIA Montana, Colorado. Idaho. Nevada,
Arizona Oregon. Dakota Virginia,
South Carolina and New Mexico. For.
merry the silver used by the mint came
principally from Mexico and South
America. but sincc the discovery Of the
immense veins of that metal in the ter.
ritorieS of tie United ssates, the sup
ply IL furnishsd from the great wesk
The copper used comes principally from
tho miacs OF Laxe Superior. the finest
from Minnesota The nickel 10 chiefly
from Lancaster county. Pcnnsy lvar,ia-
After the metal had been carefully
weighed in the presence Of tie depos
tor and the proper officials. Il II locked
IN iroa boxes and taiicp 70 the melting
room. where is Is opened By two men.
each provided with key 20 one Of The
sepsrate locks There are four fur
naaes IN this room. and the first process
OF melting takes place here. The gold
and silver. being mixed with borax and
ether fuxiug Material. is placed in
pots. melted and put in iron nolis,
and. when cooled. Is again taken TO the
deposis-roozn in bars. where 10 IL re-
weighed and q small piece cut from
each lcs by the sssa7er. From this the
6n>ness OF the whole IL ascertained,
tbs valve calculated. and the depoeitor
paid The metal in ia rough state IL
Their transferred - the refuer
The two essential things rerariinS
every piece Of metal offered in par
neot 81 any dues are. 6rst. shs weight
or quantity. next, the 6neness CT
purity II the sare. The process of
weighing even tas laser metals used
IN eoining rrst be eondustei By the
careful use Of accurate scales. With
precise Notes Ct ne results In precious
rnrtais--gotd, silver and their high
grade alloys very small variation in
the haensss MAKES . great differences
In the value Nothing - rio~~ e-eep-
hsl thsn The accurate determination 81
The weight 81 she sample and 81 the
ufstai obsainea f~cEa "a r. requires
k>en sight srsl ncst aelscase adjust
rncnt n tae Aaua waich nsnipuIstes
tas nafraiian eeaies ~ sn sssayers
tahas. The smallest wri~ht -s~d In the
u,irt = found IA thr s4sAy r,on. y -
the shirt<er hondressts part e rrain-
end can scarcely - seen with the
reisef eY7. axies "a wIss<e e~0nnd
TIE s~say drrsrtn1ent Is sfriefly .
a~~hnsczs kr~1<lh 81 she s~rvte.< L ka~