Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1891-10-12

mint Fave been separated from e6eu
ether and purified. they are conveyed
- tAa drying cellar. pat under pressure
Of some eighty t0es, ami ell the water
pressed OUT Ths metal Is then dried
with heat. and afterwards taken IN
large cakes 10 the furnaces. Tue melt
Ing rooms are on the first floor. Here
al the metal used IN coming is allowed,
melted and poured into narrow moldS
These castings, called ingota. are abou.
a foot long. half inch thsck and rom
one 10 two and a half inches Ia breadth.
The value of gold ingots is from six
hundred 70 fourteen hundred dollars
eachs those IF silver about sixty dol
lars The floors that cover the melting
rooms are made Of iron Ia honeyeomb
pastera. so that they can be readily
taken up 10 save tie dust, their rough
ness acting a. a scraper ami preventing
any metallic particles from eiinging 10
the soles of the shoes of those VINO pass
through the department The sweep
inxs OF the entire building have aver
eyed twsnty-three thousand dollars per
snDum for the last five years
The methods of coming money have
varied with the progress in mechanic
arts. and are bat vaguely traced from
the beginning. the primitive mode be-
ing by the casting of the piece in sand,
the impression being made with .
punch In the middle ages the metal
was hammered into sheets of the no
quired thickness, out with shears into
shape and then stamped by hand with
the design The mill and screw, sby
which greater increase in power. with
the sixteenth century. This process,
with various notifications and improve
rnents. continued in use in the Phila-
deiphia mint until 1885.
The first steam coming press was In
vented by N. Thonnelier. Of France,
IN isS3, and was first used in the United
states mint in 1855. 1t was remodeled
and rebuilt in 1855. but In 1874 was SUI
psrseded BY the one now In operation.
the very perfection of mechanism, In
which the vibration and unsteady bear.
ing OF the former press wero entirely
obviated and precision attained by the
solid stroke. Win saving Of over sew
enty -fve per cent IN the wearing and
breaking of the dieA The dies for coin
ing arc prepared BY engravers especial
ly employed 1t the mint for that pur.
pose. The process of engraving them
consists in cutting the devices and le-
gonds IN soft steel, those parts being
depressed which In the coin appear in
RELIEF This. having been finished and
hardened, constitutes an Original
IA <<x<< a. ~ AL
ployed in striking coins, but used for
multiplying dies. 1t Is first employed
to impress another piece of soft stee 81.
which then presents tho appearance of
. coin and Is called . hub. This hub.
being hardened. y used 10 impress
Other pieces OF steel in Ike manner.
which. being like the original die, are
hardsned and used for striking the
coins A pair Of these will on an Az
erage perform two weeks work.
The planchess. or discs, of metal not
Jet stamped, after being adjusted, are
frst In order TO protect the surface of
the coin, passed through the milling
machine. They. are fed TO it through an
upright tube. aid as they descend from
the lower aperture are caught upon
tho edge of revolving wheel and car
rfed about . quarter of . revolution.
during which the edge Ia compressed
and forced up, the space between the
wheel and the rim being little less
than the diameter Of the planchet This
apparatus moves 80 nimbly that five
hundred and sixty half dimes can be
mlled in q minute, but for large pieces
the average is about ono hundred and
twenty. In this room are the milling
machines and the massive but delicate
coming presses. ten in number. Zach
of these Is capable Of coming from
eighty to one hundred perfect pieces q
minute. Only the largest are used in
making coins of large denominations
After being stamped the coins are
taken to the coiner's room and placed
On . long sable-the double-eagles in
piles of ten each The light and heavy
ones are kept separate In coming, and
when delivered to the treasurer they
are mixed together In such proportions
ns to give hi.a full weight in every de-
livery. BY law the deviation in the
standard weight in delivering to him
must not exceed three pennyweights
ia one thousand double-eagles. Tho
gold ooins-as small al quarter-eagles
being counted and weighed to verify
the count-sre put up in bags Of FIVE
thousand dollars each Tho three-dol-
lar pieces are put In bags OF three
thousand dollars. and one-dollsr pieces
In one thousand-dollar bags. The silver
pieces, and sometimes small gold, are
counted on very ingenious contriv-
ancs called counting board" By
this process twenty-five dollars In
flve-ccut pieces can be counted In less
than . minute. The boards" are SIM
pie Cat surface Of wood with copper
partitions tho height and size of the
coin 10 be counted rising from the sur.
face st regular intervals and running
parallel with each other from top to
bottom They somewhat resemble .
common household washing board"
with the grooves running parallel with
the sides. but much larger. The boards
are worked by hand over box, and
as the pieces are counted they slide
into drawer prepared TO receive them.
They are then put into bags and arc
ready for shipment
For the various futies Of the mint
there are ovsr three hundred persons
employed az clerks werlSmen. etc
say about two-theds men and one
third women-ths number depending
largely. OF course, upon shs amount of
work 70 be done. Melville Phillips, in
Once Week.