The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-11-13
THE L. s. MINIS.
Something About the Process of
Coming Money.

Coming Money.
1t is quite natural that the United
States mint should have many visitors.
1t amuscS one. the manufacture Of
money, and even the hardened million
aire or the pasSionlcss cashier of a saw
ings bank is bound TO bc impressed by
the fine sang-froid of the maidcns who
sit at the coinage machines, their laps
heaping full of the precious blankets,
and handle gold and silver rs coolly
as though they were shclling peas.
Yes, IL is well worth while to come
to Philadelphia Just TO see them
You find the mint on Chestnut street.
just below Broad, a rather squat but
striking structure of white marble.
with Grccian facade.
The first building erected II the
United States for public use. under the
authority of the federal government,
was one for the United States mint II
was plaln, brick building, on the east
side of Seventh street. near Arch, and
the cornerstone was laid by the great
David RittenhCuse, director Of the
mint, on July 81. 1892. The following
October operations OF coming began.
On the 10Th OF May, 1s29, an act was
passed by congress locating the United
States mint on its present site. The
first coinage was of silver half-dimes.
in October. 1892. The first metal pur-
chased for coinage was six pounds of
old copper, at one shilling and three
pence per pound, which was coined
and delivered 10 the treasurer in 1898.
The first deposit Of silver bullion
was made on July IS. 1874. by the
7. E
coins of France" amounting . $50
us. T31z. The first return Of gold coin
age was or July 81. 1875. and consisted
of seven hundred and forty-four half
eagles.
Over forty thousand persons visit the
mint in the course of year. Owing 70
the immense amount of the precious met
ais which is always in course of transi-
tlon and the wauchfui care necessary 10
a correct transaction Of business. the
public is necessarily excluded from
some of the departments. The system
of surveillance adopted in the mint is
precise and the weighing 50 accurate.
that the abstraction of the smallest
particte OF metal would lead TO almost
immediate detection.
All the gold and silver received for
coming is first weighed. The largest
weight used in the deposit-room is five
hundred ounces, the smallest Is the
thousandth part of an ounce. The
scales are wonderfully delicate. and
are examined and adjusted on alternate
days. On the right of this room is one
of the twelve vaults in the building.
OF solid masonry. several of them are
iron-lincd, with double doors of the
same metal and most complicated and
burglar-proof locks.
1t is 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 the year 1s4S. Pre-
vious TO 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
most of the gold that reaches the mint
at the present time comes from Califor-
mia, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada,
Arizona, Oregon, Dakota, Virginia,
South Carolina and New Mexico. For
merly the silver used by the mint came
principally from Mexico and South
America, but since the discovery of the
immense veins of that metal in the ter.
ritories of the United States, the sup
ply is furnished from the great west
The copper used comes principally from
the mines of Lake Superior, the finest
from Minnesota. The nickel is chiefly
from Lancaster county, Pennsylvania.
After the metal had been carefully
weighed in the presence of the depos-
itor and the proper officials, IL Is locked
in iron boxes and taken TO the melting
room, where il is opened by two men,
each provided with key to one of the
separate locks There are four fur
naees in this room. and the first process
of melting takes place here. The gold
and silver. being mixed with borax and
other fiuxing material, is placed in
pots, melted and put in iron molds.
and, when cooled, is again taken to the
deposit-room in bars, where il is re-
weighed and small piece cut from
each lot by the assayer. From this the
hneness of the whole is ascertained.
the value calculated. and the depositor
paid The metal in its rough state is
then transferred to the refner
The two essential things regarding
every piece of metal offered in paw
ment of any dues are, first, the weight
OF qudnt4ty' next, the nneneSS or
purity of the same. The process of
weighing even the baser metals used
in coming must be conducted by the
careful use of accurate scales, with
precise notes of the results. In precious
metals-gold, silver and their high
grade ailoys-a very small variation in
the fineness makes a great difference
from neighbor that there was trou-
bile at the Jail. \ mob was clamoring
for the prisoner, who had been tried
and convicted by Judge Lynch. George
told me to fasten the doors and |
would be safe enough, and catching
his hat he went off to see if he could
help maintain law and order.
Left alone, the house seemed dull
and eerie. ! sang all the old hymns
over and over and tried 70 make myself