The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-08-10

LIZ ~ So4LOoj
Chairman for State Prohibition E1ecu.
tive Committee.
Columbia. s c., August l, 1892.
Making Gold Leap.
The rhythmic sound Of hammer blows
issuing from cellar attracts attention of
msay passer-by. The most curious
stop, and though the windows see a row
of men vigorously pounding square pack
ages, turning them about at every blow.
On sign at the door of the atore over
head there is golden leaf with the word
"gold" on it. The row Of men are gold
beatess and the packages they pound so
inceasantly contain gold in ita transition
into gold leaf.
To begin with, a bar of gold is pur-
chased at the mint. 1t is not absolutely
pure, but it is finer than coin. The bar
is, say, six inches long, two inches wide,
and quarter or half an inch thick. It's
weight is somewhere around twenty.three
ounces, and it costs $500. The bar is
submitted to the pressure of rolls in 8
machine, and is gradually rolled to 8
strip of tough gold ribbon, an inch wide
and $50 or 175 feet long. This ribbon is
from two to three one-thousandths of an
inch thick. Three pieces are usually
made of the strip, and as they come from
the machine they are rolled up and put
away until wanted.
Then begins the manual labor, by far
the most important, and work that re-
quires no little skill. The ribbon is cut
into pieces an inch long. There is o
square inch in each piece. One hundred
and eighty pieces are put between layers
of "cutch" paper, four inches square, the
whole forming block about an inch and
! half thick. "Cutch" paper is grade
about as heavy as parchment, having
very strong, hard and tough qualities
which are capable of standing the rnerci'
less pounding it is subjected to. Parch-
meut bands are put around the package
of gold and paper, and it is ready for the
beater. BE places 1t on marble or iron
block, firmly and solidly set in table OF
| wood, and proceeds to beat it with an
| iron mallet. he has several of these OF
different weights, running from eight to
sixteen pounds. They are round. with
convex face, so that but an eighth of in
inch or little moro forms the striking sur.
face.
He begins with the heaviest mallet.
and as he beats he turns the package
around and over 80 that the metal within
| will be spread evenly. 1t takes an hou.
| to beat the inch squares of gold out to
the edge of the package. When it il
done there are 1sO pieces nearly foul
inches square. The gold is then taken
out, and each piece is divided into four
The 72O pieces thus formed are put be-
tween layers Of gold 'beater's skin, which
is made of bladder, and is very tough
into another pack four inches square, and
once more given over to the beater. Il
takes two hours or longer to beat the gold
out to the edges of this package.
When it is done, the package il
opened, and each sheet of gold, which
by this time is pretty thin, is cut into
four pieces. They are filled into three
packages or moulds, five and quarter
inches square, holding 900 pieces each
and for the third time the beater begins
his work. Fror five to seven hours are
consumed this time in the work. On &C
count of the heat which is generated BY
the blows of the mallet, the workman ear
beat but fifteen minutes on each mould
which is then set aside to cool. Thi
finishes the beating process. Girls taxi
the leaves of gold and cut them int
pieces three and three-cighths inche
square. twenty-five sheets are packed
in q "book" between sheets of thin paper
| A "pack" is 500 leaves, and is the sals
Bile shape of the material. The wast'
which is trimmed from the edges of tn
leaves is melted down, rolled out, ant
beaten over again.
There is probably nothing made b,
man that is as thin as sheet of gold
leaf. Some say that the thinnest have
thickness of but one.two.hundred an
ffy-thousandth of an inch. So thin j
the film of metal in the leaves that the
are transparent. But instead of tn
beautiful golden.yellow color which gol
is believed to possess, when held to tn
light they appear to be Of a deep ric
green. Every one of the thin squar
inches of gold that the beaters begin Of
makes sixteen pieces of gold leaf. In
Guiding the waste, each inch is beate
out into leaves sufficient to cover an are
of 400 square inches, which is larger tha
good.sized gentleman's handkerchie
A gold bar, when beaten out, will csrpe
a room seventy Eve feet long by sixty
six feet wide.
An impression is given, from seein
the men swing the heavy mallets, ths
gold-beaters, as class, are PARTIAL
strong and healthy. This is not 81
Their work is con6ping, and whilst thei
arms are strong and muscular, they ar
; not more healthy than any other class
men whose work keeps them indoor
Their work is steady and they earn frol
$12 to SIG a week. Some of the work
trimming and preparing the moulds fe
the beater is done by the wives an
daughters of several of the men at the
homes.
A term of four years is not consldere
too limo time in which t. learn tb