The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-10-28
eLInpsEs IN A MINT.
Something About the Process Of Coin
ing the Precious Metals.

ing the PRECIOUS N6t8U.
It is rather difficult to attempt de-
scription of how money is made. Even
encyclopedias, which are supposed TO be
equal 10 any and all emergencies, object
to that. In measure they are right
To get the best idea of the multiple and
minute processes of minting one must be
an eyewitness. It adds charm to the
proceedings to stand by the dusty furn-
aces, arranged in sentinel like rows, to
see them open their jaws, and to look
right down into the fiery cavern where in
aatiable tongues of flame are licking up
the molten masses of silver and gold.
A day or two ago Officer Brown, stand.
ing beside visitor who had watched with
all the fascination of a novice the great
iron mouths opening and closing, be
trsyed himself into neat little expla
nation of the process of minting money
Officer Brown has been many years at the
Mint. so the visitor listened with interest
as to one who spoke with authority
Here is the process in a nutshell.
shaking money" said he, with one of
those eloquent waves Of the hands he
keeps by him to use on explanatory
occasions such as these, sis just like
making cake. You mix the dough, we
mix the metal. You roll out the dough
into shape, we roll out the metal into
bars. You cut the dough into cakes, we
cut the metal into coins. Then we stamp
them. The metal left over is melted up
and used again, just as the cook gathers
up the leftovers, rolls them again, and
cuts more cakes"
In other words, an amount Of metal,
say the equivalent of 100000 in gold.
which chemically is made up of 80 per
cent gold and 10 per cent copper, is pu,
into black lead crucible about the size
of peck measure. 1t is kept in the furn
ace one hour and fifteen minutes. The
workman watches his gold as sacredly as
liquid is brought to the proper constit-
ueucy he takes three cornered black
lead cup, about the size that would fit
monkeys head, and dips up $4,000 worth
Of the metal at time, pouring it out
again with that marvellous dexterity
which only comes from practice into
nolds holding $1,000 each. Nothing
can be more beautiful than the fiery stream
of young and pure gold as it glides into
the locked arms Of the iron mold. When
the liquid solidi6es it forms bar, or, to
be technically correct an ingot about IL
inches long and about half an inch thick
These ingots are subjected to process OF
rolling out which !engthens them without
increasing the width. The bars are then
ready to be cut. One machine cuts the
coin, another stamps them after the pro
cess Of milling has been performed. Mill.
ing, in mint rarlance, has somewhat o:
different Specification than in ordinary
vernacular. 1t signifies the rolling over
Of the edge of the coin preparatory to
stamping it with the minute denticula
tons, which are commonly known as the
milling. The latter is part of the process
Of stamping, aud is done at the time the
signet is put on the coin.
Speaking of stamping introduces the
large corps Of women who form consid-
cradle part of the working force of the
Mint. About 100 of them are employed
and they attend entirely to the adjusting
and stamping. 1t may be said in ex-
PLANTATION of the process Of the term sad
justing" that every coin before it is shaped
is carefully weighed. If too heavy, the
edge is delicately fled until the coin is
of lawful weight; if too light the piece is
sent to be remelted. This process OF
weighing and adjusting is an employment
to which women, with their delicacy OF
touch are we'll suited. They are also in
charge of the stamping. Incidentally i,
may be said that most presses stamp from
10 to ITO coins every minute. In one
short hour $4,000 in $40 gold pieces
can be stamped around the edges and on
both sides.
There is another part of the work which
comes under the charge of the women
employed at the Mint. They do the sew
ing. At first though it seems triAe in
coneruous to associate sewing with mon
ey minting, but all the bags used by the
Mint are sewed in the building. The
bags are made of white duck run up by
amachine, being sewed twice for security.
The bag making is 20 small thing to do
when you come to consider the number
1t takes to pack up the newly coined
wealth of the country each year. The
scent pieces are packed in $50 bags and
the pennies in $40 bags, small silver 10
$1,000 and the gold in $4,000 pouches
Roughly speaking, last year fully 1000
bags were made up for gold alone, is 900
tor silver, 5000 for half dollars, besides
many thousands for the smaller coins.
Wages in China
10 estimate the pay of working people