The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1893-10-11
GLiMPSES IN "A MINT.
someth' 'ng About tho Process of Coin.
Ing the Precious Metals.

>"s the Precious Metals
IL IS rather difficult TO attempt de.
scrlptlon of how money is made Even
onCyolopcdlas, which are supposed to be
equal to any and all emergencies. obicc,
10 that. In n measure they are right
10 get the best idea of the muItinle and
'h'nut" Pr"oos"on Of r1intincr one I1ust Io
an eyewitness. 1t adds charm To- tho
proceedings to stand by the dusty fur
nacCs, arranged in sentinel like rows, to
see them Omen their Jaws aud look right
noWh INTO the fiery cavern, where nsu-
lia9ie tongues of flame arc licking up the
molten masses of silver and gold.
n day or two ago Officer Brown.
standing beside visitor who Ind
watched with all the fascination of a
novice the great iron mouths opcniny
and closing, betrayed himself into a neat
little explanation of the process Of mint
ing money. Officer Brown has been
many years ut the mint, So the visitor
listened with interest, as to one who
spoke with authority. Here is the pro
cess in a nutshell:
Making money" said he. with one of
those eloquent waves Of the hands ho
keeps 10y him to use on explanatory oc.
caslons sIch as these, lis lust like
making cake. You mix the dough, we
mix the metal. You roll out the dough
into shape, wo roll out the metal into
bars. You out the dough into cakes. VIC
cut the metal into coins. Then we stnmp
lhcm. The metal loft over is melted up
ana used again, just as the cook gathers
ny The icft-ovcrs, rolls them again and
cuts more cakes"
In other words, an amount of metal
say the equivalent Of 800. O1O in gold.
which chemically is made up e % rcr
cent gold aud 10 per cent. copper, il
put into black lead cruciblc about the
size OF peck measure 1t is kent in the
furnace one hour aui fifteen minutes
The workman watches his gold as sacred.
ly a the cook her cakes, and when the
molten liquid is brought to the proper
consistency he takes n three cornCrcd
bihCk-icad cup, about the size that
would fit monkeys head, and dips up
$1,000 worth of the metal at q time.
pouring 1t out again with that marvellous
ueXtcrity which only comes from practice
ss& ~ III s2!sa!ng 81 900 each. No,h
ing can be more bcaTtnEx.na ma" inc n"ry
stream oil young and pure iSs.z'.S.,es ~
gidcs into the locked arms OF
~ iron mould. When tho lipNi,i soIidiGc,
'o'hs q pHI, VI, 10 IN: ,o,h,;oII -
'ec,' an ingot about twelve inches Lon,
anu ABOUT half an inch u;,'I.
,fS,, "cSu lnSots are subjected toa process
u rolling out which lcngthcns tbcm will
n"' increasing the width. Tbh hors oro
men ready to be cut. One m.chinc o,,,s
tue CON- another stamps them oftcr ,ho
process OF milling hps hccn ncrrormcJ
'i"nS. IN mint parlaucc. has somewb,t
o' ""lhcrcnt Specification than in orIi"
'y NcInacular. II signifies tho ,oI,;n,,
over OIL the edge nf the coin pronor,tnr2I
~ stamping IT with the minute drntiruI,,
:',s' .Es' "hlch arc commonly known as the
"S Inc latter is part of the pro
80 80 oi stamping, and is done at tho Tina
'"s' 'hc signet is put on the coin.
Sre"N'hS OF stamping, introduces the
80 corps OF women who form a CON.
s'"eIaoie part of the working force Of the
n'n', ABOUT 100 OF them are cmnlovcJ
anu anu .hey attend entirely to the adiusIip1
ID auu stamping: 1t may bc said in cy'
a''on .; OF the process Of the term cad
lns'g 'hnt every coin before i, IA
sI"aped Is Carefully weighed. IL ion
,y neaVy me cdSo is dclicateIy filed until
IRE Ire com IS OF lawful weight; if too light
mi. IS sent to he rcmeltcd
IL" process oi weighing aud
- "u SuipipyHeDt 10 which wO-
men, with their delicacy of touch ,rc
wen suited. They arc also in chargc Of
INC stamping. Incidentally il may be
SAID that most presses stamp from 50 I,
ilo ocoins every minute. In one short hon,
Slo,0OO in ter dollar gold niece, can h
stamped around the edge and on 10th.
sides. '' "o'''
There is another part of the work
which comes under the charge of the wo |
ncn employed at the mint They Jorhc
sewing. At first thought 1t seems a trigo |
lncongruous to associate sewipr wifh |
money minting, but all the bags used, By
,he mint are sewcd in the building. Tho
bags are made of white duck and nun nm
ny machine, being sewed twice for So.
cutity' The bag making is no small
'hihg "ncG you omc 10 consider the
It takes 10 pack up tho newiv
I9inea 20, wealth OF the country each ycac
l ne hvc,cent pieces are packed in $50
bags and the pennies in $40 bngs and
nc small silver in 1900 and tho col;
% $4,000 pouches. Roughly spcIk1n, !
lst year fully 1000 bags we're mado -
or gold alone, 1900 for silver, 4 or
OF ha'i dollars, besides mnny THOUSAND,
1r c ,he smaller coins IPhiladeIphia