The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1893-12-31
UNCLE SANS BURDEN.
THn GOVERNMENTS SILVER Is A
LOAD FOR 100000 MEX.
How bullion IS noueht-some Inter
csting Facts About the rrccious
Mctais-rroccsr nj the MINIS In
coinins II into Money
Washington star.

, Nth"a - ANt0 AAtHCss
Washington Star.
Uncle sam is carrying heavy load OF
SILVER just now. Being dead weight"
the stock OF the metal now on his hands
would burden 10000 able bodied men.
Sustaining 100 pounds each ana marching
six feet apart. they would stretch in a
single ale $50 miles. or as far as from
Baltimore to Boston. Stacking their
freight in a single heap, they would flui
that It's total bulk was i2S.0Do cubic feet.
Transported by rail II would require thirty
trains OF twenty-five cars each, each car
taking twenty tons
Nevertheless, the treasury has kept on
buying more OF this precious substance.
Every month. obeyine the Sherman law.
1t has been acquiring 4,boo,coo ounces,
This quantity IS Just about canai 10 the
total silver product Of the United States,
BY such obligatory purchases it IS claim-
ed that the government has lost $1,000 90
since the legal enactment above referred
70 Went into force. Tho sum represents
The difference in murcy between what Il
has paid Tor tho metal and what the
i hitter Is worth today.
HOW THE SILVER WAS BOUGHT
On three days IN each wcele the direc-
tor OF the mint received bids from deniefs
I'm bullion who wished 10 sell the comned-
lity 10 Uncle Sam. Offers had 10 be sent
Y Ia before / O'clock p, M They cstsne by
teiegraph--nearly all Of theni between.
4 l2Sg and o'clock because the silver
merchants wished u take adynnsaee %
1 the latesk quotations. Che teiesrntqa
{! weras recorded In 4. book and those bids
We're 0cceItede which seemed reasongbie,
i AdNices as to tile state OF the market
treach the treaanry eyer day nom Ncw
/ York and London. The dealers ere 81
| lowed nye days 70 deliver the usetal ~
\ the nlints on delivering u the sSllrr gets
I more than a moicty Of his ray at once 81
1 The shape OF q cheek signed byythe super
intentcnt 81 the mint. 1ic collects tne
baiance as soon IS the syQht value q
! thu stun has been asceftgip{d 1t SHOULD
be understood that the nfes sell their
ore 10 the smelling and NnninE works.
the latter sell the fDetalfn bricks 20 tho
dealers IN bullion. VINO aApose 81 them A.
the best price they cap set What they
!. in LONDON, which isSfhe worlds nlnrliet
Tor silver.
BULLION AT THE NiINTE.,yy-
The treasury atfWashlngion newer ham
! dles any bullip1f All Of il is Kept At tic
nlints, In the Kfsit coin factory on cfcSt-
nut street, I,Niadephia, is now stored.
zioi. Ooc,0Qp iBtflyer bricks. UncleS san
owns At preatnt almost exactly sleQ.OoO. 900
worth OF f3iis metal. OF this ag1ass on
value s3i5 {f1,poo IS In standard Stlvsr dob
lars ard euesidiary coins, the Balance be-
ing bull.8n. Yet only 5s,7oQ0e1 silver dol,
lars arg today In ejaculation, more than
Ave t,,fes as many being loclsed UP IN
the s,ffernmen, vaults unused. rbeS lake
IN, 9fios OF ROOM One million " them
WHY occupy spacA of 80 cubic feet. odd-
| lyJ0hongh.a box containing only $50 cubic
fset viii hold 100000 IN quart 9fs Of dimes
/, yecause they pack 80 much bitter.
/ Silver sold By tho bullion dealers 70 he
5fnints Is reducedt ~ absolute purity by a
fcheniical process. II Is Drst dissolved IA
nitric acid IN n great tank. Salt water =
put IN, and that causes the precious
! metal to fail 10 the bortcsn. where il
base metals TINT were mixed Whit re-
main IN solution and are thrown away.
But the silver has taken mp from the salt
ga element called chiorium, making 81
chloride 81 SKIER. THIS must be got rid
OF So the metDl IL shoveied Into ans
other tank containing a solution Of zine,
which ahsorhs the chiarium and leaves
the silver perfectly pnrs Tbs latter now
hae tile appearance q fine gravel Il ~
next PRESSED INTO cakes and dried In al
nyen, after which 10 n ready to be
melted for making coins
a MYSTERY
Nobody has ever been able 10 explain
what becomes OF all the SILVER and god
produced III The world The total loss OF
both thesa substances from shipwrecLs
FIRE. and wear and tear has heen rsckoned
at 81, 100000 per annum. The entire
amount % silver now in possession Of
manidud is only equal to what has been
produced during the last eighty yours
What ltls been the fate OF the vast nal-
ance7 This white treasures Of past cen
turies--where are they? It Is an pusolyed
mystery At tho beginning 81 The Chris
tian era the precious metals IN the Ro-
gnnn empire amounted to $3.50, ooo. 600
This store shrunk 70 rapiaiy during CRIB
sequent centuries that a The date ~ fhn
discovery OF America The sock u aii-
yer and gold money In Europe did not |
exceed one-tenth Of the stim mentioned
The depleted currency ~ the old world |
was made fun again by supplies from tile
rev. To-Day America Furnishes nearly
all OF the silver used by the Inhabitants
OF the giche The greet source ol supply /
Ia what gcolnsists term the Cordtleran |
system. embracing the Rocky mountain |
dean chain OF south America. IN feet
the inetal is not produced 10 any Inn
Dortail; extent anywhere else, In lsI4
tho United Suites yielded s756o0oDO !
worth Of Il and Mexico SiAenoN1 Il IS |
among The forcmoFt Of American prod- !
ucfs, For that reagan, ampng o;hrra
silver advocates claim fhat we ought I
10 uphold It ia the worlds marketa ~ I
all hazards.
silver coin underg0eb 4 loss in wegrht /
duo TO wear and tear OF circulation. II I
falls on Dncje Sam and anouita g atcat
3 per cert The 'lifa1 Of standard dol
iar rolling through the nhannels cf trade
u0aiier does not iagl half az lonss and a +
dime IA even more fnpldiy DefiAhalle