Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-09-23
$500 IN AN OLD RAG CARPET.
Gold Recovered In the Mint at House
CieanlAg-Tne Countin < of Millions.

The longer n carpet is used in the
c%oiners' department at the United
States mint the more it is worth. Wear
and tear do not diminish its value.
Recently. saws the San Francisco Err
GmlHer, a thick wooden carpet hat has
been on the coiners' floor for seven
years was taken up and carefully
cremated. The precious ashes were
scrupulously gathered together, AS il
they were the relics Of some departed
saint, and by an elaborate refining
process the government recovered 219
ounces Of gold, worth over $500.
The metal had been deposited there
BY the ininitesimal abrasions and
disintegrations OF the yellow metal
while being converted from bullion iu-
to coin.
Even the heavy gloves of the men
who handle bullion are ~incinerated
aud the gold is brought back to Uncle
Sans Golfers. Even the smoke from
the furnaces used for melting the
metal is made to redeliver the treasure
with which it is trying to escape, and
from the SCOT in the chimney cunning
little bars of the yellow stun are Sc
cured.
ine mint in this city is just pow I'M
dergOing the process OF house clean
ing. 1t is an annual occurrence at that
institution, but this year. on account
of the exit of Gen. W. Ii. Dimond as
superintendent and the entrance Of ex-
Lieut.. Gov. Daggett to that position,
the house cleaning Is much more
thorough than usual. The house clean
ing includes counting the cash. Ina the
ordinary annual count the seals Of the
safes are not broken. Ii they are un-
injured and bear upon them the
amount in the vault. which they al
most always do. the vault is not OPEN
ell. At this time, however, owing TO
the change Of administration, every
vault will be opened. As a starter
two gangs of men went TO work re-
Gently in I vault containing 2,500 silver
bars.
Inside the vault the $500 white bars
lay piled in one corner, the pile stretch
ing the whole length of the vault,
about fifteen feet, and ~ high as a
mans chin. The bars measure about
l2X6X6 inches, and each bears the
number and stamp Of the r%etiner, the
oneness aud the mint number, the
weight before and after taking the as
say chip, and a flattened corner show
ing where the chip a taken from.
The men 20 at them with crowb bars and
pry them out OF the tiers in which they
lay. and then a laborer lifts the bar
with evident eXertion and bangs it
down on a little car. The vault re-
sounds with the conclusion. the num-
Der, weight. and lineness are called off
and checked off. and the car is unload
ed in another orner
At frequent intervals bars are
weighed. Recently the first 2O1 bars
were weighed, but all were found cor
rect. and beyond an occasional ties,
the stamp was afterward taken a.
correct. The bars weigh about los
pounds apiece. and in the $500 there
Is aboat g, 0 1000. In all there i,
$50, 0J0,0JJ in silver for the inspector;
10 count. and enough gold to make
about $50, 900. 900 in all. Most of the
metal is in bars, but there are seyera
million dollars in silver coin to bt
handled. and this also will be counted
by weight.
The s%weepings of the institution fol
the past year are now being assayed
after which they viii be sold to the
highest bidder. In former years n:
much rs 5000 has been obtained from
the ~sweepings Of the local mint. and
they will surely be up TO the standard
this year. AZ least ga say experts Oh
mint sweepings.