The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-01

reduction they are drawn again. If, by
any mistake the strips should have been
drawn too thin there is no remedy but to
send them to the melting-pot.
PUNCHING OUT THE BLANKS.
When the strips have been made of the
necessary thickness, they are passed
through machines which punch out of
each the circular "blank" Before being
passed on these blanks are weighed with
the clippings and the defective ignots to
show just how much of the melt has been
lost; and this is carefully noted. When the
blanks have been cut they are separated
into drafts of $4,000 each and passed on
to the adjusting room. Here the fore
woman puts $50 blanks in each Of the
pans. Each pan has a number cor
responding to the seat occupied by the ad-
iuster to whom it is to go. The adiusters
sit at marble-tOp tables, each with a
delicately adjusted balance before her
These balances are sensitive to l-64 of q
grain Of weight. Each adiuster has a
standard of weight, and with this she
tests for an hour or two the proportion of
the blanks running above or below the
standard in weight, so as to enable the
chief weigher to adjust his delivery of
heavy, light and standard weight coins,
so that the weight in bulk shall CORES
pond to the standard prescribed by law.
After an average has been obtained each
adjuster takes a counter weight three
fourths of grain above the standard,
and with that tests in the balance all the
blanks. All that fall below the weight
of the counter balance are put in pan by
themselves and classed as lights" All
that weigh more thaa the counterbal-
ance are filed until they are reduced to
its proper weight; then they are put in
another pan reserved for the theavies -
The 'heavies" are taken TO expert weigh
ers, who test them. The "lights" are
sent TO other experts who have counter
weight three-fourths Of grain below the
standard of the dollar. The "lights" are
all tested by this counter weight, and
any that fall below it are, sent back to the
melting room as condemned.
After the adjustment the blanks and
their filings are weighed, and the exact
loss of weight in this process is noted
Then the blanks are taken to the milling
machine, where the edge of each is
throw up. The blanks are then put in
cast-irOn boxes, sealed with potter's clay
and placed in an annealing furnace heated
by wood fire. From this furnace the
blanks 20 to an acid bath, which cleanses
them and gives to the surface of each
that dead whiteness which is character
iStic of coin fresh from the mint This
process also removes all dirt or grease
The acid does not emOve any Of the sill
yer, but IL removes "A very little copper
from the alloy. The loss in silver is
chiefly from this whitening process and
the cutting process.
The blanks remain in the acid about five
minutes Then they are thrown into a
revolving riddle" with sawdust TO dry
The drying takes from FIVE to fifteen min
utes. Then tho blanks are again
weighed, and finally are sent TO the coin
ing machine, where they are fed to the
dies, which stamp the coin design on
each as il falls from the hopper Through
the coming process the light, heavy and
standard coins are kept apart from each
other The chief weigher unites them in
drafts Of 81, 900 each, 80 as to make the