The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1894-08-15
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WEDNESDAY. AUGUST Is. 1894
COMING JEWELRY.
ONE OF THE MANY SECRETS OF THE
PAWNBRoKERS' TRADE.

"A Little Dark Room In the Rear of Chi
cago Loan Office, Where Many Golden
HeirIooms Are Melted and Cast Into Bars
Which Are Traded For Good Coin.
Looks funny, doesn't it? All the
same there are a dozen of those ma
chimes going at least once week in this
city that the public never heard about
before. When you understand it, you
will be able to tell your friends what
becomes of the gold and silver they
leave with their uncle and never re-
deem. On the dead now, don't give
lme away, and l will tell you some OF
the secrets of the pawnbrokers' trade. ="
The remark was made in little dark
room in the rear of one of the big loan
Eoffices not far from Madison and Dear
born streets. The proprietor went on to
say the reports show that 10 to 10 per
cent of all articles placed in "hock'
are never called for. Then often gold
and silver are purchased outright by
the pennyweight or ounce, and in one
way or another large amount of the
precious metals is accumulated. To
turn old style goods into ready cash Is
the problem that confronts the loan
broker. Bankrupt stocks of new designs
and fresh goods fill the cases in the
counters and show windows, and the
old material goes into new golden eagles,
with Uncle Sans stamp upon them.
On the floor of the back room, reach
ed after setting half a dozen electric
alarms going and the pressing of nu-
merous buttons, was peculiar oontrlV-
ance looking like inch tile stood
on end, with brass barrel covered with
pipes by its side A copper pan, some
iron tools and some bowls that looked
like common fiowerpots lay on the floor.
"This copper BARREL, said the pro-
prietor, sis filled with naphtha. These
pipes lead to this tile or furnace This
handle here is for the forcing of air be-
hind the naphtha SO it will make a
strong blast These pots are crucibles.
Into the furnace we place the crucible;
into the crucible goes the gold. Hot,
isn't it? So hot that we are compelled
Ito wear colored glasses to see what's
going on. But that's nothing to the way
the thing is done in Uncle Sans fur
naces Now, here goes to fill the cruel
bile. p"
Into the stone jar went gold watch
cases and chains with family histories,
crests and initials, souvenir spoons and
ibreastpins of forgotten dates, rings that
could have spoken of wedding bells and
birthdays in the long ago. golden
charms, scarfpins with the jewels re.
moved and odds and ends collected in q
weeks trade The estimated value OF
the hatful of stock was 81, 900 in pure
gold. Into the melting collection went
lot Of borax This was to make the gol6
flow when sufficiently melted. Their
was no smoke, nothing but a sickl.
smell of naphtha, the noise of the bias
and the glittering whiteness of the cru
chile.
To get q closer look at the melting
gold pair of green eyeglasses was fur
nished. As the broker stirred the con
tents of the crucible with an iron poke
black bubbles would come to the top an
pieces of coarser metal would be see
struggling to the surface only to sin
back into the yellow gold now turn
ed to fluid. The broker lifted the cruel
BILE out of the furnace and poured 1t
white hot contents into an iron mold
The mold rested in pan of water. Al
the gold settled into the mold, and tn
borax, turning black as it hit the water
,staid on top. In few minutes tn
borax was knocked off and out fell
bar of. gold weighing several pounds
eight inches long and probably three
.fourths of an ipoh square. After clean
ing the bar was laid aside for shipmen
to the treasury.
1--WE do this once week." said tn
proprietor as he shut off the valve to TIN
naphtha barrel From here the bars q
to Washington by express. Before 1T
value is returned we will pay out near
.ly 81 on 81, 900, AT Uncle Sans work
the bar will be remelted by q fierce
heat. Then the melted mass will b
poured into water, where it will form
into shot or pellets of gold and silve
and copper. These pellets are then plac
ed in acid and the different metals sep
arated. No, you can't fool the govern
ment for q minute. Science does tn
work in good shape. After this process
the treasury ships gold eagles for thu
gold and silver coin for the silvel
metal contained in the bar So, YOU
see the old battered watch case
broken chain or out Of date orna
ment comes back in new coin of the
realm. Over 5000, 900 worth of golt
bars is annually sent from Chicago bro
kers in this way, and not one person IL
10, 900 ever sees how the melting ii
done. OF course many gold coins are
made into jewelry and in course of time
are sent back through our crucibles once
more. This is on account of change o
style in gold ornaments of all kind
which is constantly going ON. Any
profit? Oh, yes. We figure all sucl
things. An article pawned means to II
only its weight in the crucible with I
profit deducted. This profit may be
or it may be 10 per cent. A ehaii
weighing $40 worth of gold we buy TO
1873. so or some less The $3.50 is TO
profit, handling and the risk. Yes, it
quite a business, and many family his
tory has been told in the golden heiI
looms that have fallen into loan bro
ker's crucible. Chicago Tribune