Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-08-15
COMING JEWELRY.
ONE OF THE MANY SECRETS OF THE
PAWNBROKERS' TRADE. !

cago Loan Omce, Where Many Golden
Heirlooms Are Melted and Cast Into Bar,
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
me away, and will tell you some Of
the secrets of the pawnbrokers' trade ;"
The remark was made in little dark
offices 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. TIC
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.
merons buttons was peculiar contrlv-
ance looking like 6 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 fowerpots lay Oh the floor.
''This copper BARREL, said the pro-
iprietor, ''is 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 erucible;
into the crucible goes the gold. Hot,
ism t it? So hot that we are compelled
to 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 cruci-
BILE -
Into the stone jar went gold watch
cases and chains with family histories,
crests and initials, souvenir spoons and
breastpins of forgotten dates, rings that
could have spoken of wedding bells and
birthdays III the long ago, golden
charms, scarfpins with the jewels re-
moved and odds and ends collected in a
weeks trade The estimated value of
the hatful of stock was $1,000 in pure
gold. Into the melting collection went a
lot of boraX. This was to make the gold
flow when sufficiently melted. There
was no smoke, nothing but a sickly
smell of naphtha, the noise of the blast
and the glittering whiteness Of the cru
cible
To get 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 poker
black bubbles would come to the top and
pieces of coarser metal would be seen
struggling to the surface only to sink
back into the yellow gold now turn
ed to fluid The broker lifted the crhci-
BILE out of the furnace and poured its
white hot contents into an iron mold.
The mold rested in a pan of water. All
the gold settled into the mold, and the
borax, turning black as it hit the water,
staid on top. In a few minutes the
borax was knocked off and out fell a
bar of gold weighing several pounds,
eight inches long and probably three
fourths of an inch square. After clean
ing the bar was laid aside for shipment
to the treasury.
1--WE do this once week." said the
proprietor as he shut off the valve to the
naphtha barrel. ''From here the bars go
to Washington by express. Before its
value is returned we will pay out near
ly 81 on $1,000 At Uncle Sans works
the bar will be remelted by fiercer
heat Then the melted mass will be
poured into water, where it will form
into shot or pellets of gold and silver
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 a minute. Science does the
work in good shape. After this process
the treasury ships gold eagles for the
gold and silver coin for the silver
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 gold
bars is annually sent from Chicago bro
kers in this way, and not one person in
1000 ever sees how the melting is
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 of
style in gold ornaments of all kinds
which is constantly going on. Any
profit? Oh, yes. We figure all such
things. An article pawned means to US
only its weight in the crucible with a
profit deducted. This profit may be 6
or it may be - per cent. A chain
weighing $40 worth Of gold we buy for
$8. 80 OF some less. The $1.50 is for
profit, handling and the risk. Yes, it's
quite business, and many a family his
tory has been told in the golden heir
looms that have fallen into Loan bro
ker's crucible ''-Chicago Tribune.
The United States flag was first sa-
luted by a foreign power when the ship
Ranger, in command Of Captain Paul
Jones, entered Quiberon bay, France,
Feb, II, IT'S, the salute being given
by Admiral Ia Motto, representing the
French government. The first American
flag flown in a foreign port was from
the truck of the brig Nancy, in com
mand of Captain Hugh Montgomery, at
St. Thomas in 1776. The first time it
was displayed on a fortress of the old
world was on April 27, 1906, at Tripoli,
when the Is starred and striped fla,
was raised in victory.
1t was said to have been raised over
Fort Nassau, New Providence, on the
2Sth of January, 1778, when Captain
John Rathburne took possession Of the
fort and captured several prizes i'll the
harbor. This also is supposed to be one
of the first occasions On which the Amer.
lean flag was nailed to its staff in tolzer
of absolute defiance, as the people of the
city had gathered 500 strong to demand
the surrender Of the fort.
The honor Of having first hoisted the
flag in an English port after the treaty