The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1894-10-05
COMING JEWELRY.
ONE Of THE MANY SECRETS OF THE
PAWMBROKERS' TRADE.

cage Loan OflHc, Where Many Colder
Heirlooms Are Melted and Cast Into Bar,
Which Are Traded For Good Coin.
Clocks funny, doesn't it? All the
same there are a dozen of those ma
chimes going at least once a week in this
city that the public neyer 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''an d never re-
deem. 'On the dead now, don't give
me away, and 1 will tell you some OF
the secrets of the pawnbrokers' trade. -
The remark was made in a little dark
room in the rear of one of the big loan
offices not far from Madison and Dear
born streets. The proprietor went OH to
say the reports show that 10 to Is per
cent of all articles placed in ''hock''
are never called for. Then often gold
and silver are purchased outright by
the pennyweight OF ounce, and in one
way Or another a large amount of the
precious metals is accumulated. To
turn old style goods into ready cash is
the problem that c%onfronts 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 a peculiar contriv-
M looking like a 6 inch tile stood
on end, with a brass barrel covered with
pipes by its side. A copper pan, some
iron tools and some bowls that looked
like common fowerpots lay ON the floor.
'"This copper barrel" said the pro-
prietor, els 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 it2 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 cruel
ble."
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 in 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 81, 900 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
chile.
To get a closer look at the melting
gold a 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
struggling to the surface only to sink
back into the yellow gold now turn
ed to fluid. The broker lifted the cruel
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.
eve do this once a week. said the
proprietor as he hui 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 Oh s1,0S. At Uncle Sans works
the bar will le remelted by a fercer
heat. Then Eae melted mass will be
poured into water, wheN 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
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-
comes back in new coin of the
realm. Over $500, 900 worth of gold
bars is annually sent from Chicago bro
in this way, and not one person in
10, 900 ever sees how the melting is
done. Of purse many gold coins are
made into jewelry and in urse of time
are sent back through our crucibles once
more. This is on account of change of
style in gold ornaments of all kinds
is constantly going on. Any
profit? Oh, yes. We figure all such
An article pawned means to US
only its weight in the crucible with a
profit deducted. This profit may be 6
Dr. it may be IL per cent. A chain
$40 worth of gold we buy for
30. SO or some less. The ST. so is for
profit, handling and the risk. Yes, it's
- --o co,1,1-I -,