Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-08-25

SysiV burned i in the o o,'li,
we was reserved for
a 40 another occasion. and
" all of 1t was convey
ed in a steel wagon
to the Washington navy yard few days
ago to be disposed of. There il was shovel
ed into great blast furnace. together with
a lot of counterfeiters' tools and other ma
terial. including metal dies and molds by
hundreds. The metal from the melting will
be sold for junk. A lot of plaster molds
were broken up at the same time with
hammers. Great numbers of the counter
felt coins thus destroyed found their Way
to the treasury in bags of metal money sent
by banks, business Trims and individuals
fIom various parts of the country for ex-
change into paper notes and certificates.
Cash in this shape arrives every day " the
ton. Some of 1t comes from as far south as
Tampa, Fla. or as lar north as Rhode Is
land; but none to speak OF is received from
the west. because there are suotredSuries
il Cincinnati. st. Louis and Chicago, which
serve branch offices for the same bust
ness. Every bit of the money turned in
has to be counted, ana the work is done by
women.
Women make the best counters OF money.
That fact was discovered by Gen. Spinner
when he had given them their fist employ
ment in the treasury. They 10 al. o. the
coun ting Eow for Uncle Sam. so great rs
the dexterity acquired By some OF them in
reckoning COINS that it is not considered an
extraordinary feat 10 count and lie up IL
envelopes and bags 5000 pieces in siA
hours. 1t should De remembered that the
task has to be performed with the utmost
care, every bad mutilated or foreign coin
being rejected. The foreign and mutiia ted
pieces are sent back to me persons from
whom they were received. The counting is
done without the aid If any mocha uicai APP
pliance. Counting boards have been tried
at the treasury. but were given UP, because
they proved too awkward Tor women to
handle. The exercise is too violent, requir-
ing muscular strength. Such board is
nat and square. with series of parallel
ridges just the height of dollar. The sill
yer dollars are thrown upon it and spread
quickly with the HANDS until it is covered.
Then the beard is tilted and all the coins
fall of save the 800 which are retained by
the ridges. By the help of this contrivance
an expert can count dollars at the rate OF
3.cOV d minute.
Devices for CountinS
Halves quarters. dimes, nickels and pen
MES are counted in like fashion on boards
OF suitable construction. But another rca-
son why this plan does not serve for use
at the treasury is that it does not afford
the same opportunity for examining in
dividual coins. The same objection applies
to machine for reckoning dimes that was
invented by Dr. DOnZeno. superintendent of
the New Orleans mint. This continuance is
so arranged that dimes poured into a hop.
per are fed out on the other side. a dial
registering the number that have passed
through. The old coins sent from the
treasury for recoinage are counted at the
mint in Philadelphia with counting boards
h..x ~fv.xx
do not count the coins which they make
before sending them ont: they weigh them
For example. 1000 silver dollars of fun
weight are put on one side of balance.
Every bag Of 81 900 in dollars must satisfy
the requirement Of eQupoise. If 1t does So
the number of coins does not have to be
reckoned. 1t Is the same way with the
subsidiary silver and with nickels and
cents. The blanks" for cents and nickels
are paid for by the pound, being manufac-
tured by private firms for the government.
The contract rate is SO low that the
blanks for cents cost Uncle Sam only
little less than one-tenth of a cent apiece:
the nickel blanks cost him one and half
cents apiece.
The blanks for the cents, when they
reach the mint. are so bright and shining
that one might easily mistake them for
gold. The nickel blanks are very pretty
also. resembling silver to the eye. a
nickel. by the way. contains only - per
cent Of Tint metal. the rest of it being
Chefs The planchets for silver dollars are
weighed before they receive the impress of
the die. Each one is tested separately, and,
If found too heavy. it Is flel down by as
much as may be required. At the mint in
Philadelphia this work IS done in a great
room where more than a hundred young
women sit at desks, each with a pair of
scales in front Of her. Every other minute
the chattering becomes such a roar that
the lady in charge rings big dinner bell
to quell 1t. At the treasury here the ex-
pert counter takes a newly received bag of
nckeis. for example. and pours out a part
double handful at once. With two CT three
quick motions she spreads them 50 that
they lie Nat. no one upon another. Then
with deft fingers she throws them, two by
two, from the table into her left hand
which is held beneath the edge to receive
them. Her eye. meanwhile. scans every
piece. II there Is a counterfeit In the lot
it is most likely to betray itself by a DIFF
detected by sight, its ring as 1t drops into
the palm with the other coins gives II
away. 1t is hardly possible for one to es-
cape.
COunterfeitins Pennies.
All mutilated, foreign or much-worn
pieces are rejected and laid aside The last
are sent to the mint to be recoined Uncle
Sam loses good deal of money in this
way. Taking an average. $1,000 worth of
silver returned Tor recoinage Is found to
have lost about $50 worth Of its substance.
In other words, the loss by abrasion of sill
yer money is per cent. The life" of a
silver dollar in constant circulation is only
four or five years. During the first two or
three years after the standard dollars be-
gan to be coined it was possible to count
them by weight, and the delicate scales
could even detect a single counterfeit In a
bag OF $1,000. But now they have become
SO abraded that this is no longer practI-
cable. Speaking of rapid reckoning John
Lewis. coin-teller in the subtreasury at St
Louis, on a wager. has picked UP a newly
received bag of 1000 silver dollars, counted
them, thrown out two or three counter
feits and tied them up again inside of six
minutes. Among the bad coins a good
many bronze cents occur. 1t Is said that
most of them are made by Italians in New
York, who can afford to use the same
metal composition as that employed by
Uncle Sam. This is counterfeiting reduced
to Its lowest terms, but, though the profit
he 70, hoo