The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-08-21
COMING JEWELRY.
ONE OF THE MANY SECRETS OF THE
PAWNBROKERS' TRADE.

A Little Dark Room In the Rear of a Chi
cago Loan ONCE, Where Many Golden
HeirIoonas 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
me away, and | viii tell you some Of
the secrets Of the pawnbroIcers trade. =
The remark was made in a little dark
room III the rear Of one of the big loan
offices not far from Madison and Dear
born streets. The proprietor went on to
say the reports show that 10 to 3 per
cent of all articles placed in "hook"
are never called for. Then often gold
and silver are purchased outright by
the pennyweight or 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 confronts the loan
broker Bankrupt stocks Of new designs
and fresh goods fill the cases i'll the
counters and show windows, and the
old material goes into new golden eagles,
with Uncle Sam 5 stamp upon them
On the floor of the back room, reach
ed after setting half dozen electric
alarms going and the pressing of nu-
merous buttons, was a peculiar contriy-
ance looking like a 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 on the floor.
''This copper barrel, = said the pro
prieter, lis filled with naphtha. These
pipes lead to this tile or furnace. This
handle here is for the forcing Of air be-
hind the naphtha 50 it viii make a
strong blast. These pots are crucibles
Into the furnace we place the crucible;
into the crucible goes the gold. Hot,
ism 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 III Uncle Sam fur
naces. Now, here goes to fill the cruel
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 in the long ago, golden
charms, scarfpins with the jewels re-
moved and odds and ends collected in a
week trade. The estimated value Of
the hatful Of stock was 81, 600 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 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 cruel
BILE out Of the furnace and poured its
white hot contents into an iron mold.
The mold rested in pan Of water All
the gold settled into the mold, and the
borax, turning black as it hit the water,
staid ON top. In 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 60
to Washington by express. Before its
value is returned we will pay out near
" $4 on 81, 900 At Uncle Sam 5 works
the bar win be remelted by a fercer
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 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 CONES back in new coin Of the
realm. Over 5000, 600 worth Of gold
bars is annually sent from Chicago bro
kers in this way, and not one person in
10, 600 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 pawnod means TO us
only its weight in the cruoible with q
profit deducted. This profit may be 9
or it may be 10 per cent A chain
weighing $40 worth Of gold we buy for
So. so or some less. The ST. 80 II for
profit handling and the risk. Yes, it's |
quito business, and many a family his
tory has been told in the golden heir
looms that have fallen into loan bro
kers crueible. Chicago Tribune