The Yellowstone journal., 1894-10-02

ONE OF THE MANY SECRETS OF THE
PAWNsRoKERS TRADE.


Heirlooms Are Melted and Cast Into Bars |
which Are Traded For Good Coin.
Looks funny, doesn't it? All the |
same there are dozen OF those ma.
Ghines going at least once week IN this
city that the ruh'ic rever 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
room in 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 10 per
cent Of all articles placed in hook
Re never called for. Then often gold
and silver are purchased outright by
the pennyweight or ounce, and in one
wsy 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
ooanters 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
q after setting half dozen electric
alarms going and the pressing OF nu-
marous buttons, was "a peculiar contrly-
ance looking like a 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 fiowerpots lay ON the floor.
This copper barrel, " said the pro-
prietor, s'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 1t will make
urong 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
20 wear colored glasses to see what 5
going on But that's nothing TO the way
0hs thing is done in Uncle sam fur
naoes. Now, here goes 10 fill the cruel
bSe"
Into the stone jar went gold watch
onses and chains with family histories,
csests and initials, souvenir spoons and
hpeastpins of forgotten dates, rings that
could have spoken of wedding bells and
Airthdays in the long ago, golden
sharms, scarfpins with the jewels re-
Aoyed and odds and ends collected in
weeks trade. The estimated value OF
the hatful of stock was 81, 600 in pure
Rsld. Into the melting collection went a
lot of borax This was to make the gold
Acw when sufficiently melted There
vas no smoke, nothing but sickly
auell of naphtha, the noise of the blast
and the glittering whiteness of the cru
oible.
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
pioces of coarser metal would be seen
ekuggling to the surface only to sink
SACK into the yellow gold now turn
q to fluid The broker lifted the cruel
6le ont of the furnace and poured it,
White hot contents into an iron mold.
0he mold rested in pan of water. Al
elAe gold settled into the mold, and the
bsrax, turning black as it hit the water,
ptaid on top In few minutes th'
Sorax was Knocked off and out fell I
b6r Of gold weighing several pounds
eight inches long and probably three
HBurths of an inch square After clean
ing the bar was laid aside for shipment
- the treasury.
"Ws do this once a week," said thu
proprietor as he shut off the valve to thu
naphtha barrel From here the bars g
. Washington by express. Before 1t
value is returned we will pay out near
y a on 81, ,000 At Uncle Sans work
the bar will be remelted by fierce
heat Then the melted man Will b
psured into water. where it will form
into shot or pellets of gold and silve-
md copper These pellets are then plac
d in Acid and the different metals sep
GaSed. No you canr fool the govern
nlent for q minute. Science does tn
vurk in good shape. After this process
- treasury ships gold eagles for tn
nsld ahA silver coin fof tho olive
Sh d6ntained In the bax. So. yo'
sea the old battered watch case
tnu1ren chain 0 out Of dAte orna
smeut comes back in new coin Of tn
kaIm. Over $500. 900 worth OF gol'
- is annuAlly Ssnt from Chicago bro
- IN shis way. and mot one person y
Aooo eser sees how the melting |
- Ct course many gold coins ar
Ekls INTO jewslry and in course Of tim
- sanA back through our crucibles ono
more This is on account of change
~ h gold ornaments Of all kind
0AA0A il constantly going on An
wo0k? Oh, yes. We figure all sue
IineA An article pawned means TO .
uh1y its weight in the crncible with
woit deducted This profit may be
= Is may be 10 per cent. A chai
9iehing so worth Of gold we buy 70
II. 81 a some less The 81. so Is 10
nullt handling and the risk. Yes. II
Gnfte business, and many family az
- ~ - told In the golden he'd