Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-03-30
COLDBEATERS' WORK.
Ono Trade In Which No improvements
Has Been Made.

Ono Trade IN Which No Improvements
Has Been Made.
~ was In the workshop of goldbeut-
er in New York recently for the first
time in my life." said l.. s. Tomlinson,
of Chicago. mt the Lindcll. probably
less Is known of that interesting trade
than of any Uehcr cxtant. The fact In
that there are SO few engaged in It by
comparison with other Industries. !
was greatly Interested In the process.
The gold Is melted and run into small
ingot making an oblong plate of abso-
lutcly pure gold. This Is rolled in n
hand rolling mill until II Is strung out
into several yards of gold ribbons,
about as thick as parchment. This Is
cut up into pieces about an inch square,
several hundred are placed beneath
leaves of goldbcatcr's skin. the whole
Enclosed In a parchment cover. Then
II Is beaten for several hours. The
leaves of goll spread under the beat
Ing. and they are each cut into four
pieces. The beating process IL contiu.
ued, the pieces ere again divided, and
the process repeated until the gold Is 70
thin that the slightest breath will blow
II away.
~ am told that this is one trade 10
which modern invention has made no
improvement. Attempts to beat gold
by machinery have utterly failed, be-
cause the stroke must not be uniform,
but regulated by the striker according
TO the conditions. A false stroke Of the
hammer is sufficient to undo the work
done at any stage and necessitates q
fresh start, beginning with the melting
pot. Only one substance has ever been
discovered which will serve to beat gold
in. 1t is obtained from the intestincs Of
cattle and subjected to secret process
am told that gold II beaten now rs Il
was when Solomon's temple was decor.
nted with gold leaf. Sometimes q cru.
chile of gold breaks. or Is upset In the
furnace. The cinders and ashes arc
carefully gathered. beaten fine in
mortar and then washed by hand.
Practically all the gold will be recov.
cred In this way. Flying particles Of
gold leaf, rs fine rs dust. settle all over
the shop. The sweepings Of the shop
are saved, burned and the ashes wash
cd. and yield sum In gold annually
ST. Louis Globe Democrat
The Andes and Reference Libraries.
The seismic ."belt." which begins with
the end Of the United States, has Ito
buckle in Ecuador and thence south.
ward tapcrs again, though not rapidly,
for Peru Is no stranger to tcmblOres OF
the first magnitude. Quayaquil. on the
edge Of the greatest volcanic centers,
has suffered sorcly. But even thus far
from the sea the great peaks arc al
most never seen.
Personal inspection Of the Pacific
coast of South America gives one to I'M
| derstand how much more visible IRE
the Andes through the atmosphere Of n
reference library In New York than
| through their own. For the closest
traveller the giant peaks politely march
eastward twenty to fifty leagues to
colonize his paper voyage with sights
never seen by the veteran of twenty
years coasting. In truth. the backbone
Of the southern continent Is hardly
more distinguished by the enormous
height Of It's scattered vcrtebrae than
by the infallible vapOrs which curtain
them from the passer on the Pacific.
| Now and then some finger Of the wind
pokes through the veil. and lets W SEQ
the fceting hint Of blue presence be-
hind; but the rent Ia repaired rs quickly
as made. Until Chile. where the chain
edges toward the coast, the great noun
tains are so far inland that the sight
would not be impressive even II tho
horizon were ever clear enough to ex-
pose them to the sea. For view Of
the Andes, one must go inland, back Of
the fog curtain.-Harper's Magazine.