Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1895-04-11
The Mint Steal.

nal showing how bullion is received
melted and refined at the Carson Mint
and how and when the big steal &C.
Cured will be of interest to our read.
ers:
In each of three departments in the
mint, namely: the General, Melting
and Refining, and Coming, there is a
Weigh Clerk, who keeps a scale book
in which is entered data regarding the
description, number, weight, etc., of
each bar of bullion through the var
ious processes, from the time the bar
Is received in the general Office until
it Is run into fine bars about 900 fine,
or made into coin. A complete rec
ord Is kept, and as the bar progresses
from one department to another it is
charged to each in turn and each re.
ceive proper credit when the bar, or
@melt," is returned through the de-
partment in any other form, that is in
"shoe" bars, ingots or coin. The book
keepers and Weigh Clerk in each de-
partment are checks on each other,
and each department is a check on
the other. Under this system stealing
is impossible, unless THERE'S collision
between the book keepers and
Weighing Clerks. No clerk or de-
partment can steal any great amount
without the clerk in the other de-
partments discovering the theft. The
ordinary workmen In the mint have
little opportunity to steal and it is
impossible for them to take much
gold or silver without being discover
ed by their associates or the clerks in
the Offices, therefore, there must have
been collision between the clerks
and other employees at the Carson
Mint.
At the mint the bullion is received
in the general department, melted and
run into "shoe" bars. The fineness of
the bullion is ascertained by assay,
and each SHE bar is stamped with the
number of the melt and turned over
to the Meter and Reiner's depart
ment. In the refinery the process of
parting or separating the gold from the
silver, and both from inferior metals,
is conducted. During this process the
bullion is constantly under the eyes
OF the foreman Of the room. If the
gold and silver remain in solution in
tanks any length Of time it is under
lock and key and the foreman carries
the key: In these tanks the gold is
granulated and resembles corn meal
or brown sugar. The metal in this
state Is taken from the tanks and
placed in hydraulic press and all the
moisture is squeezed out of the gran.
ulations. which appear in the form OF
a cheese SO compactly pressed, that it
has to be broken with sledge ham,
mer. These scheeses' as they are
called, vary in size, and are returned
to the Office Of the department weigh
er and the loss, if any charged to the
room. The gold and silver in this
stage are nearly pure, purer in fact
than gold or silver coins. The metal
is weighed in the melting room where
the proper proportion of alloy is mix
ed with it and it is again melted and
run into ingots.
During these several processes the
mint assayer takes the metal in var
ious conditions and makes his tests,
the results of which are impaired to
the foreman Of the room, as too much
or too little alloy is fatal to the melt.
The ingots are returned to the gen.
eral department under the number of
the melt by which it was known and
designated in that department when
weighed in, and the meter and refiner
credited with the amount, the loss be-
ing charged to the proper cause The