Evening star., 1896-12-05
GOLD BY THE YARD.
How the Gliding Used. in Ornamental l
Decoration Is Prcpurci.

How the Gliding Used. in Ornamental
Decoration Is PrcpurcG.
From Pearsons Weekly.
The beating of the innumierable little
square pieces of gold which are used to
cover doIles and signs. and SO on, forms a
distinct industry in the gold trade, which
employs large number of hands and re-
quIres no small amount Of skill.
The long low building in which the work
ic carried on is filled throughout the day
with the sound of hammers. On every side
little boxes containing tiny rolls of gold
are TO be seen, which, although only meas
uring an inch and half in length, are each
worth about f10. The gold is received in
bars one-eighth of an inch In thickness. an
inch in width and weighing 2+o penny
weights. This is rolled out into a ribbon
thirty yards in length.
1t Is then given to the workmen in strips
measuring seven yards. each of which Is
cut up into 1SO pieces. These are now
ready to be beaten out by hand. They are
placed protected by fine skins in tool
known the CLUTCH and are thoroughly
pounded out ON a great granite block set in
the ground in such a way, that there Is alb
solutely no vibratory movement. The pro-
cess is repeated several times, the gold as
it spreads being continuously subdivided
until 1t is of the exact dimensions required
The skins in which the gold is beaten are
so delicate that they will tear as easily as
paper, nevertheless they are of SO fine a
quality that they will Withstand the con-
tinual hammering for several years. The
gold, which is finally beaten down to 20O,-
0)0th of an inch, is rubbed with brine be-
fore being placed in the skins, in order that
it shall not adhere to them.
Easy as this work of beating out the gold
may seem, ii is in reality an art Of a very
delicate description. The workman must
know to a nicely precisely how hard or gen.
tie the blows Of his hammer must be, and
also the exact spot on which they should
fall Accordingly, very superior class of
men are employed in the business.
Grants Indifference to Personal Com.
From the Century.
A member of Gen. Thomas staff quietly
called that officers attention to the fact
that the distinguished guests clothes were
pretty wet and his boots were thoroughly
soaked with rain, after his long ride
through the storm, and intimated that colds
were usually no respecters of persons. Gen.
Thomas mind had been so intent upon re-
ceiving the commander and arranging for
a conference Of officers that he had en-
tirely overlooked his guests travel-stained
condition but as soon as his attention was
called to it, all of his old-time Virginia
hospitality was aroused, and he at once
begged his newly arrived chief to step into
a bed room and change his clothes. His
u,gings, however, were in vain. The gen.
eral thanked him politely, but positively de-
clined to make any additions to his per-
sonal comfort, except to light a fresh cigar
Afterward, however, he consented to draw
his chair nearer to the wood fire, which
! was burning in the chimney place. and to
thrust his feet forward to give his top
| boots a chance to dry. The extent of his
indulgence in personal comfort In the field
did not seem to be much greater than that
of bluff old Marshal Suvaroff, who, when
he wished to give himself over to an excess
of luxury, used to go SO far as to take off
one spur before going to bed.