The morning times., 1896-07-19
Stacked Up You Could Not See
the Top Of Ii.
If Each Child Born Had Its Part Its
Cradle Could Rock on a Silver
Shareholder Interesting
FACTS and Figures.

There were produced last year i'll TIE
United States four million and more
Iilvcr dollars. Each of these small
wheels was cut with Il stamp from Il
big silver sheet rolled out like dough.
The size OF this sheet, rolled ont ready
Tor the stampcr's hand, was more than
ainely miles around the edge, anu II
uood up like Il wheel il would have
reached from here TO the sky. Mounted
On il. as on Il bicycle, Uncle Sam could
Bavc wheeled into Mars.
The mysterious processes through which
silver goes from the time it enters the
min,'s back door until it comes rolling
out the front as dollars are kept rs
silent as possible. for the silver dollar
has never been coun,crfcitcd and the
tinted States Officials do mol mean that
il ever shall he. Counterfeit silver dol
lars there are, of course, but 50 wretchcd
in the Imitation that none but an absent
mined person at twilight would accept
one. receptions So glaring that they do
moi deceive are not feared by the gov
rrnment.
With the gold dollar il is u little differ
pnt. This is supposed TO be worth its
weigh, in gold" nj matter in what form
II is. As a lump. in :; watch chain. Us IA
gold sugar spoonS-no matter how-it is
siill supposed to De worth rs much as
II weighs. That is. If il weighs as much
Bs gold dollar, it is considered worth
Il dollar i'll gold.
MAKING A DOLLAR.
But With the silver dollar there IS a
little difference. You can buy just as
much with it as you can with the gold
dollar; and more, If gold is below par,
us it may be: but the silver dollar Is not
worth dollar if it is melted NJ. II is
tlicn worth about half Il dollar.
The workmanship which the govern
ment puts upon a silver dollar adds one
half 10 its Value. And so cents worth
OF silver. properly combined, melted,
rolled, knraded and finally stamped out.
millcd and completed, becomes 81. 1t
goes as far as any other dollar row.
And the process OF getting it rrJ'n i,.inp
TO lesaitcnder is Il secret of Cnclc Sums
workshops-a mighty secret tnat. costs
he government millions Il year, us well
Rsbrnslng millions intoit.
In Philadelphia. san Francisco, Denver.
Carson city. New Orleans and cities where
the United States mines are located. there
are stories always current in the air Of
queer happenings at the mints. Tales of
how people come with Jumps of silver ore,
worth more or less after .cing separated.
and tales OF teaputs, spoons and jewelry
II is said that never do the mints refuse 10
take these offerings: and. although the
process be ever So slow and tedious, they
willingly 20 through il and give the owner
NJ the metal as much rs ii is worth after
money has been made out OF it.
Without these minis the banking Of he
country would be as primitive as he SWAP
ping of metals by the savages. and there
would be standard Of value. You could
get much or little for your lump of gold or
silver, just as you can get much or little
for your watch. according to your luck at
selling or swapping.
The making Of Il dollar. say silver dollar,
sipce silver is the word you now hear is
expensive to the government. Some genius.
ilelving into facts and figures. found that
1t costs Uncle Sam more than Il dollar TO
make each dollar. whether Of gold or
nlver. and that by The time he bad turned
out the magic little wheel il had cost him
mere in labor and meta than people would
pay him for it. 1t costs him / 10 cents, while
he could only get 100 cents for it, But
even if this lie so. and the investigation
VI it would take one too far int O the private
records Of the Treasury. the money all
comes back 10 the government in time so
that Uncle Sans pocket strings do not
suffer from his painstaking in getting up
his lega tender.
COMING MONEY.
The process OF making the silver dollar
is Ike that OF cake making, at least it so
strikes Il visitor TO the Utmost regions of
the mint. You read that a silver dollar is
800 parts of pure silver to one of copper
alloy, and that il weighs 412 1-2 grains.
This constitutes the recipe for the raw ma
terial, as it is 10 he mixed up and rolled
out The recipe and the making have d
curious touch of the Kitchen.
IF you were TO visit any Of the miuts
with a piece Of silver you would be usil-
cred into Il small waiting room and told
TO be seated until The amount due you
could be paid. You might be told TO
come again when the ASA wing was being
done. But if you arrived at the right time
you would have the pleasure of seeing your
metal placed upon the scales and weighed
The scales weigh from 500 ounces 10 the
thousandth part OF an ounce. Not a jot
due you is 10 be kept back.
The metal is now taken further in and
placed in a furnace, where IL has bOrax
or other foreign substance mixed with it.
II is kept bubhling for a few minutes. then
is poured into nods that turn it out as
shining bars.
All this time the assayer's assistant has
been around overseeing the process. When
The bars have been cooled he orders the
metal taken back TO the wegher's room,
where il is put upon the scales and recorded
A little piece of il is now sa wed off and the
owner or The metal is paid Tor il according
70 the quality OF metal lie brought. The u.s.
sayer accurately determines this by his O. WIN
tests and the man who came staggering in
under q rock OF mixed ore, with a little
metal In il. goes out with some real CON
Jingling in his pocket. After this preliminary
work comes the business Of ina king the dol
lars.
1t is estimated that billion dollars worth
of metal in the rough has been carried into
the reception room of each mint, all 10 go
through with this process.
MYSTERIOUS CALDRON.
The mysterious part of the work now
begins. The metal Is taken into room
where there are caldrons over hot fires.
Into these it is placed and brought to
the proper heat. An expert knows just
when this is. At the right moment he
dips into tie boiling metal with a small
cup and lifts up just so many hundred
dollars worth of the metal. He can es
innate 1t SO accurately that he seldom
varies over a dollar. and he never spills
drop over the side of the cup.
With this cup of metal he fills small
molds. each holding certain number of
dollars in weight. These molds are the
right width for the making OF a dollar.
When the metal has cooled In these molds
IL Is taken to a rolling room. where 1T is
rolled out very long. but not wide. 1t is
rolled down and down until It is the right
thickness. Then cutting machine manip.