The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-12-16
BAKING GOLD BRICKS
Not the Other Kind. But the Sort
That f.uoks Like i;rass and isil't.

Not the Other Kind. But the Sort
That Looks Like Brass and lsil't.
The bulk of the gold brought down
by the Portland was shipped away
yesterday to San Francisco and Hell
ena. but a considerable amount of it
found its way into commercial chan
nels of this city through the process
of melting down into bars and its pur-
chase by the banks. All day long yes
terday Joseph Mayer was casting
bricks, and the process was as simple
as that of the same application to run
ming off lot of plowshares or fire
backs for stoves, only infinitely more
interesting.
The casting was done in the shops
fronting on Cherry street, and during
the day about $4,000 was handled. In
the Second-avenue window of the con-
Germ was a pan containing $1,000
worth of dust and nuggets, and Curl
y
display until it was finally removed,
to be converted into a bright lump
about nine or 10 inches long, three
eighths of an inch thick, and three
inches wide. These pieces were worth
$1,70O each.
The room where all this casting was
done was blisteringly hot. 1t was
above the main floor of the wholesale
department. The floor is covered with
iron. Along one side are canopies Of
iron that look like the tops of bakers
ovens. These canopies may be closed
in which are countersunk the places
for the reception of the crucibles The
fuel is gas and air under pressure. 1t
attacks the vessel of clay in which the
plumbago crucibles repOse with a roar
that can be heard a block away. A
faint glow at first colOrs the clay pot
over which has been placed a cover
also of clay; then it becomes red and
then white, while greenish and blue
flames play all around it. 1t is neces-
sary to turn off the blast before the
crucible can be looked into, so fierce is
the heat.
Down in the bottom of the white
mass there is line that indicates
where the gold ends and the vessel
begins. When it has become homo
genous compound, by an instinct born
of experience the operator lifts the
cover; then the blast is withdrawn
A pair of tongs lifts another cover
from the crucible itself, and then the
mold is lifted into a pan standing on
the iron platform. The tongs are
brought into requisition, and the cru
chile is turned above the mold. A
thick lip of red metal protrudes itself
and from under it, in thin, white
stream, runs the gold into the iron
mold. A thick cloud of vapor arises
from the contact of the melted gold
and the grease with which the mold
has been smeared. BY this time the
clamps are loosened, the brick has sci
and is lifted, black and unattractive
rectangle, into basin of water. 1t is
soon cooled, and is scrubbed with a
brush and SOAP Then it looks not un-
like so much brass. 1t is cleaned thor
oughly, the dirt that may have been
mixed with it is removed, and the bal
is weighed.
That is all there is to it. When the
dust and nuggets are brought in they
are simply turned into the crucible
the rest of the process is described
above. The bars are stamped 81. M
& B." in a dozen places on both sides
and the paying for it completes the
deal.-Seattle Post-Intelligencer.