Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1897-11-06
MAKING GOLD BRICKS.
The Kind That Contains the aenu-
-,. inc Metal
How the Klondike Nuggets and Dust
Are Turned Into Convenient
Form for Handling In the
Market.

The bulk of the gold brought down by
the Portland was shipped away the
other day to San Francisco and Helena,
but considerable amount of it found
it's way into commercial channels of
this city through the process of melt
ing down into bars and it's purchase by
the banks. All day long Joseph Mayer
was casting bricks, and the process was
as simple as that of the same appIica-
tion to running off a lot of plowshares
or firebacks for stoves, only indefinite
ly 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 concern
was pen containing $1,000 worth of
dust and nuggets, and curious crowd
passed around the yellow display until
it was finally removed, to be converted
into bright. lump, nine or ten 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 blistering hot. 1t was above
the main floor of the Wholesale depart
ment. The floor is covered with iron.
Along one side are canopies o. iron that
look like the tops of bakers ovens.
These canopies may he closed in front,
and rest on platforms of from in which
are countersunk the places for the re-
ception of the crucibles. The fuel is
gas and air under pressure. It attacks
the vessel of clay in which the plumbage
crucihles repose with roar that can
be heard block away. a faint glow
at first colors the clay pot, over which
has BEEN placed u cover, also of clay;
then it becomes red and then white,
while gresnish and blue flames play all
around it. 1t is necessary to turn off
the blast before the crucible can be
looked into, so fierce ia th heat.
Down in the bottom of the whiteiIRnss
there is n line that indicates where the
gold ends and the vessel begins.. Wher
it has become a homogeneous corr
pound, by an instinct born Of experience
the operator lifts the cover; then the
blast is withdrawn. A pair of tor~g
lifts another cover from the crucibie q
self, and then the mold is listed i.,',a n
pan standing on the iron platform. The
tongs are brought into rcquisition, ar d
the crucible is turned above the mold.
A thick lip or red metal protrudcs it,
self, 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 mo'a
and the grease with which the 1nc!I
has been smeared. By this time thn
clamps are loosened, the brick has s>t
and is lifted, black and unattractivc
rectongle, into a basin of water. Tt IS
soon cooled, and is scrubbed with .
brush and soap Then it looks not un-
like so much brass. IL Is cleaned
thoroughly, the dirt that may have been
mixed with it is removed, and the bar is
weighed.
That is all there is to It. When the,
dust nnd nuggets are brought in they
are simply turned into the crucible, tho
rest of fHthes process is described above.
The bars are stamped"J M. Sc b." in q
dozen places on both sides, and the pay
ing for it completes the deal.-Seattle
Post-Intelligencer.