The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-03-01
how UNCLE SAN HINTS HIS GOLD.
Process by Which Dust and Nuggets
Are Converted Into Coin.
From tho Boston TRANSCRIPT.

A'N'.lrNAA
Ever so much has been written about the
gold that comes from the Klondike, but
nobody seems to have thought of inquir-
ing as 10 what becomes of it after it has
left the placer mines and the Yukon re-
gion.
OF course the miners bring it into the
United States by steamer. done up in can
vass bags and all sorts Of other packages.
And the bulk of it is thus brought into
Seattle, which is a convenient port In
Seattle there is no trouble in converting
the raw metal into the ordinary currency
of the realm. The merchants accept it, by
weight, as readily as any other form of
money, and the banks are always ready
customers for god.
Most of the miners, laden with the yellow
wealth, take it directly to the Seattle
banks and deposit it, just as if it were
dollars. They receive credit for it in the
same way; but ordinarily the banks act
simply as agents for the sale of the gold
to the government Uncle Sam, you see
advertises to buy all gold that is offered,
with no limit on the quantity. His pur>
chasing office nearest to Seattle is at
Helena, Mont So the banks, which event.
uaily get all the gold accepted by the
merchants, forward the stuff to the assay
office at Helena and there it is received
and paid for. The payment is made imme.
diately on its receipt by treasury checks
If, then, you are miner just returned
from the Klondike with bag of gold. you
may convert it into everyday money at
very short notice The treasury check re-
turned to you through the bank is for only
IS per cent. of the estimated value of the
dust and nuggets. That you get without
any delay at all, beyond the time reouir-
ed for expressing the stuff to Helena and
for the return of the check by mail. The
balance due to you comes as soon as your
gold has been subjected to the necessary
assay. You have right, under the law to
receive gold coin for your
check. if you choose to ask
for it. If you make so much demand
the treasury will give you paper money
but the check is really payable in gold, if
you want it. The idea back of this is that
any man has right to offer raw gold 10
the United States government and 10 re-
ceive gold coin in return
This legal Obligation is fulfilled at con-
siderable cost by the government Every
gold coin contains its full face value in that
metal, plus percentage Of copper added
to harden it, The mnting of it costs some
thing, and for this nothing is charged In
other words, Uncle Sam gives a manufae-
tured article of money in return for raw
ma terial. Furthermore, il must be consid-
cred that gold pieces suffer appreciate
loss by abrasion while in circulation.
Even gold coins in bags at the treasury
lose something Of their value by being los
tied about This is dead loss to the gov
eminent, which only protects itself by fix
ing a limit of tolerance as it Is called
When more than q certain fraction Of a
gold piece has been lost by abrasion it is,
accepted only by weight
llt is a rather interesting fact that a good
deal of gold from Australia is now coming
into this country by way of San Francis
co. 1t goes directly 10 the mint in that city.
and is there converted into coin. But. what
sOcver the source Of the raw gold the
treatment ii receives on reaching the mint
or assay Office is the same. Each lot of
Klondike dust with it's sprnkling of tiny
nuggets, Is put into a closed vessel called
a crucible The crucible is placed in a fur
mace. and when the metal is melted, il is
poured into a mould, which forms Ii into
a brick called "a "bar." While in the cru
chile the molten yellow stuff is stirred con-
stantly and thoroughly, so that all the ma
equally through the bar. For, Of course.
the raw gold is apt to be combined with
more or less silver, copper and even lead
The bar, when cool, is sent 20 the weigh
ing-room, where the assayer chips from
Ii very small scrap, and this SCRAP Is
put through an elaborate process, for the