The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-30
of the city, is essentially contra-dis-
tinguished from "boer.'
TONS OF GOLD COIN.
Work Done at the United States
Mint in San Francisco.
rom the San Francisco Chronicle

Mint in San Francisco.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
Ordinarily people speak of gold bull
lion when qualities are mentioned as
so many ounces except in san Fran
cisco, where the receipts of gold bull
lion at the United States branch mint
are referred TO as so many tons for
certain days. 1t sounds like an enor-
nous boast, bordering on the fabulous,
vet it is true The mint books show
it: the bullion was received, coined
and turned over to it's owners. one
day in August last four tons of the
precious metal We're received at the
mint for coinage. while in October,
1897, the receipts for one day were
six tons That exceeds the receipts
of any other mint as far as known
and so does the total coinage Of tn q
san Francisco branch mint exceed that
of any other of recent years, and is
still on the increase.
The coinage of the last fiscal year.
ended June 80, 1899, according to the
report Just completed. was the larg-
est in the history Of this mint. 1t
consisted of 3,S73,3I5 pieces, valued
at 500, S62, ,275. That coinage has been
exceeded only in amount in the coin
age history of the government on two
occasions. At the mint in Philadel-
pha in the year 1861 some $4,000 600
was coined, and again in the same
place in 1881, something over $i6,OOO,OOO
was coined. Since then California has
pushed forward and now holds the
front rank for amounts.
The largest amount heretofore coined
in the San Francisco mint during any
calendar year was in 1873, S5O.lS6, 800.
This year the coinage Is expected To
at least Approximate that Of 1898. Prior
to 1897, and for the fifteen years pre-
ceding, the coinage of the San Fran
cisco mint averaged about S25,0OO,OO1
year In that year the amount took
a sudden leap and went up to S4O,OS4,
291.
The largest number of deposits for
one month in the history of the miny
was in August 1899. They reachei
,353, aggregating nearly 100000
ounces, value about S12,500,0OO. For the
three years prior to that time deposits
averaged from 500 to 700 a month,
which was considered very good busi-
ness. The heaviest deposits for one
day in that month aggregated four
tons of gold. A large consignment of
English sovereigns arrived that day
from Australia, and were sent to the
mint to be recoined; a large lot of
dust and nuggets were landed from the
Klondike, while some gold came from
Pacific coast mines and Mexico.
This was only exceeded once, as far
as the records show, and that was
one day in October, 1897. The de-
posits for the month were 955, and
the coinage S90O0J,O00 But six tons
of gold came in one day, valued at
about $3,OOO,OOO, rating a ton at $500, =
OOO which is the accepted valuation.
This deposit consisted largely Of Brit
ish sovereigns from Australia,
though there was considerable Klon-
dixie gold received that day.
For the first two months of the cur
rent year the coinage was sl0,272, ,636, as
against the corresponding two months
of the last fiscal year, slO,697s34. Near
ly all the gold from the Klondike and
Cape Nome has found its way of late
to San Francisco. Last year the gold
was sent from Seattle to Philadelphia
for coinage.
Now that the bulk of the gold pro-
duct of the north comes to San Fran
cisco the best record OF the output Is
obtainable here. On Sept. l of this
year 81, 9,42l, ,493 was deposited from that
section. Since that date about $l,5O0,-
900 more has been received at the San
Francisco mint, making practically $l1,-
100000 from the KlOndike this season
thus far. Judging from the receipts OF
last year, IT is safe to estimate the
total output for the year at $4,000, 900,
If this be realized II will exceed the
output of last year by s3,0OOOOO.
While the mint at Philadelphia has
nrnducad larger number of coins