The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
THE GOLD BEATER'S ART.
A FAsCINATIoN ABOUT 1T ETEN IN a
DINGY BASEMENT.

Transparent sheetsBeaters who Lose
Their Skill - Delicate Work by Girls.
To the greenhorn there was a glamor about
the very words gold beaten" 1t sounded like
the aRe OF chivalry and alchemy. He would
not have been surprised to read that the Gold
Beaters' Guild had met to guam wassail out
oil golden bowl wrought In summing designs
by master hands. But Instead Of that he
read that'some OF them were trying to get up
a union to maintain the standard OF wages.
Even this reused the greenhorn to interest.
however,and for several days the cable cars rat
tied in time to the ringing in his head Gold
beatersl gUldsbeatersl gold beaters!" Finally
one sloppy. soegy. half hearted sort OF day. he
was passing along lower Fourth avenue. when
he.became conscious Of q dull CLEAN Of yellow
light at one side. At first he thought that
somebody had nlched the sun and locked 1 Il up
In the back room OF a'shop. and he was exceed
inRly glad TO have discovered the robbery.
Then he saw that it was only the Rlinmer
from a great crumpled sheet OF gold leaf, or
something that looked like It, hanging in n
window full OF bottles OF gliding and ~silverinR
and other aids to gorgeousness. He went
right in.
DO you know where thoro are amy gold
beaters2" he inquired brAvely.
He did It brayely. because ho Eel. as II he
were asking the little shopkecper for the ad-
dress Of the syndicate for bottlinR and ship
ping the water from the fountain OF youth, or
for the number OF the Philosophers Stone
Company Limited. Sure enough. the little
shupkeeper stared.
"Why-well-oh. yes. | know where there
are gold beaters." he said obviously. There's
one right around in Third avenue near Four
teenth street. But 1 don't believe he'll let you
see his mon ut work.
But the greenhorn was of. The glamour
was thicker than ever. 1t must be a gorgeous
sight to behold men hammering away at the
shining metal. Probably the air around them
would be like a golden mist full OF flakes OF
gold. flying like sparks OF red-hot steel from
the anvil. The Rroenhorn grew poetic and
fancied that 1t would be a good deal like look
ing at the sunset In summer when the air ia
thick with golden notes dancing in the suns
rays. Then lie slirrAd in the u~npoetic black
mud under the elevated road and almost fell
into the cable roads trench. after which he
picked his wav down a flight Of steep. dirty
steps. pushed open a Rrimy door and entered
the haunt of the gold heaters.
The gre9nhorn wanted TO learn all about the
beating. Strange as it may seem. there are
no such tnings rs new methods OF gold beat
done now as 1t was done. years, perhaps cen
turtles. ago. AS for all the CLEAN aud glory
with which the Rreenhorn's imagination had
story Of how 1t Is done.
Almost ANYBODY can guess What q Third
dark. dirty. On a raised platform by the front
window of this particular basement sat seven
putting them into books ready for sale. Back
in the darkness of tho long room there was a
door opening into a lighter room whore. out
lined against the windows. were the figures of
c~eaaingiy ponderous hammers which rose aud
fell with the regularity OF pendulums.
be T sSis. B Bs2 9nfiad n i16k %af fGSi 50 a tSht tS. ts
his eyes and said thai, horrible giant hearts
Poo; and all he thought Of was whether Mr.
MANNERS come down upou the gold. Alas he
was indeed 2 Greenhorn. Not That Mr., Ke9i.y
name had been Barkis. He began at the very
beginning and told all about It. .o,,
doesn't sell less than 5000 worth a: a time. 50
buy. Of a dealer Then take the metal and
pouritinto one OF these moulde. making it in. 70
insots, out TO this mill or rollsr"No~ Vt
he led the way at last 70 the room OF the
in the presence Of a. dozen gold heaters. The
ceiling was low, and II the mighty blows Of
AS 1t was, the chorus of thuds was emphatic.
but. nevertheless. the gHreenhorn could hear
install aRdths halo q seidsn mist E, Witch isi he had d
pictured. but he saw nothing of the sort.
s,Gn fPs fp$ n. k I ;Sa The }"'3 P]fsst! s.iss ;q nS!Ii' 81
Q fRessvY Writing paper. Then he explained
the beating process. which Is as follows:
an inch. square. Each piece is beaten ont
until it is about four INCHES square; Each Of
sections. which are. therefore about two inches
square. Each two-tnch piece is beaten out
inch leaf is then cut into four equal sections.
about p, inches SQUARE, and each OF these
The greenhcrn turned eagerly TO the nearest
hammer swinger to see Just what particular
was welding his hammer industriously ": a
great iron hammer with a head eight Or ten
not! i was Of the sledeShqmmer variety.
with the short: strong handle entering the
The man was working so hard that the
Greenhorn was amazed to sec that the hammer
very dirty arrPqgemept which looked as i, it
might he a cushion. Just then. however. the
soiled square thing. slipped of one cover.
then slipped of smother and ran his fingers
leaves which made up the cushion. As no did
80 at last there came the CLINT OF gold !he
RFecnnOTn nuu -Dton anticipating, meeting
climmerings and shinings ns the dark leaves
slipped across the mans finger tips. Then he
parted tho book In the middle. blew into 1t and
there hung down a SQUARE OF gold SO exquisite
ly thin that a breath sent ripples across Il like
those the wind makes In still water. Even the
motion OF the air. disturbed by the swinging
hammers. made II quiyer with a sensltiveness
almost too delicate to, belong to anything ma
terial. The man held the leaf Of gold up be-
ereenhorn could read the words through the
gold.
Then he laughed Mt the pictures he had
made for himself. Beat that gold? One might
as well hone to put a, solder web through u
steam laundry. He looked, around. All OF
tho hammers were rising and falling. with only
those dirty squares for a visible object. The
gold heater showed him how tine squares OF
Thin metal were placed between the larger
leaves made OF an oXs intestine, These
foot dipped in taleum powder. That is to re-
move any trace OF grease. for the gold Is so del
icate that it reproduces the most imperceptl-
bic i'm perfections in any substance with which
ii comes into contact.
The gold squares being all inserted. two
covers are slipped over the leaves SO that they
app,t ,ny indian tho lamInap Tbnua -