New-York tribune., 1899-07-30
COLDIN THE ASSAY OFFICE
THE DIFFERENT FORMS IN WHICH IL
COMES AND HOW 1T is TREATED.


from the Klondike region amounts to ABOUT
s11 600 600 this year. and that it will probably
reach SIS 600 600 by the end Of the year.
ONLY a small amount of this product reaches
the New-York assay Office, the greater part
going to Seattle and San Francisco Al Seattle
the yellow dust goes to the assay ONCE ana the
San Francisco consgnments go to private re-
fneries and to the United States Mint The odd
lots which come to NewYOrk reach the assay
Office in Wall-st in buckskn bags, in bottles. In
tin cans and in boxes and there it goes through
the processes to which all gold and silver sent
there from the various sources is subjected.
In the receiving room il is unpacked and
weighed and receipted for and is treated by the
people who handle it like ordinary merchandise
The receiving room is an interesting place to the
layman. In the course Of the business day one
may see fortunes unpackcd and handled there
with less fuss ard excitement than one would
find at the ordinary bargain counter Cases CON
tanning old jewelry. bags Of coin and TASKS of
dust are brought to the place daily. and these
are converted into bars and finally become coins
ALL SORTS OF WATCH CASES.
A box received there one day last week from
a pawnbrokers establishment filled with
gold watch cases Of all styles, classes and ages
There were tiny cases which in their day in
cases which suggested the racetrack or the rail-
way service. there were cases Of the pattern Of
long ago which had been worn smooth in the
pockets Of men who were finally compelled to
part with them and "A number showed by hand
somely engraved inscriptions that the watches
were presents, and prizes and rewards for BRAY
cry and faithful service.
The! will all go into the same melting pot,
the receiving clerk said and the bar Will look
just like the one which is made of coin or dust.
Next to the box full of watch cases was a
much smaller box, from which the cover had
Just been ripped off. This contained a thick bar
of dull yellow metal about ten inches long
which, when placed the scales, was found to
weigh 254 ounces. That's about 10000 worth
Of gold" said the man at the scales. 'and we
get them here twice as large. Some Of them are
not as good as this, though" and he pointed to
three big chunks of metal which are kept in the
office as a warning to men with money to avoid
the tempting gold brick. The show pieces were
bought by rich tourists in the Far West from
Indians who had obtained the gold in a clan
dcstine way" and were willing to dispose of it
at a sacrifice provided the purchaser would not
inform on them. The bars show where fake
test had been made. bit which had been
fixed" for the purpose had been applied. and
the pieces taken out Of the bar remained in the
tool and for this piece of pure metal was
shown to the man Of the speculative mind. Con-
vinced that he had fortune, ne took his gold
bar to the assay office, and then-he awoke
COINS DUST AND JEWELRY
There were also bags full OF gold coins of all
sizes. and from all countries. and boxes, bags
and bottles OF dust from gold fields in all quar-
tcrs Of the globe. An important item in the
assay office is the manufactured jewelry. of
which large quantities are sent there to be re-
duced to bars. In explanation OF this item an
employe of the office said
"Jewelry is an article Of fashion. just as much
as hats or coats. and when "A manufacturer
makes an article in large quantities without first
having tested its popularity ne sometimes finds
himself loaded with stock which he can't dis
pose Of and he sacrifices the labor and sends
the material here and takes his draft for that.
It's a big sacrifice. but he undoubtedly thinks
some money is better than nothing"
From the receiving room after being recorded
checked and registered the metal is taken to the
deposit melting room where it is melted in
crucbes unde~ heat ranging from 600 to 1.S00
degrees Fahrenheit The place has the appear
ance OF a miniature blast furnace, the small
corps of workmen grimy, but the yellow and
the White ingots dispel the Illusion, and when
the guide says that the pots from which the blue
flames are bursting contain each about $l'nWO
in gold one feels convinced that he is in ord-
nary workshop. Samples weighing from one to
two one -hundredths of an ounce are taken from
the bars as they come from the melting room
and carefully anayZed by this process the
quality is determined Of the dust from the Klon-
dixie the coin from Wall Street or the watch
cases from the Bowery. All through the build
ing in the department where the samples are
placed in the tiny Cupcll cups, where the silver
Is separated from the gold, in the assay weighing