Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-11
THE PREc|oY%s%ffAh
Entertaining Facts and Figures Con-
corning Its Various Uses.
WHAT TEE TREASURY DOES WITH II
How the Government Maintains
the Weight of Gold Coins.
CERTIFICATES POPULAR

A Washingtonian and friend we're pass
ing down 18th street few days ago, when
the latter, pointing to the treasury build
ing. with its stained granite walls and
fluted colonnades remarked that II he could
get behind them and into the vaults of the
government he would fill his pockets with
gold and walk out.
A discussion ensued as to how much gold
a man can carry in his pockets with con-
venience and without detection. and wheth-
er of sufficient quantity to warrant him
running an extraordinary risk to obtain 1t.
The resident of the capital took the end
that unless driven by great straits, the
amount of gold man could carry off under
such circumstances would not warrant ex-
traordinary risk of life or liberty.
To settle it they stepped across the street
and appealed to high authority for de-
cision.
The Weight of Gold.
Gold" responded the official consulted,
being one of the heaviest of metals, the
heaviest, In fact in general use, may be
carried with comparative ease as regards
bulk and value. The quantity, however,
that man can carry around in his pock-
cts with convenience depends largely upon
the size of the man. his physical healtn
and the strength of his clothes; but he can
not carry a large sum in any event. by a
large sum / mean a figure which would
be considered such by a man of wealth.
Twenty dollars is large sum to people
who earn dollar a day.
THE $50 gold piece weighs al6 grains,
Troy weight. There are $50 grains to the
ounce: therefore this piece of money
weighs within 36 grains of a full Duncan
inappreciable difference when held IN the
hand. The $40 piece weighs POS grains. or
16 more than half an ounce. The 50 piece
weighs 129 grains, or within fraction OF
quarter of an ounce.
IF the would-be thief were to pick up
bag containing 5000 in gold he would find
it heavy, and l doubt If he could secrete IL
would weigh. standard weight 26s 70
ounces, or "a pounds, approximately. He
wouldn't go far with It. 90, ~
"A bag containing $1,000 weighs 161. %
ing $1,000 weighs 1880 ounces, or about
8 pounds, and one containing $1,000 weighs
90. ounces. or about Az pounds.
while gold is not in general circulation,
these weights may be understood when II
is remembered how heavy five $50 pieces
feel in the hand or pockets, yet this is only
800. We all know how heavy fiVe-pound
dumb bell feels when held in the hand. yet
it's weight approximateS in gold only a
little over $1,000. very small sum. COM
paratively.
silver in Coins.
"Silver If so bulky that a well-bred thief
would feel that it We're beneath him to
handle 1t. And bear in mind that these
figures, as to value, would be decreased
one-half if it were not that the gold stand
ard prevails at present. When the silver
standard is established he would have to
steal just twice the quantity in bulk to
make up for the deprecated value.
1.-The silver dollar weighs 4121a grains
or but 8S grains short of full ounce. If
a man carries around twenty-four of these
coins. or about two pounds. Troy weight,
he thinks he is carrying ton. Our thief
would have to lug SJ9.3S ounces, or APP
proximately II pounds. If he picked up that
bag lying there the counter, which con-
tains $1,000 in silver dollars.
The Least Current Weight.
so, you see, silver is hardly worth steal
ing unless one may purloin it in aristocratic
quantities at his leisure. and with good
stout truck and well-fed team Of horses.
In a baby buggy or a wheelbarrow care
full family man could pack enough gold.
however, to supply the infant with shoes
and his wife with tucked SILK waists and
plated skirts for while.
In the treasury we have a standard
which is known as the least current
weight meaning that all coins falling be-
low certain weight are separated and
sent to the mint to De recoined. For in
stance 500 gold piece weighs. standard
weight, $40 grains The treasury will ac-
ceDt a piece OF tillS accommodation WHICH
does not weigh less than 5l3.42 grains. The
banks and the public, of course will accept
coins falling far below this weight, and
they pass in general circulation without
question, but when they reach us each
piece is scrutinized and lightweight coins
go into the melting pots.
How 1t is Counted.
eve count our gold and silver coins piece
by piece, and by hand. In a bag containing
$1,000 there may be forty pieces below the
standard weight, which must, of course,
be rejected, and it takes considerable time
to detect and segregate these lightweight
pieces, though our expert counters make
rapid work of 1t. Our standard weight
coins are counted piece by piece, once the
weight is determined.
The Bank of England. however, pursues
a different course. In the big room where
the coin is handled are circular counters,
behind which stand the clerks before large
but accurately adjusted scales with scoop
balances, not unlike those to be seen in
grocery store used in the weighing of
coffee or sugar, suspended 10 the balancing
beam by chains. In the weight balance are
placed 1000 SOVereignS, or the quantity
which it is desired to weigh and bag The
clerk, with a polished copper scoop, SIM
liar to that used in measuring sugar. show
els up the coins from heaps on the counter
into the other balance, dropping them in
piece by piece as the beam approaches the
horizontal, as coffee is dropped grain by
grain as the balance ascends to the exact
weight. 1t is a most interesting sight to
watch the operation, and the rapidity and
nonchalance with which 1t is performed
as though some base metal were being
handled. But error is impossible.
Gold Used In the Fine Arts.
1.-The actual amount Of United States coin
melted by godsmiths and jewelers. is not
known. but assuming the total amount OF
gold coin used in the arts to be s15OO,OOO
and silver coin 100000 the industrial con-
sumption of the precious metals In this
country in 1898 was: Gold, $13, 500, 900; sill
YER, $11.SOOOOO: q total Of $255O0 600, ap-
proximately. The use of the precious
metals in the arts and trades is increasing
largely each year. During the past fiscal
year our mints melted into gold bars old
jewelry, ETC., to the amount of no less than
81, $4,000, a snug sum for old junk in the
jewelry line.
The Output of Gold.
1.-The war in South Africa will, of course,
affect materially the output of gold there,
but it will be partially offset by the esti-
mated Yield from the mines Of the klondike
and Cape Nome, and the increased yield in
the United States, especially in Colorado
] ard California. l estimate the South Afri-
can output to be for the year about $4,000
O9O, but 1t would amount to from $4,000,
| 600 to $140.OOO,OUO If it were not for the war