Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-08-23
AMONG THE MONEY MAKERS.
rhe Governments Splendid New Coin Factory


the government win hereafter coin
ne eastern money by brand new pro.
cess and with brand new machinery,
GAYS the. Kansas CITY Star The great
g. lOO 600 mint has at last received It's
last finishing touch, and in the Quaker
civ is the best equipped and most ar
Bstlcally modelled coin factory In the
world Whereas In the old Philadelphia
mint visitors were permitted only TO
peep through small windows at the in.
dustry OF dark rooms, now in the new
structure they may stroll comfortably
upon high, overhanglng galleries and
watch there every act Of the nations
money makers, toiing In. their ample,
well lighted laboratories
Yesterday after II had been closed to
the public, made a complete tour of
the new building and had explained TO
me every minute detail Of the improved
equipment, i was told that on all sides
OF me were stored bullion and gold
amounting In value to over $3.50, 000 600.
out of this every man, woman, boy aud
girl In the United States might be Civ
en- S3.25.
Leaving the deposit room, where It Is
received the gold and silver bullion Is
taken first to the new melting ROOM
Here are l6 new melting furnaces, whose
temperature can be raised TO 600 de-
grees by ignition OF the oil fuel now
exclusively used In the melting fur
naces Of the old mint anthracite coal
was alone employed but the present
strike among the miners OF this fuel
does not affect the cost Of coming our
money today. Piled about the gas fur
naces are keg-shaped crucibes made
OF plumbago or black lead These. as
needed, are placed in the gas flame and
into them are thrown the gold and sill
Yer bricks-the raw material out Of
which the coin is to be made. These
gold and silver bricks are Drought from
all parts OF the world and vary greatly
In size.
Before being made into money they
must be alleged with copper until the
resulting metal Is what is termed 900
fine LOCO being purity. And by the
way there are only two places in the
world where absolutely pure gold can
be found-here at the Philadelphia mint
and at the Royal mint London All
assays are made from these standards.
The meters stand before their fur
naces wearing huge mttens made of
heavy buckskin or crash padded with
scraps Of ingram brussels carpet. When
the precious metal reaches a certain
color which they can detect only after
long experience, but which may be said
10 be a cherry red, IL Is ready to be
nodded into ingots. But before this is
done few drops Of molten metal are
removed by the assayer.
A man whose gloyed hands clutch
pair OF long tongs holding three
spouted, gray bowl In their jaws dips
from each crucible the glowing, LIQUID
metal and pours 1t into series of
clamp molds. Each set of these is tax
en- by second pair of gloved hands
and plunged first into cold water which
cools II. Then the hardened ingots are
and dipped into muriatic acid,
which eats away all particles Of foreign
matter. Finally they are placed in an
other bath of water which gives them
Il white color. Whether gold or silver,
they are all nodded to measure foot in
length, but vary up to one and one
half inches In width and thickness, ac-
cording TO the coin to be struck from
them.
Each finished ingot comes from the
mold with q blunt end or top" this
being the end of the mold in which the
liquid metal Is poured A row of top
ping machines" bite off this irregulari-
~ and from these the bars are passed
20 the men at benches who file off the
rough edges The filings from this pro-
cess are caught in oil-cloth-lined boxes
and carefully saved. Next the prop
erly shaped ingots are sent TO Q long
table, where they are placed, side by