The Newtown bee., 1904-05-27

on their fingers, aloud. They began
 with what in English would be 18,
 two or three fingers held up meant
 two or three added, four fingers drop ped meant four subtracted, etc. They
 went at the top of their lungs, as fast as they could speak, what would be translated sOmething like this, IS, g, 27, 26, 30, 25, p, 28, etc. Of course great manual dexterity was required in every case must be indicated by the correct number of fingers and in the correct position, and in a few seconds, one or the other would make 8 mis- take, either in count or motion. We staid watching them for perhaps three quarters of an hour. We got out and
 started for home about half an hour after midnight.
 San Francisco, Cal,
 March 2, 1904.
 San Francisco has been noted for it's bad weather, but it has been fairly kind to us so far, though there was 8 dense fog this morning that did not clear until between and 10. We be- gan the day by going through the United States mint here. There are only two others now running in the country-the one at Philadelphia and the one at New Orleans. The one at Carson City has been discontinued,a and the one at Denver is still uncompleted. The one here coins most of the gold coined in the United States, though it turns out considerable silver, it makes nothing smaller than the dimes. (An the cOpperS and nickels are coined in Philadelphia. They were making double eagles this morning, and we were able to see most of the processes. The gold is first taken to the refinery, and as most is more or less mixed with silver, it is separted. Then it comes down to be melted second time and IS cast in 1ngotS about the size of a brick, worth several thousand dollars. Then it is melted third time, with the amount of alloy used, and run into bars 12 inches long and One-half inch thick. These bars are then put | through great rollers that putting on many tons weight, gradually lengthen l the strips till they are just the thick | ness of $20 gold pieces. Then these | long strips in half dozen lots are an- healed by heating and water to make | them both tougher and softer, the | edges coated with beeswax to keep them from rubbing, and sent to the that cuts the round dollars out: What is left of the strip is sent pack to the melting room, and the the edges are milled. Then they are cleared of the wax that may cling to ,hem, frightened and last of all stamped with the surface figures they Ire to bear. In the weighing room, where any pieces that are Overweight Ire filed down, no visitors are allowed. est some stray particle of gold should Hing to them in some way. A couple 'f months ago the carpet in this room vas burned, and though every possible had been taken to prevent waste of gold, the government realized $, GOO from that carpet. A new carpet eplaced the old, and will be burned n short time, with like results. Over c, 1000, 900 coins of all descriptions have 'een turned out of this mint during he last year.
 Alter we left the mint, we went up Chinatown to make one or two pur- haSeS we wanted, and to see how it f 9oked by daylight, and by that time , was noon and so we went into 8 :, !hinese restaurant for our luncheon. hey brought us the most delicious ga ever tasted, and little round [ akeS that looked like thick sugar ookies, which looked better than they @oSNN3 AAoA oA SA1uOoC dlu1OuuS duU I mother of Lii Gee nuts, and three or our dishes of preserves, that I don't B now what they were. One was pre- erved ginger (net crystalized), but in
 rich syrup. Another was tiny s ranges about the size of hickory nuts
 have seen them fresh in the mar ets) cooked whole, in rich thick L 'rup. Another preserve was a small uit about the size and color of green T ums, strung four or five on a fine 'lint, and still another was some kind B melon, about the size and shape of medium sized cucumber pickle, like ise preserve, slightly favored with nger. In the afternoon we went 'Wn to the mining exhibit and the lamber of Commerce rooms. The ming exhibit is collection of almost R the gold, silver and copper ores, and mas, etc., In the state; also speci- s1 ems from the granite and marble larrieS, and in fact everHthinp ner