Year: 1875

and that tnere bad debts 70 diminish the income
The scraps OF metal remaining Eter the rolled plate mas
boen submitted to the drop press 70 about one
third Of the material in weight, and when a sufficient
quantity has accumulated these ragged pieces sent
20 the reflner The nlings the polishing material thd
worn out out brushes the floor swcepings and the dirt
nom the sinks where the men wash their hands
put into barrels and mado TO play their parts tho
economy Of the establishment Even tho old aprons
aud discarded hats and boots 20 10 the smelters fur.
mace When the metal SCRAPS alone are 20 be trcated
the process used is interesting and very conpli-
Gated. The old methods OF expelhng the copper aud
concentrating the more precious metals by oxidzon
with nitro or by treatment With suphurc acid aud soda
ash arc still used by some rennera To rich metal silver
rs added 70 make tho proportion 30 silver 10 OF gold
me mass Is then placed in crucbles over
fierce anthracite coal fire, and melted, a nttle
to assist tho fusion When melted the con-
tents or she crucibe thrown into cold water and
sranplatede This ganulation forms the metal into
small irregular PARTICLES enabling the acid the better
TO act upon the silver. Tho metal Is then placed in


CAST IRON KETTLES


ana boiled with sulphurc acid, process invented by
Mt Andrew Mason, melter and relnor of the United
states Assay office. II is cheaper than the old method,
and the dangerous fumes of tho nitric acid formerly
employed thus avoided Small cupolas cover the
tops OF tho boiling kettles and conduct the sulphuTous
aeia fumes into puriler and condenser composed Of
cosul9era Of shoot eDd where the fumes rise through
layers OF coke, and are finally condetsed into weak
liquid sulphuric acid When the metal has been sufi-
ciontly boiled the silver Ia in solution and the gold
remains at the bottom of the kettles in the form of
brown powder, strongly resembling snuff The silver





powder is placed in 1cr and thoroughly washed with
warm water until freed rom all trace OF acid and then
melted.


are now placed in the silver solution; the suphuric
acid leaves the silver m preference for the copper the
dud becomes suphate Of copper and the silver falls to
the bottom Of the vessel in tho form OF gray powder
with metallic lustre II Is then washed, dried aud
is then crystazed becoming the blue vitriol OF COM
nfeIce with the uninviting looking masses of sweeps
ard washinss there Is much more trouble from its
hffl and thn r,Vfl lLaal chs all .nt
nhntessimal part of It, The great purifier fire, is
appealed to- and the heterogeneous collection Of matter
is burned and roasted in revorbcraory furnaces until
all that may be calcined is thoroughly burned and
purged away. This with a large consignment is
aair OF some days and the wonderfully small residue
Is melted down in cruc.blns with a iux Of salt. The
metal Is obtained in the form OF buttons" and these
are remeited, granulatod and separated as above


THE JEWELLERS


are entirely dependent the honesty of the smelters
as to tho returns TO them for their sveepines and
the length Of time that some OF the New York esial
hshments have exercised the profession aud largo
clientele that they still control are sucient proos Of
the confidence placed thom. Tho process OF re-
duction employed by all is similar, yet each nrm
claims to have It's peculiar and superior method,
oy which better results obtained than DO pro-
ducod by rival houses and all agree that works
those in New York are scientifically conducted l.
Providence and Newark havo somewhat injured the
business in this city. There arc now four smelling
establishments In each of those cities and IL is bat
natural to conclude that they obtain fair
proportion OF local patronage. The reputable firms here
aSSort that tho trade or the city injured by
tho rascaty of parties who from tino to time have
pursued short career here ostensbly rclners and
smeiters but who were merely swinders OF the most
transparent KIND These sharpers would send out
cards TO country manufacturers of iowelry in which
they claimed 10 possess improved methods or the
duction of clippings and sweeps and requested trial
OF the new process Any consignmen,s that were
made wcro simply disposed Of to tho regular
smeor, and no returns ever mado to the
consignee. Such parties had furnaces for smelling
which would require space and capital beyond their
power to secure but they sometimes did refining
for persons who came in possession Of the precious
metals in surreptitious With what is known
as shot pot on tho fire in readiness for emergencies
stolen jewelry coin slverware and the like valu-
ables woro Speedily melted into an unrecog-
nizablo mass, and thus business was, Of course,
very profitable while it lasted. When the pseudo
smoer became too much sought after by his victims
the premises were vacated, and in new locality and
under different name he continued his swindling
operations. leading jewery manufacturer, whose
views of matters possibly coored by tho depression
Of his own business, intimated that


had all grown rch while the jewellers being
ruined They all wealthy, he said; 'the busi
ness is an Immensely profitable In the first place
they kccp by immemorial custom, all the copper and
lead and return to us the gold and silver ator deduct
ing their pay for refining You will at glance the
make bad debts; they DO, but have
money, or what is the same money, in their hands,
from the first We have to trust to them for our
turns they may keep three quarters OF what they ex
tract for all that any one knows except themselves
Then they have what metal cings to the crucibes and
filters, no ineonsiderabe item In the course OF year.
and whom times are 4 little dull with them they
can crush and burn up these, and the results thus
obtained are so much clear profit believe the firm
with which have done business for the last twenty
years to be honest but they might have swindIcd me
out OF a fortune in that time without my knowing
It, As Is am poor to-day COM
parativsly, and they RICH how rich ono
knows, they shrewdiy baf1o all efforts to nnd
out how much they WORTH Tho re1ners on the
other hand complain not only of poor business due TO-
natural causes, but that as one Of them expressed IL
"a set Of fellows have got into the business who
running It. Ignorant aud reckless, without cap
ital or reputation, they induce tho jewellers 10
trust to them by promises Of largo returns and by
series of cutthrolt operations have succeoded In max
ing dull season still duor." One smelter in Newark
is running his extensive establishment principally
on from the Western States and Territories whlo
those here arc watching with patience for the long
promised revival Of business.