Year: 1875

A CITIZEN of Des Moines has son en-
ployed in the Assayer's department of
the San Francisco mint. In his last let
ter home the young man gives the fol-
lowing description of the manner of tue
manufacture of filthy lucre:


Gold ordinarily comes into the mint in
the shape of dust, scales or bars, the first
three coming from the placer or gravel
mines, and the last usually from the
quartz, having been melted and retorted
at the mills. Each deposit is separately
weighed and numbered by the receiving
clerk and is placed in an iron box by
itself, accompanied by tag indicating
its number, and thereafter that deposit
retains that number until it is ready for
coinage, the name of the depositor only
being known to the receiving clerk and
the assayer. 1t is then sent to the melt
ing-Toom, in charge of the melter and re-
finer, where it is melted and run into a
bar about the shape of brick, and
stamped with the number of the tag by
which it was accompanied, and is re-
turned to the receiving clerk to be
weighed again, o ascertain what loss, if
any, has occurred in the melting. Then
it is sent to the sampling-rooni. where a
small piece about the size of a half-dime
is cut from one corner of the top, and
like piece from the diagonal corner of
the bottom, and the bar is then returned
and locked up IN the vault to await the
report of The assayer upon the value of
the deposit, which value is to be ascer-
tanned by assays from the pieces Clipped
from the bar as before indicated, and
upon his report the depositor, if he so de-
sires, is paid at once without awaiting
the process of coming the metal depos-
tied by him.


Deposits are only received up 10 twelve
o'clock M, and all the deposits received
are melted and Clipped and the assays
made during the day, each deposit being
kept separate. The following day these
several deposits are run into what are
termed impaired bars, which are also
Clipped and assayed, and these bars are
sent to the refinery.


Gold very rarely, might say never,
comes to the mint perfectly pure. 1t al
ways contains more or less silver, and
generally some iron or other base metal.
1t is parted or separated from these at
the refinery, and the gold and silver con-
tanned in the bars sent from the mint to
the refinery is returned to the mint in the
shape of fine gold and fine silver, sup
posed to be freed from all impurities.
These bars are weighed, and the rold





same manner as the original deposits,
and if found to be pure the gold is al
loyed with the necessary quantities of
silver and copper to bring it to the coin
standard 900 gold, .005 silver and .095
coppsr-and is melted and run into in
gOts. These ingots are also Clipped and
assayed, and if found to be of the eX-
act standard of tneness are sent to the
coiners' department.


In the coiners' department the ingots
are first rolled into strips about five feet
in length and of the required width and
| thickness of the coin proposed to be
made. They are then anneaied by being
| placed in copper tubes, probably fifteen
or twenty strips in tube, which is
closed up and put into an oven and
treated to a cherry-red heat, and after
being cooled they are taken out and run
through cutting machine which cuts
out the shape and as nearly as possible
the size of the required coin. These
blanks, as they are called, are then taken
to the adjusting-room, where each piece
| is carefully weighed, and if found to be
too heavy enough is FLED off the edges
to bring it to the standard weight, and
any that are found to be light are re-
turned to be re-melted.


The adjusting-room is connected with
the coiners' department and the adjusters
are all women, the only females en-
ployed in the mint. There are from
| twenty to thirty of them. Their work is
not heavy, but, as YOU will see, requires
some degree of skill and very gre I
care.


After being properly adjusted the
blanks are run through the milling ma
chine, which thIckens the edg's and
makes it the proper size. They are then
stamped by press of immense power, a
power equal to 175 tons weight being re-
quired end used to stamp each double
eagle, the impression being made on
both sides at the same time. This is the
last process and the coin is then turned
over to the Treasurer, to be. paid out aE
required.-IOted State Register