The Philadelphia Mint

The United States mint was esteDlished by act of Congvesa on the 2d of April, 1792, and a building was soon erected on theeast side of Serenth near Market. The flrst macMnerjr, M wcll as motil, nsed. carne frotn Englnnd, and np to 1816 the work was altogether done by horse or hand power. Du five years of the mini's existenco Work has been suspended, owing' to the preraleuc of discase in the city. The present building on Chestnut near Braad, wu finished in 1883. lt is built of white niarble, in the Gree-ian style. In 1851 it was mude thoroughly tire proof. The folio Wing are some interesüng gtatementi of the periodj at which time ooin has been made, and of the coinage: Ne eagles were coined from 1805 to 1887, inclusive; no half-eaglei in 1816 or 1817; n'o quarter-eagle before 1796, nor in 1800 or 1801, nor from 1800 to 1820, or in 1822, 1823, 1828, or In 1841 1 Boclollar-s IVoii! 1806 tg 183 except lKJOTñ TSSSJni half-dollars from 1797 to 1800, nor in 1815; no quarters before 179ü, none from 1798 to 1803, none from 1SU8 to 1814, and none in 1817, "1, '26, '29 and '30 ; no dimes before 1796, none in 1799, 1806. '08, '12, '13, '15 to '19, none in '24, '28 and '30 ; no half-dimea in 1798, 1790, 1804, 1806 to 1828 ; no cents in 1815, a few specimens in 1823; no half-centa in 17'J8, 1801, 1S12 to 1824,1827 to 1830 1834, 1837 and 1810. A lew hall-cents were struok eveiy year from 1810 to 1857. First $3 pieces in. 1854. The niints at Carson and Sun Francisco coi n jíold and silver only. Tiio mint at Denver does not make coins. lts operalions are conflned to assaying and refljiing. l!ut now the grim watch-aog of tlic mint is waiting' to go fchrough ilie building with us. All is siJeat and still : tiie buzz and beat of machiuery has ceased ; tlie liushiiig colora oí tlie dayare dead; but a dim, dull light sutiices to show the powerlul ayunta of makinr mouey. On the left of tlie hall, as wc enter, is tho Treasurer's office : on lhe right tho cashier's, b ,lh now deserted. Passing through the hall to a yard on the lei't, is seen the weigliing room. llcre all the precious metal received is vveigheil. Goldirom California. Georgia, Montana, and .Nova Scotia; silver trom Nevada, and Lhe most ot' the World, llore comes the valuable lamily piale to ue inelted up, telling the story of decayed foriiuies ana destroyea hopes ; jusl, as the ih'st bi'icks oí silver bui recently wrenched trom the bosom of niotlier earth teil the tale ui' hopea realizad wid fortuiws made. Here, too, coinés coppei1 trom Lake Superior, aud nickel ii'om oui owu btate oi' i-iaucaster, liere are piled áiuge bricks oi. gilVer, tons in weight; each brick weigUa trom luO to lijO pounds, wliicn are aan. lied a.s thoujjü they vvere clav. Near al hand aie mic scales to weigh lius niass ol poteutial money. As 111tallibie as tuo scaiea ot' jusiiee, tiiey will mark the sllgutest ana niosi minute amouiiL as uil as lae jfreateit. 'l'ue lai'gtist weight used in uie wcigliiii"-room is ti,uoü ounces; me snuuiesL w"l ,f. ■ Illllll Win in. B saj room, ami oiie-tuirteen-uundredtu [iiií'í ol au ounce is lis si.e ; il can barely beseeu uy Lhe nated eye. ilere is tiio vauit wüere goia is kept prisoiier; nouuie liiniiys of iruu, üoauic Uoors 01 steel, and lüüks and uolls oi' me most iutrioate cioscnyLion - ail miow the care and caution tteceasary to ue ouserved. bteppiBg ïnsule, tneie ha quictiy muall Uuil Ignota, wliicn give a mul, ycüow gltsam uu tue canulelight, Uaixuy betruyiiig us nature, vel Wliicn Will sooii go orín und exéit a "reuter power lor weal or woe Uian Unit excriod by Lliu mighUust living jjotauuius. Guia uusi, giuim of gold and cryitaluued luniks ara üoru ready lor iac nieiiers pol. To ino uepüBlt muitiiig-rooni ncxi il yocs in luckca ïrou uoxcs, fl'Olll Vllloll IL IS plilUtiU 111 pols, illla willi 11 buitauie ïiux is ïneilcd ma mol'li"!. Bits nrfi out off for assayinafi aivl tlien it aroR'! to tlie refinor arni meitnr. For assayitiï the jrold the sm'ill plnca is taken to the asssvert mom. nor n, dnrk apnrtinent rsortiblinar Dr. Fnnatus' ehamber, vrith lts crnicibles, kcttloi nu 1 pftHB. Thn gold is put in a blTck lend pot, mHted and fluxed nnd gtirred tip to tinlr a complot? mixturo; cooled and rol led out. Thon half a srramme is aoourately ffeiahed, whioh is stamped 1,000, and ;ill Uio wei'i'hts hci'oaftcr ttsod are dscinaal of this to the ten-thouaandth part. Bilver for thn nlloyinï is next added, and then tho load for thecnpcllation ; thon the wliole is cupelled until the base motáis are fused, and then the romaininj bullion is beaten in a sniral and tlie silvcr disolved ont and the remaining jrold determined by weisbt. ïo return t.o tlie meltmgroom ; it is tlicre that all tlio gold and silver used in the mint aro meltod; iron niolds are used, whioh are previously greased to prevent eticking1, and as the metala are in a molten mass tliey are pon red into those moldï and speed ily cooled, al'ter which they are cal led ingoti, and aro long, thin blocks of a ricli color, though not vet showing tlicir perfect beauty. He re, liter. ■ a 1 1 y , gold and silver aro in the air, for the' very elothes on the workmen, the svreepings trom the Hoor, aml water used lor wasliiug, are found to be full of tiiem, and ara worth $.3,000 a year. Froin the melting-rooin the bars go to the rolling-room. The mighty revolvin.'i1 jaws, wliich in the day put fortli squirmiug atul wViÜiing tonques of gold, ere now still. Iu the day the ingoU ai-e paased throajfh the rollers the number oi '00 uu tocftch pair of rollers, and come l'orth just the thickuess of a coln. Behind them, in the sume room, ure the cutting prosees which, wiili a continua! snap, snap, bito out Ü2d planchets of plain coin pleces in a nuuute. Oí thoso machines there are niue. Aa Lbo plancheta are cut tlicy are Laken in boxes to the annealing furoaces, lor the hard treatment they havo received make them brittlè. In these rürnace the metal is heated tü red heat, when it beeometassoft and pllabie as leal.her, and is then taken out i0 oool. Then Lhe plancuetego to the adjusting room, where tliey are wci-liej ilM i'nspicted. ïftoo liglity tLey are renieJted; il' too heavy, uut uear the reight, they we flled to it;-but if altpgethev too heavy, tliey, too, are remelted. From the adjUSLiug room they go to the cleaning-rooui, wiierC) wí,u im-u{ aua beu, they are thoceughly cleaned, tbcu ilried with sawdust and peauut-roaster arraiieineiits. Massive monsters aro tlie presses. of vrhioh tbere are ten, sach capuoie ot' turning out over a 1U0 soina a ininute, wliich, if tbey Wi're doiiule eajjles, would amount to $34,Jü i. lieiore ilie plancheta aro put in tUe ooining-press tney are milied, or lUi,Ye theiï cdges turned up, Now ., ,mi's uu; ïuuu opuraiion, by wiiieh moiicy i= literally ïuade, T.io amount of prossure mjmrod to mako a portoet coiü U iroin uvcmy to eigüty Lons- the'larger tliu ooin the greater the i voi" lit. The plaiiunets ara put in a rasa tube, auü, vvitli oach improssion ii the press, are oaught in tivo iron rini and placed ,011 tho lovver die, wliich is in Llie bod ui' tlie press, coruspüiulitig to tlie upper die, aud, by thooomiug togeiher oi tüose two dies iré Llie oom siruciv. As the planohet ■ests 011 the lovver die, tiio upper doscen.is, and tlie phincnet is pi'ussed by lliem ; instantly the two arm catuli ,he struek coiu una throw it inta a ox beneath. At this moment it ia egal coin, and not before. Grathering iin eoin tVüin the boxes, thuy are )laced on the couuting-büardS, wliich uu groovcd boards sonietlnng liku boards, vvluch are divided so as to iiold JLi.st a uuriaiu uuiuuer oí' coins. As me ooins are run in grooves uid cou.uied, Uiey ai pgurud iu a ui-awiM1, ironi wincli tney are taken, ,.,i, put 11 ■■i--;. and are uien ready to go ïoftB to make the worii oi wi'cteheancos or happiuess.