Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-06-11
Correspondence of the N. Y. Tribune.
Scenes at the Mint.
PHILADELPHIA. Nav 81. 1S5

HiLADELhHlA, MAY Il, 1901.
The worshipers of Mammon have been
in conclave for two days. The United
States Mint serves all the purposes of a
temple; for there the priests have been
pouring out blessings, in the shape of new
cents, upon the thousands whose faith has
led them thither with bags of old coppers,
Spanish quarters and shillings and sixpen-
ces, to exchange for new coin. Both days
have been exceedingly hot, and it was an
interesting sight to see old men and young
men, politicians of every school and party,
men Of piety and Others of basest notor;ety,
all meeting upon one common platform, to
worship their god in his sacred temple
Hundreds of these devotees, loaded with
burdens whiehappeared grievous to be borne
dripping with perspiration, throwing aside
all their denominational prejudices and
peculiarities, and meeting upon such a
common and easily-defned platform, for
united devotion, was an intersting scene,
You may easily anticipate, however, that
all this was but a general conglomeration
of the citizens of Philadelphia scrambling
for quantities of the new cent. l hive
been credibly Informed that throughout the
two days, from o'clock A. M. till 8 o'clock
P M, two millions of cents have teen dis
tributed, the officer performing that duty
taking but one minute and half to ac-
eommodate each applicant. The coin was
distributed at two windows which met the
eye of the visitor on entering the Miut-
Over one of these windows is the notice
SCENTS FOR CENTS !" over the other, SCENTS
FOR SILVER Notwithstanding the facili-
ties for accommodating customers, three
times the number that got served were
compelled to retire, which many of them,
with their heavy bags, did very reluctantly.
All the beggars in Philadelphia seemed
to be around the Mint, and persons who
had been fortunate enough to get their
cents and come away, were sure to be be-
sieged upon gaining the street. One old
women accosted me, although 1 had no
bundle or bag, and implored me to give
her "one of the new cints:" she followed
me in hope, and rewarded her faith with
one of the old cents, which she received
with becoming humility, and, stated that
it was all for the sake of the "new cint."
In the manufacture of this coin, there
are engaged one hundred hands, being the
whole force of the Mint. The dies are fix
ed in nine presses, each of which throws off
SO cents per minute; at this rate working
for six hours per diem, without interruption,
the sum is $2,7 40 in cents per day.
Previous to receiving the impression the
coin is passed trough a machine called
mill, which is fed by woman, for the pur-
pose of forming the rim around the edge.
This mill is capable of putting rims on three
various coins at the same moment. There
are five of these mills in the impression de-
partment.
The Director has deemed it necessary
to suspend the exchange for the new cent
for few days, and according has posted a
notice on the door rs follows:
"Appl cat OF for the new cent will not e re-
ceived for a few days"
People, however do not stay to read
this notice, and with their bags in hand
they proceed until stopped by the door
keeper, who informed your inforlner that
''the cry is, still they come"