Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-08-29
rHe EDITORIAL EXCURSION,
Tennessee Editors Away from
Home. E

u
A stroll Through the United States
Mint-How Money is Nlade-Enter-
esting Relics md CuriOsities.
| To the Editors of the Union and American:
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. %, 1911 had
determined before leaving Philadelphia
to visit the United States Mint. The
hours for admitting visitors are from nine
to twelve o'clock, and it is opened every
day, except Sundays and holidays. l was
delayed and did not reach the mint until
a few minutes sitter twelve, but Gov. Pol
lock, the courteous and gentlemanly di-
rector, gave instructions that | should be
shown through the building, and turned
me over TO the care of Mr.. VIM. ID.
Maurice, who took me through the vari-
Gus rooms and explained the process
through which all the metals had to pass
before they were converted into coin. 1t
is estimated that over thirty thousand peo-
pie have visited the institution in the
course of single year. This statement
| will give the reader some idea of the
ushers required and the tax upon their
patience to explain time and again every
thing connected with the building and the
process of converting the various metals
into coin.
HISTORY OF TIE MINT.
The mint was established by act of
Congress of the ID of April, 1892. The
first director was David Rittenhouse,
LID, who was appointed by Presi-
dent Washington, April IA, 1892. From
that time until the present there have been
eleven directors, including Mr.. Kitten
house. VIM. II. Millward was appointed,
but not confirmed, and the present in
cumbent, Hon. James Pollock, is now
serving second term. The first money
coined by the authority of the United
States was in 1898. The coirs first made
were copper cents In the follow
ing year (1794) silver d)llsrs
were made. Gold eagles were
made in 1875. The machinery as well as
the metal first used was imported, and
great trouble was experienced in procur-
ing supply of copper. The first copper
used by the mint came from England.
That now used is procured from Lake
Superior. Up TO the year 1916, the work
at the mint was done entirely by hand or
horse power. In this year steam was in
troduced. All the machinery used in the
mint is manufactured on the premises,
and is of the finest and best quality. The
| first building used for the mint was erect
ed on Seventh street, near Market The
corner stone of the present building on
Chestnut street, was laid July 4, 1929,
but the building was not ready to be &C
cupied until May, 1888. The structure
is of marble, and of the Grecian style
of architecture, and was made
| fire-proof in 1854. In a sketch
of the mint by Mr.. VIM. N. Runkle, to
whom am indebted for many facts en-
bodied in this letter, he states that, com
pared with the present, things WIRE done
in rather primitive way in the earlier
days of the institution. Among the &C
counts of 1928, there were bills for
rum, cider, hay and pasture. The fol-
| lowing is found among the rules of a
later day: at is understood that in
future the workmen and laborers find
themselves in diet, drink and lodgings"
LIQUOR was allowed in plentiful quaint
| ties, and it is mentioned as a ''fstigue "a,
ton" OF course all these ''peculisri-
Ties" have long since ceased TO be
fosered or even countenanced- Up to
1870 the mint coined over eight hun
| bred million dolla' s. worth Of money, in
Guiding gold, silver, nickel and copper.
1t is claimed that the mint is capable of
making enough coin to supply the wants
of all the nations in the world. The
branch mint at San Francisco coins gold
and silver only. None of the other branch
minis make coin; their operations are con-
fined to sssaying and refining. The mint
is kept at work constantly and makes a
large amount of gold and silver coin, and
it is curious what becomes of it, especial
ly the latter, as we never see any OF 1t
used in commercial or other TRANSACTIONS
! between citizens of this country.
THE CARE DISPLAYED.
Immense quantities Of precious metal
are constantly in course of transition from
one to another. Bat everything is
weighed so nicely and so often that the
purloining of the slightest particle would
be detected within few moments after
the act had been perpetrated. 1t is est
mated that about six hundred million
dollars worth Of gold has been received
and weighed in what is known as the de-
post, or weighing room. OF this sum,
probably nine -tenths has been received
since the first discovery of gold in Cali
fornia in 1S4S. Previous TO that time
the gold came principally from Virginia,
North Carolina and Georgia. Most of
the gold now mined west of Montana
territory, goes TO the mint at San Fran
cisco. | have referred to the care that
is taken in weighing everything that pas
SEES through the hands of the employees.
This care is shown 10 every depart
ment of the business. The dust on the
floor is swept up and the particles of gold
and silver that may have bee Jme mixed
with it extracted in the shape of pure
metal. The water in which the work
men wash at the close of the days labor
is saved and gold and silver extracted
| from it. And even the clothes which the
workmen wear are finally, when worn
out burned and some precious metal thus
| secured. The brick of which the furDa
ces are built are taken out once year
and ground up by machinery constructed
for the purpose, and gold and silver ex
tracted therefrom. Mr.. Maurice in
formed me that the mint could pay the
salary of the President Of the United
States from the proceeds of the dust that
sccumulates on the floor. This shows
the care with which the mint is managed
in all its departments.
HOW MONEY is MADE.
MIR. Maurice, in passing through the
rooms devoted to melting, rolling, cutting,
milling ard stamping the precious metals,
explained how the different kinds of work
was done. A machine was put in motion
and the work of cutting explained in q
practical manner. A machine was in
operation stamping silver half dollars, and
the work was done rapidly and with pre-
cision. 1t requires a pressure of forty
tons to stamp a single half dollar. l
noticed that the stamping was done
mainly by women. There are ten of the
stamping presses, each capable of making
from seventy to one hundred and twenty
coins per minute, but they are seldom run
at q greater speed than eighty per minute.
The impressions on both sides of the coin
are made with one motion of the press.
| THE CABINET.
The last room visited was the cabinet,
which is called by some the curiosity
room. Here much will be found of gen
eral interest. Portraits of the different