The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-01-07

kle in THEN sapphire setting. and the bus
head of the human bees has ceased, then III
eye of the solitary wanderer through on
principal street at a certain point is strucl
by the stark, staring, solid white building
which, by its very face proclaims: am tn
mint. Silver and gold have 1 some; but sucl
as have, give 1 none unto thee. Here /;
that
Cold, gold, gold, gold,
Bright and yellow, hard and cold;
9purned BY the young, and Rugged by the old,
To the very edge OF the churchysrd mold:
How widely it's agencies vary
10 pain, TO ruin, TO curse to bless
As even its mipted coin express;
Now stamped with the ima ge of good Oman Rs.s
And now Of Bloody Mary.
Within are apples OF gold and plctures oi
silver, mere dross in the hands of the work-
men. Without, all that glistens Is not GOLD
leaden misery and steely vice. Going IN the
steps and ringing the bell, -ancous rever-
oeratlng ringing Is heard, as if all the metal
were laughing at the intruder vainly trying
TO enter Its iron bound citadel. BIZ. the steel
pen Is mightier than iron bars, and the door
opens, and we in the temple Of Mammon
and soon we shall see the masses of metal
winch have the present purchasing power
out which has not always swayed the world
The paper and gold money of TODAY has
been preceded by the cotton cloth of Chine
the cattle of ancient Europe. which have noyv
Travelled to Africa, where they serve thesame
purpose as of old; the skins of Russia the
smells OF India, Africa and America. the iron
OF the Lacedaemonians, the tin of Syracuse.
the wood Of Nueva Pompilius. the leather of
the Carthagenians. The earliest COINAGE in
the western world is generally ascribed 10
FREEDOM, king Of Aegina, but Herodotus saws
we owe the invention to the Lydians, proba-
oiy 10 the reign of Eggas, about 700 B. G
10 skip from the earliest times almost IN the
present, We come to our own country. Tho
= nited States mint was established by act of
Congress, on the I'd OF April. 1872 and a
ouldlng was soon erected on the east side of
Seventh, near Market. The first director of
the mint was David Rittenhouse. Ill. ID
ana among his more distinguished successors
nave been Elias Boudinot, Robert Patterson.
james Ross Snowden, James Pollock. the
late lamented DIR. Linderman, and the pres
ent efficient and capable Superintendent
Colonel Snowden. The first money coined
BY the United States were
COPPER CENTS,
which were coined in 1893. Silver dollars
we're next made in 1894, and gold eagles in
100. The first machinery, as well as metal
lsed, came from England. and up 10 1916 the |
work was altogether done by horse or hand
bower. During five years of the minis ex-
stence work has been suspended, owing to |
he prevalence of disease in the CITY. The |
present building, on Chestnut near Broad. |
vas finished in 1888 1t is built of white |
Marble in the Grecian style In 1854 it was
made thoroughly freproof
Inc following are some interesting state |
1ents OF the periods at which coins have
cen made, and of the coinage: No eagles
olned from 1906 to 1887 inclusive; no half
agles in 1916 or 1887; no quarter eagles be-
're 1896, nor in 1900 or 1901, nor from 1909
1870, or in 1922, 1923, 1925, or 1S41: no
ollars from 1906 to 1888. except 1000 in
$50; no half dollars from 1897 to 1900 nor
1910; no quarters before 1896, none from
l9S to 1903, none from 1908 to 1914. and
one in 1917, IA, '26, '29 and 80; no dimes
eiore $50, none IN 1893, 1906, 'OS, II. 'I3' |
3 to 'l9, none in "A, '2S and 80: no half
mes in 1898, '99, 1904, O6 to %; no cents
1870 few specimens in %; no half-cents
l79S, 1901, 1872 to "a, 27' to 80. '34.
6 and 40. A few half-cents were struck
y dnl
r pieces in 1864.
The coinage of the silver dollar of 4121
AIMS, the 5-cent and Scent silver pieces.
Id bronze 2-cent piece, was discontinued
lder the coinage act Of 1873, which went
70 enect on the first of April of that year.
alf-cents have not been coined since 1857, |
IL OF the base coins for the country are
lned In this institution, which is capable of
aking enough coin to supply all the nations
the world: The minis at Carson and San
rancisco coin gold and silver only. The
Int at Denver does not make coin. It's S
'eratlons are confined to assayinp and re-
ling. a
But now the grim Watchdog of the mint a
waiting to go through the building with us.
II is ilent and still; the buzz and beat of I
achlnery has ceased; the flashing colors of
day are dead, and but dim, dull light '
fhce to show the powerful agents of makinp L
oney. On the left of the hall as we enter L
the treasurers office; on the right the cash. e
s, both now deserted Passing through c
hall to yard on the left is seen the weigh d
room. Here all the precious metal re- e
wed Is weighed Gold from California. Il
'orgla, Montana and Nova Scotia; silver "
I'M Nevada and the most of the world. a
IRE comes the valuable family plate to be n
'lted up, telling the glory of decayed for a
1es and destroyed hopes; just as the first n
cks of silver but recently wrenched from
} bosom of mother earth tells the tale of
pc realized and fortunes made. Here. too.
mes copper from Lake Superior and nickel
m our own State at Lancaster. Here are
ed huge bricks of glittering silver. tons in
lght; each brick weighs from 100 to $50
inds, which are handled as though they
re clay. Near at hand are the scales to
lgh this mass of potential money. AS in
ible as the scales of justice, they will
rk the slightest and most minute amount
well as the greatest. The largest weight
d in the weighing room is 5000 ounces;
smallest weight used in the mint is in
assay room, and one-thirteen-hundredth
of an ounce is its size il can barely be
by the naked eye. Here is the vault
ere the gold is kept prisoner; double
ngs Of iron, double doors of steel, and
Is and bolts of the most intricate descrip- be
l-all show the care and caution neces- oil
Y TO be observed. Stepping inside, there mi
quietly small dull ingots, which give a no
!, yellow CLEAN in the candlelight, hardly no