Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1885-08-28
A BOGUS CLAIMANT.
LEVI DAGUE'S ATTEMPT TO
CLAIM ANOTHEK MANS
INVENTION.

The Fraud Thoroughly Exposed
There has been a good deal Of
surprise expressed in Mint circles
during the past few days oyer a
pamphlet on gold and silver coin
age, issued from Washington, in
which the credit of inventing
double dies for punching small
coins, is attributed to Leyi Dague,
ex-Coiner of the Carson Mint. The
pamphlet reads:
Double dies, the invention of
Levi Dague, Coiner of the Carson
Mint, etc.
| DAGUE NOT THE INVENTOR.
The dies were invented and made
in this city in 1877 by Geo. Nc
Laughlin, who, at that time was
employed in the V. & 7. r. r.
shops. While there employed,
Superintendent Crawford of the
Mint applied to H. NJ. Yerington
of the V. & I. R. r., to allow Nc
Laughlin to work a couple of
weeks in the Mint as he needed
him to repair delicate machinery.
While repairing machinery in the
Coming Department he noticed
the cutting Of planchettes by
single die, from a strip of silver.
The planchettes were cut out up
one side of the strip and down the
other Frequently the holes would
meet and result in an imperfect
planchette, which had to be re-
melted. 1t occurred to him that a
double die might be made which
would double the capacity of the
machine, and cut no imperfect
planchettes. He suggested the
matter to Levi Dague the Coiner,
who said that the thing had been
attempted in several MINIS, but
had failed. Mclaughlin asked
what was the difficulty to be
overcome, and was told that no
double die had ever cut two coins
alike, and it was impracticable, but
he was at liberty to attempt it.
THE OLD DOUBLE DIES.
Mclaughlin ascertained that the
old double dies had all been fail
ures from the fact that each die
was screwed into the metal, and
the screws becoming loose with the
heavy work soon cut irregular plan
chettes. He remedied this defect
by making two dies into a heavy
backing of steel with tapering ends
so that the heavier the blows the
more solid would they be imbeded.
THE FIRST TRIAL.
The dies were made by Nc
land there was quite curl
osity to see the first trial. Mr..
Olmstead, an old Mint man pre-
dicted they would not work, and |
put them to the following test:
He made a scratch with knife |
down one side Of the strip Of silver,
and when the strip was put through
and the planchettes cut, half Of
them coming from under one die
were marked by the scratch. and
the other half from under the
other die. were unscratched. An
equal number of planchettes for
each die were weighed, and the
in weight Of the two
piles was imperceptible. More cut
ting was done, and the test of 40 of
each made, but still the difference
in weight was but a fraction of
grain. Mclaughlin then took 50 |
olanchettes cut by a single die,
divided them in piles of 40 each,
and there was a difference of
The weight of one planchette in the
whole. This test showed that
what had been considered an i'm
possible thing in Mint circles had
been successfully accomplished.
)AGUE CLAIMS THE INVENTION.
After the double die became a
ixture in the Mint, thereby doub-
ne the capacity of the cutting
machines Levi Dague, the Conner,
ordered W. H. Bryant, the Assis-
amt to write a letter to Washing
ION giving Dague the credit of the
INVENTION.
It was portion of Bryant's
work to write letters. and he being
subordinate was bound to obey
riders. He suggested at the time
o Dague that Mclaughlin invented
md made the double dies, but
)ague with an oath ordered him to
10 as he was told. He wrote the
ottor ond en- after five vaars Dame