The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-10
THE MOULDS OF 1887"
How the Instruments Passed Away
Under the Blacksmiths Hand.
From the PhHadelDhiG Press.


From the PHILADELPHIA Press.
little roll of metal red with fire was
placed upon the anvil, a sledge hammer fell
twice upon it, three tiny sparks shot into
the air, and the moulds of the old years
double eagle gold coins, and all the happi
ness and misery they brought to people in
whose bands t.VJ fe.t was wiped out for
ever. 1t wa thOI,oendth part of work
that lasted all day at the Mint Wednesday,
the destroying of the 1887 dies.
This is a novel form of destruction that
falls to the lot of the money-making estab
lishment's blacksmiths at the end of each
calendar year, and it is the only sure way
Of preventing the willy counterfeiter from
making spurious coin without regard to
date. The dies of the Mint are the stamps
that imprint upon the coins all that fancy
business that, when rubbed off by time,
gives the street car conductor a chance to
insult the holder by refusing to accept it.
For instance, it stamps on the dollar the
face of the beautiful lady encircled by stars
and make a strong contrast on the other
side by printing a game-looking eagle
perched on arrows under I'm God we trust.
The die is little round chunk of steel
about three inches long, sloping off at the
top, which makes it look like a miniature
mlkman'S can without handles On the
top of it is cut the face of the coin it manu-
lectures, with the date of the year, and
something to think about when you look at
them is that the die of penny costs the
government 10 less than the die that makes
precious the $50 gold piece. The conclusion
mat Uncle Sam, then, might sell his $50
goiid pieces cheaper is human and anarch-
Htlc, but does not follow.
THE WORK OF DESTRUCTION.
1t was 9 o'clock yesterday morning when
Conner Steel, of the Mint, signed the death
warrant Of the old years dies. 1t meant
the destruction of a thousand of 1875
money-makers. Every stamp from double
eagles to dollars in gold, from dollars to
teh,cent pieces in silver, the tives in nickel,
ana the pennies in copper, that bore the
1ate OF the year they tried to give back the
confederate flags and had a big Constitu
Ilonal Centennial, were doomed.
The four brawny blacksmiths of the Mint
were the executioners, their anvils the scat
Ioid, their sledges the Instruments Of death,
and Superintendent Fox, Assayer Eckfield
ana Press reporter the jury. The place
OF execution was the gloomy shop in the
basement weirdly lit by hungry freight.
Az $3.50 O'Clock the dies were taken from
tnelr cells upstairs and conveyed thither in
PACK cottin-like pans Coined gold jingled
4H,l9errlly on all sides as the procession passed.
What regret had gold for the steel that
gave sae 1t power to ruin souls? So the dies of
o. passed to their fate unwept.
The smithy's fire was roaring hot and
gave the cold face of Columbia in steel a
mellow touch Of pathos The little coiners
OF Dig money were first sacrificed. The dies
o. gold were flung by handfuls into the
names. There they lay until the steel grew
RED and the face of Columbia blushed
crimson. They were not taken out by hand,
put with iron tongs, and placed right-end
Upward on the anvils. Then the smithy
raised his sledge hammer aloft and struck
each one full in the face. A shower of
sparks, smashed sound and the agony was
over. The ring of the steel had gone, the
race vanished ike magic and the die of the
past was but crushed, unshapely metal
IN like manner disappeared the dies that
make the cost of theatre seat, the cost of a
nights lodging and the price of an oyster
sew sew until almost evening when the dies of
Ihe pennies were reached. The copper heaps
melted in grief upstairs, for the pennies are
Uhe poor mans friend.