The evening times., 1896-02-13
ANNUAL TEST OF COINAGE
Meeting Of the Assay Commission
Appointed by the President
They Show That During the Year
$59,8I8,357 In Gold and $5 ,B9S, ,O1O
in Silver Were Coined. s

Philadelphia, Feb. l3.-The assay com
mission appointed recently by. President
Cleveland met in session at the Philadel-
pha mint yesterday morning.
The commission consists of o. II. Patt,
Finance Committee, United States Senate;
| Charles w. Stone, House Committee Weights
aud Measures; Thomas NJ. Drown, Lehigh
University; Henry Burnett, Paducah, KY;
Edward o. Leech, New York; John W.
Mallett, University of Virginia; Marcus
Benjamin, New York; Eugene II. Braden,
Helena, Mont; Andrew Stevenson, Colum-
bus, Ohio; CabeiI whitehead, Washington,
ID. c.; John Cadwalader, Philadelphia;
| Douglas II. Thomas baltimore; George II.
| Baer, Reading; W. W. Duffield, Coast and
Geodetic Survey, Washington, and Viii
| liam Il. Mason of Troy, N. Y. The cx-
| officio members of the commission are
| Judge William Butler OF Philadelphia;
| COmplr roller of the Currency James H.
Eckcls, and Prof. II. G. Torrey of New
York assay office.
Annually the commission is called to-
gether for the purpose Of examining
| and testing the fincness and weight OF
the coins reserved 10y the several mints
for this purpose, and the time of meeting
regulated 10y law is the second Wcdnesda y
III February.
A certain number of pieces OF ach variety
| are taken indiscriminately at each mint,
| the number for gold coins being not less than
| one piece for each one thousand pieces de-
livered, and for silver coins, one for each
two thousand pieces delivered. The pieces
so taken are sealed in an envelope and la
belcd, stating the date OF the delivery, the
number and denomination of the pieces
inclosed, and the amount Of the delivery
from which they were taken. These
sealed parcels are deposited in a box,
which shall he kept under the joint care
OF the superintendent and assa yer, and be so
secured that neither can have access 10 its
contents without the presence of the other,
and the reserved pieces in their sealed en-
velopcs from the coinage of each mint shall
be transmitted quarterly TO the mint at
Philadelphia.
In the absence OF Judge Butler, i. o.
Leech was called to the chair as the
presiding officer of the commission. A
communication was received from Di-
rector Preston, informing tie body OF the
change at the mint whereby Herman Kretz
was made superintendent and William L.
Morgan coiner. a statement OF the coinage
at the various mints, San Francisco, New
Orleans and Philadelphia, during the past
calendar year was also presented. This
shows that gold to the amount OF S59,616,-
357 so and silver 10 the amount or $5,GSs,
010.25 were coined.
President Lcech announced these commit
tees:
Counting Leech, Stone, Platt,
Barnett, Stevenson, Barnes. Thomas, DUFF
field, Cadwaladcr, MaIlett Drown, Bolt and
Eckcls.
Weighing Messrs. Cadwalader, DUFF
field, Thomas. Baer, Eckels, Benjamin,
Plat, Burnett, Braden, Torrey and Steven
son.
AssayinG-Ncssrs. Drown, Malett. Ma
son, Benjamin, Torrey, Whitehead, Lcecti,
Stone and Braden.
+. l.. Hasson or Washington acted as sec
retary.
AT this time the reserved coins Were
brought into the room and the contents OF
each box emptied on a long table. where the
committee appointed for the purpose com.
menccd the work Of counting. The other
committees also began work at once. Dim
ner was served al the mint.
The commission viii be in session fer sew
eral days.