Morning appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1877-1906, 1900-05-12

IL Small.
Carting to the United States mint
vaults at Spring Garden and Sixteenth
streets the vast masses of silver bullion
and silver dollars that have been stored
IN the old mint and the post Office build
ing has attracted attention to the fact
that the successive transferring count
ing and storing OF the white metal since
its purchase as bullion about ten years
ago, to say nothing of the depreciation
of about third in the market price
since that time, has cost the govern
ment many thousands OF dollars in eX-
cess CT its actual money value. IL fact,
the government would have saved a
great deal of money ii it had thrown
away the silver dollars as soon as they
We're coined. The keeping and handling
OF them has proved to be the most eN-
pensiye luxury in which the govern
ment has ever INDUCED.
The Philadelphia mint holds $780,
000,G00 in silver, over $60.000,00O OF
which has been coined into the cart
wheel dollars. Each successive Superin-
tendent since that time has had the sill
yer counted or transferred from one
place to another the operation usually
requiring a year or more and costing
| over 1000 in the single item of count
| ing. AS the superintendent are under
| 100000 bonds, their bondsInen natural
| ly insist upon knowing just what they
! are responsible for, and SO the counting
| &c
ceeding administration, Uncle Sam
paying the bill.
When Daniel Nj. Fox was superintend
ent of the mint about ten years ago the
silver dollars were transferred from the
mint to the post Office building. The
cost of carting the load from the mint
TO the post Office was IS cents per 81 900.
exclusive of the pay of the !aborers en-
/ ployed in handling it.
In imitation of the celebrated STRAIT
egy Of the French general, whose cam
paign consisted of marching up hill
and then down again, the succeeding
superintendent, Col. Bosbvshell. carted
the silver dollars from the post office
back to the mint, duplicating the cost.
Then Eugene Townsend became SUI
| perintendent, and the process OF trans
ferring :he silver from his predecessor
to himself, the hand-counting Of the
whole mass being involved. again cost
the government over 100000.
When Herman kretz succeeded DR..
Townsend the transfer was made with
out extra cost to the government, the
usual force at the mint being employed
in the task of counting on this econom-
ical occasion. but system OF pssC X ng
the silver dollars in boxes was intro
duced at a cost Of five cents per box
: and this cost the government about
$500.
Inc transfer of the silver from Mr.
Kretz to Harry K. Boyer, the present
!. superintendent, cost the government
as before, over $4,000. Silver dollars tc
the amount of 100000 were taker
again to the post office building fol
storage. This labor was completed
only about three weeks ago. anu nov
the whole bulk Of silver is being re
) carried to the new mint at the regula
+ ton price demanded by the expires
Q company of IS cents per 81 900; with tn
= additional cost of five cents per DO,
# containing 81 900 and the iaborers' pay
n The details involved in all this NOV
II ing and counting are intricate il
70 the extreme. Superintendent Foyer
> count recently completed. was Srer
J. dered as expeditious3y as possible, We
l. it took q year or more to complete i
The transfer required the service Of l
extra men daily at THREE dollars b da
each, ofS45 a day for a ycaf. In add
ton to all this some II or lsmsn hav
to be employed day and night to waite
the boarded mass. s+,~l' sl.-s: So -
=. Thus each transfer from one superb,
"A tendent to another has cost the govern
- ment about sac, 900. the handling ovs
~ $4,000 and the boxing over So 800, I
say nothing Of the otherheavy ineiden
al expenses. such al the watching. Z
coin the silver bullion costs the COVER
n1ent only one cent tor eaclfdollar, b,
to guard it and protect it are trerhel
dously expensive. For instance. amor
the details OF transferring the silv'
from one superintendent to anoth
:, are the employment Of two oounte
Ell for each bag weighing so pounds. II
'A' weighing and the registering Of. u
x :b4gs and the 'compilation of each bae
on indivfdual history.-Philadelphia /
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