The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-13
THBNBF QUAKER CITY MINT
To Be Formally Turned Over to TIE
Government Today.
Exercises in Connection With the
Event in Progress at Philadelphia.
Secretary Gage 10 Deliver an Ad-
Observation-Disclosures of the Structure

The programme Will include addresses
by Secretary Gag and Cen James NJ
Beck Assistant Attorney General Col
a LOUdou SnowdcE presides. The new
Mint Building is at Sixteenth and Spring
Garden Streets and is said to be the fin
est and most-perfestIy equipped structure
of its kind in the world.
Work on the building began early IN
1885 and was practically completed April
80 Of the present year The foundations
were laid by the late Allen &. Rorke. and
work at the terrace leTeIhwas started
November Il, 1898, by Charles McCaul.
After the death Of the contractor the
work was carried forward to completion
by the Charles McCaul Company The to-
tai cost OF the building is more than s.
0o3,u5l. the McCauI contracts alone
amounting to more than $3.50, 600 James
Knox Taylor was the architect in charge,
and the work has gone forward under
the personal supervision of Edward A
Crane
The new building is Of grey granite, and
in style Is pure Italian Renaissance It
is SIS feet long, and. including terraces,
80 feet, while its width between Spring
Garden and ButtonwoOd Streets is 20S feet
, inches It is frouted by high granite
wall, supporting terraces that run the en-
tire length Of the building. and that viii
be laid out as ornamental gardens, though
beneath them VIII be some of the largest
vaults in the building There are two in
terror court yards, and between them IS
| a structure extending north and south,
joining the sections at the centre.
In the basement of this interior struc-
/ tUre viii be coal storage capacity. on tire
/ first floor the anucaIing room, and on the
! second fcor the numisma-s; room. The
| delivery of supplies is facilitated by an
/ entrance from Sixteenth Street, and wag-
( oHs may be driven into the interior court
/ ana completely around it.
I The basement VIII have shipping and
I express Offices and room Tor the deposit
weigh clerk Much OF the Spring Garden
front Of the basement will be occupied by
vaults That for the silver dollars. 96 by
{ = feet in size, viii hold 500 800 0D0, and al
I ready about SIO.JfJ.yD Is stored there The
. bullion vault is = b. y feet. Extending
! beneath under the terraces On the north
/ side are two vaults 1sD by q feet, and two
/ 50 by effect each Space IL by - feet IS
given up FOR HIC!Ile and bronze storage,
( subsidiary coin storage and smaller vault
. capacity ON the ButtOAWOOd street Slue
/ Is the boiler room, 10 by % feet The
/ basement Is equipped with a railroad for
I carrying coal ann ashes. Beneath the ter
/ race At the Sixteenth and Butt3Ewood
{ Streets corner are four vaults for OIL. each
/ having capacity of 1000 gallons These
are buried and connected with the main
building only by pipe lines.
The coming operations Of the Mint VIII
be conducted on the first floor So eN-
celleut Is the arrangement that the metal
will practically make but one journey
across TINS moor before II Is finished coin
As bullion it viii go into the building at
the Sixteenth Street side, VIII pass sue
cessiEely through the make up, melting,
( rolling, anEeaIng. and coining rooms, and
I Will reach the counting room at the Ssv-
/ euteeuth and Spring Garden corner Of the
! building as finished product
Thu TirSt floor viii contain. in addition
to the uinting rooms, a number OF the
more important Offices Extending from
end 70 end of the building. at the Spring
Garden Street side, is d corridor ten feet
wide with marble walls and barrel vault
ed ceilings, from which viii lead the
Offices. That OF the Superintendent viii
be near the northwest corner Of the build
twenty feet square, and the meter and
Te1ineT and his assistant 50xZU feet
The melting room Will occupy much of
the Sixteenth Street side and viii cover
a space 59xl2J feet. The rolling and cut
ting room VIII have sI2lx3S feet. the
whitening room f2x50 feet the coming
room 5tNl30 feet counting room 55x2g
feet IS located near the northwest corner
Located on the second floor at the front
I IS a large reception room The machine
shop, 4SXi29 the carpenter shop IKE. the
refinery, IZ3x+6, the adjUStOTSi room, I2Ix5I.
and smaller rooms are upon this floor.
Much OF the third floor viii be vacant
space. On the Spring Garden Street side,
however, viii be 4 dining room for ad-
Justers and various small working de-
partmeuts-
/ The main entrance. the central stair
case and the numismatic room OF the new
building are Of rare beauty Perhaps the
most unique feature is the decoration OF
+ the yeStlbule walls and ceiling. This con
sists Of a series Of panels illustrating the
I ancient methods of coinage They are In
: Tiffany EaVrille glass mosaic. executed
i in the Tiffany studios, New York from
n E4 lar y an he
panels have been set above a wainSCOL-
/ ing OF English veiEed italian marble ten
feet high Each Of the processes Of coin
age Is pictured children being the only
/ woTkmeu- This idea OF the use Of child
ren in stead Of woTkmen was suggest 81
by a fTescO found in the house Of Feteii
which was buried in the year - by the IT
Tuption Of NeSUyius. and which is the on
" picture eXtant which tells Of ancient
methods OF coinage The yaultcd ceiling
/ above this series Of panels Is of gold mo-
. sale
The main staircase is in English veined
Italian marble, and IS unusually hand
some It leads 20 a large platform. which
I faces 4 marble arcade lighted by seven
. scTuI-circle windows of classic design.
. At each side u an ornamental pedestal
suvmounted by large eagle, carved il
/ marble Reaching this platform the stair
. case divides. and turns 10 right and left
to the second E0o-.
/ No less admirable than the working sec
+ ton Is the ARRANGEMENT Of that part OF
( the building into which visitors generally
. viii be admitted IT will be possible here-
. after for persons who visit the Mint e
. make q comprehensive tour. see the Va
TiOus processes. and yet not interfere il
the slightest degree with the business OF
the establishment, nor indeed really enter
the work rooms. This arrangement is
made possible by the working of d Tnez-
canine floor between the first and a sec
. oud floors proper, around which runs q
. + corridor commanding a view Of each work
. room In reality the visitors wiz enter q
series of balconies. overlooking the ma
chinery section, and while in excellent
view Of the various processes, viii he en-
tireIy outside Of the work rooms, and sep
araJcd from them by glass partitions
This balcony Is on the same level as the
nuuiSmatC room. 50 that visitors may
see me Mint without the fatigue Of climb
ing UP and down stairs. Entering III.
main entrance. the visitors will first SCI
the mosajcs, that are 50 attractive q fea
ture Of the building and then. passing III
the central staircase. will bc UshCTed dt
rectIy into the uumismatIc room.
This room is 10 confirm tie collection
OF coins and medals that has been 50 III
tefeSIiuE a feature Of the old Mint aut
which is the finest in this country.
D. would be difficult to estimate closely tn,
F value Of the collection. but it IS worth i
the aeighBuThDOd Of SlDpWtf-
Started 10y Adam Eckfe!dt, for year!
chief cUiner Of the Mint. the collection
b. { has grown until 1t Is Of great historical
value Nr. EcKfeIdt conceived the idea o
+ preserving United States coins. and 81
I also withheld from the melting pot SJm
J valuable foreign coins that had come Is
. the Mint rs deposits Besides the coin!
issued at the 'uited States Mint at PhiIE
/ 20 the present time, there are in the mu
scum moro r-rrg coins Of the ,-glgUit