Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-08
FIFTY YEARS AGO IN THE STAR

At the navy yard here fifty years ago,
when many money
Monev plates printing plates were
destroyed by melt
OosstVyeo. ing. The Star OK
June (. 1859. thus tells the story:
The Secretary OF the Treasury hav-
ing ordered the destruction OF the
plates, dies. etc. from which tho cur
rency had heretofore been printed In
the Treasury building, the work was
commenced about ten days ago. when
all the electrotype. stsreotype ana
copper plates were melted down In the
Treasury building. The steel plates.
however. were too much Tor tne
Treasury furnaces, 30 the COMMITTEES
appointed by the Secretary to super
intend the affair concluded to remove
| them to the navy yard. there to be
melted down. The plates thus de-
stroyed have printed more than eight
billions Of dollars
| in ch,rge were as follows: Senator
Thayer OF Nebraska and ex-Represen-
tative @. A. Halsey of New Jersey. on
the part Of Congress-: Mr.. 8. Guthrie
| of the treasurers office. Mr.. L. ID.
Moore Of the registers Office and Mr.
| Farley Hammond Of the Secretarys
Office. on the part of the Treasury De
partment, and Mr.. A. S. Pratt OF thus
| city. formerly a clerk in the Treasury
| Department, on the part Of the peo-
pie of the United States. The COM
mittee have been at work since Mons
day morning last, examining. record
ing and packing the plates, rolls. dies
nd bed pieces. numbering in all $780,
packed in forty boxes, weighing alto
| gether about 10000 pounds. Each box
| was securely fastened with iron bands
and bore three seals each, respec-
lively, of the treasurer and register
4 - rao nd In raal r0 T.
bankers.
| The committee having in charge
the boxes. which were contained in
| four wagons, arrived at the navy yard
at IL o'clock and proceeded direct to
| the iron foundry. where the master
mechanic in charge, Mr.. William
Bland. had the large furnace already
| prepared for the purpose. The boxes
| were then. in the presence of the COM
mittee and some of the officers of tha
yard, unloaded. placed on the elevator
! and thrown into the furnace unbrok-
en-, a strict tally being kept all the
while by a member of the committee.
| The forty boxes were all put into the
| furnace by 1890 o'clock. when the
doors were closed and the draft turned
on. While the melting process was
going on ample preparations were
made in case of accident when the
fiery stream was let forth. Hose and
pipes were connected with water
plugs nearby and brought to the doors
| of the shop for use at moments no
| tice. A few minutes after 1 O'Clock
| there were indications that the mass
was being melted, and about 1880
| had printed so many millions of dol
lars came out of the furnace a blaz-
ing but sluggish stream and were
soon cold Jumps of steel"
*
1 he nf nj kc0 do
to England has always been one OF
| difficulty, owing. first OF
Alabama all, to the troubles in the
| very early days resulting
AiSssy' frem the revolution. later
to the war of 1872. and finally to the
| strain over the civil war, in which
the sentiments of the British people
were divided. One of the issues be-
! tween the two countries growing out
of the civil war was the Alabama
claims controversy. which proved
at London. In The Star of June 4,
1859, is an editorial on the subject:
| 1T is evident that any ambassador
we now send to Great Britain must
make up his mind to run the gantlet
of sharp criticism. both at home and
abroad. Mr.. Motley started under "a
yorable auspices. but his first act
upon landing in England. his speech,
| has drawn upon aim uHcOfHpiiuiSht-
airy remarks from q portion OF the
press of this country. The New York
| Sun thinks he made a mistake in
| speaking at ALL that he should have
taken warning of the fate of Rsverdy
Johnson and given the cold shoulder
to the conceited apprenticeship per-
sons who essay to elicit speeches from
him. There is some force in the Suns
| suggestion that the venue OF the Ala
bama case should be changed from
London to Washington; not for the
| reasons set forward by the Sun.
however, but because the chances of
q definite settlement of the case would
be greatly increased. The fact that
| a treaty, negotiated with a United
States minister who was unanimously
confirmed by the United States Senate
| for that position, was almost unani-
| nously rejected by that body. will
| make Great Britain very shy of deal
! ing with anybody but principals. The
| English government naturally objects
| to negotiating treaties by which ii is
| bound, but which are liable to con-
temptuous rejection on this side of
I the water. Should that government
| send a special envoy to Washington
| he would be able to negotiate directly
| with our government, though there
will always be the circumlocution OF
ratification by the Senate. Yet a
| treaty negotiated on the ground here
would stand many more chances of
being ratified by the Senate than one
made in q foreign atmosphere, and
| where the negotiators could not we'll
Judge Of the temper Of that body"