Would the Mint want Wood for more than Fuel?
RogerB
Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
Could this have been needed to support one of the presses?
"August 10, 1796
The Director of the Mint respectfully informs Major Hodgdon, that the Mint is in absolute need of a block of timber of such dimensions, as cannot easily be had, by which means the pubic business is delayed. The bearer informs the Director that there is one, that appears to be usable, belonging to the War Department that would suit the Mint precisely. If it could be had, it would save much trouble, and the value of it would be immediately paid.
The Director would be obliged to Major Hodgdon to examine into this matter, and if possible let the bearer have it, for the use of the Mint."
[NARA RG94 Records of the Office of The Adjutant General
Papers of the War Department 1784-1800]
Comments
OT, but one of my regrets is that I got a Morgan dollar with the infamous charred wood from press heat
....still stuck in the coin.
and... I picked it out.
Certain dimensions, sounds right. Fuel should not matter.
Yes, either directly or under the floor.
Was there a Navy shipyard in Philadelphia at the time? They would have had a supply of good timber.
Yes. But we don't know if they had anything suitable - presumably not - or maybe the Director made his request to the War Dept in general?
@topstuf said: "OT, but one of my regrets is that I got a Morgan dollar with the infamous charred wood from press heat still stuck in the coin."
LOL, INFAMOUS is definitely the correct word!
A few decades ago at the ANA Summer Seminar I took it upon myself to become a "floating instructor" for one day between a basic class and the advanced one.
While in the basic class I actually heard one of the instructors tell the students that the black marks on the Morgan dollars happened as the heat of the strike BURNED the sawdust particles (used to dry the planchets) that had remained attached to the planchet.
I wanted to pull my hair out!!
A large shaft of wood needed for pubic business? What was the mint doing in those days?
Ed. S.
(EJS)
Possibly a base for a large screw press.
Was there a basement under the press room? If so then the floor of the press room might have needed shoring up.
The wood was either for the beam of a weight scale, the most likely use,
or for the base of a coining press.
Looks like there was AMPLE wood!
Google pic is titled: "Coin press philly sa 1901"
The mechanism for the horse-powered rolling mills at the Mint would have also required some large timbers.
A block of wood, of the inferred size, would likely be used as a stabilizing base.... without the actual dimensions, we can just guess as to the actual use. Cheers, RickO
Tooth picks for the lunch room?
Wow
It was probably used as a base for heavy equipment or a post to shore up the floor under such a piece of equipment. This type of thing would have been standard practice and is still done today. As an example, when the Detroit Institute of Arts had an exhibit that featured a large and heavy statue back around 2004 they had to position the piece directly over one of the support columns in the basement.