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Summer grilling at the Philadelphia Mint

RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

Summer is prime grilling season. Light the fires and roast, grill, toast and smoke all manner of edibles. At the Philadelphia Mint, one wonders if management intended to grill more than burgers and franks.

"Philadelphia
August 29, 1861

To. Hon. Abraham Lincoln
Respected Sir:

Do not, I beg of you, throw this aside without reading it through. The object of my addressing you is in regard to the employees in the adjusting room of the U.S. Mint in this city. They are ladies, all respectable ladies of reduced means. The rules are that the ladies shall go to work at the early hour of 7AM, and shall work till 5:30 PM in a close room, without a breath of air and with a hot fire in the room, all the time, [in] such weather as it has been here. Is it not an outrage that ladies should be confined in such a manner, because they have the misfortune to be poor. Ladies are daily, almost hourly, taken sick and have to be carried home in carriages, and I consider it my duty as a medical man to protest against killing ladies in such a manner. If you must employ females, do it under better rules, give the ladies a change for recreation; let them have pure air and enough of it. Let me hear from you and believe me,

Respectfully Yours,
C. H. Porter M.D.
527 N. 22nd St.,
Philadelphia"

[This has already been posted on the esylum for this week, but some members might not be subscribers. From RG104 E-216 vol 21, document 317.]

Comments

  • BryceMBryceM Posts: 11,893 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 1, 2019 8:39AM

    Well, it’s generally agreed that it is poor form to kill ladies in this manner.......

    Odd appeal, n’est-ce pas?

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 1, 2019 9:29AM

    I agree. Slow roasting, while wrapped in layers of woolen cloth (to keep in the juices ?), is not really appropriate. :)

    I understand the lack of ventilation -- but why keep a fire burning?

  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭✭✭

    What I wanna know is what did Mr. Lincoln do to relieve these fine Phillies from Philly?

    Tir nam beann, nan gleann, s'nan gaisgeach ~ Saorstat Albanaich a nis!
  • rickoricko Posts: 98,724 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I too am curious about a response/action to the request..... Any further information?? Cheers, RickO

  • SmudgeSmudge Posts: 9,873 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Dated in August, hot indeed I would guess.

  • Namvet69Namvet69 Posts: 9,318 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Do we think they maintained a forge for metallurgical work? Heating, tempering dies or to generate steam? Peace Roy

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  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Where is StrikeoutXXX -- he could probably find the temperature in Philadelphia that day.

  • RogerBRogerB Posts: 8,852 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @Namvet69 said:
    Do we think they maintained a forge for metallurgical work? Heating, tempering dies or to generate steam? Peace Roy

    Not in the adjusting room. The closed room and poor ventilation were intended to keep the tiniest gold or silver particles in the room and thus recoverable.

  • DIMEMANDIMEMAN Posts: 22,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow ....... can you say Union!

  • TurboSnailTurboSnail Posts: 1,669 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited July 1, 2019 11:28PM

    So there was a bunch of HOT chicks worked at Philadelphia Mint?

  • SaorAlbaSaorAlba Posts: 7,593 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @TurboSnail said:
    So there was a bunch of HOT chicks worked at Philadelphia Mint?

    I'm sure they were smelly too!

    Tir nam beann, nan gleann, s'nan gaisgeach ~ Saorstat Albanaich a nis!

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