@LanceNewmanOCC said:
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anyone trans any docs by h. l. dodge yet?
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I just got to one....
But the handwriting is identical to that of T. C. F.(??) Robertson, Acting Supervisor at SF, of the same era, (with exception of signature). So if your question deals with interpretation, someone else is writing at least some of the correspondence.
(BTW...I'm unsure of the initials for Mr. Robertson. Might be T. X. F??)
@RogerB said:
BTW - I mentioned "chicken scratching" --- Here's an example pulled from one of Rep. Alexander Stephens' clearer letters regarding the Goloid alloy tests.
PS: There are worse....
This looks like a good challenge. Here's my attempt:
silver & copper which he has [presented?] as a new
metal [styled?] goloid - which consists of the
following proportions of each of the above [?] -
metal goloid - one pound of standard gold, [nine fifty?]
fine, & twenty four pounds of standard silver [nine fifty?]
fine - [then?] [mix?] in it [due?] proportion of copper, [?]
[present form?] with [?] alloy with copper [?] -
Added: I did do a Google search of SF Mint Superintendents, but no luck. There is a comprehensive list of Mint Directors on Wikipedia, so I can get THOSE names right. Superintendents, not so much....
Heaviest black line across nearest bottom
Next heavy line up from that & it runs thru a table in col 3
Look in rightmost column around where the line goes thru that right column
It says t h f Robertson appointed chief at SF Mint
Answers the question, though. T. H. F. it is....I shall make the change.
(Part of my issue was that somebody else must be drafting these letters for the SF mint, and they are only signed by Robertson (as Acting Superintendent), or Superintendent Dodge. Without some other text to compare and contrast with, it's near impossible to decipher some letters.)
T. H. F. Robertson, chief clerk; Horace Beach, cash-
ier; George Parry, computing clerk; C. S. Tripler, ab-
stract clerk; Hugh Chalmers, receipt clerk; Frank W.
Gross, assistant book keeper.
P. A. Lamping, time and door keeper ; Charles F.
Robinson, captain of night watch.
ASSAYEE'S DEPARTMENT.
O. D. Munson, assayer; H. H. Lawrence, first assist-
ant ; C. H. Sherman, second assistant.
MELTEB AND REFINER'S DEPARTMENT.
Martin Alexander, inciter and refiner ; T. B. Mc-
Cauley, assistant.
COINER'S DEPARTMENT.
F. X. Cicott, coiner ; M. K. Cady jr., assistant.
Internal Revenue Office.
U. S. Court Building. William Hlgby, Collect r;
HalaeyF. Cooper, John E.Youngbir; . II B. M:iyhew,A.
F. Adams, William A. Davies, H. A. Hebard, Fredk
R.Gray, George W. Ryley, deputy collectors; John
E. Davis, Charles D. Douglas, Oar] Footman,
Frank Laumeistcr, clerks: E. N. Btrout, CH
Neidham, H. E. Hall. L. II. Murch, .la:
M. Cooley, W. H. Hubbard. 0. W. Mill
Newbold, gaugers; Thos. Biagllton, F. If. 1.
seph Wallace, Charles E. H>>lt. Henry H. Humus, Al-
exander C. Beritzhoff, storekeepers.
Office, 610 Commercial. William Sherman, assist-
ant treasurer; F. G. Bornemann, oashli rj Edward Bt,
John Bellows, bookkeeper; T. B. Clarke, i-t:nni> i li rk;
L. A. Boynton, assistant cashier; 0. 0. Oabi rn
ant book keeper; C. B. Bwasi y, clerk; J. Windrow, il.
S. Tucker, L. J.Roland and T.M. Watson, wat> bmi a.
yosclimber -- Excellent start on the Stephens excerpt!
All - Clerks at each mint prepared most of the correspondence. They often signed the name of the Superintendent, although that is less common outside of Philadelphia or Mint HQ.
As implied in several posts above, it is very helpful to use on-line resources to check the spelling of names encountered in documents. Census records and city directories are very useful. The sample yosclimber posted is good, but it is also a reminder of the defects of OCR. When possible, look at the original.
I saw that in my search, but dismissed it since the first letter in the first name looked like a "G" to me.
Now I see it's an A L connected together.....
A. Loudoun Snowden had previously been Chief Coiner and Postmaster of Philadelphia. Even while not in a US Mint office, he was extremely influential regarding US coinage. He made extensive suggestions regarding the Morgan dollar design and edge lettering for US coins. He was the son of late director James Ross Snowden.
I usually expand names when I'm confident of accuracy. Initials are left as-is. Early 20th century documents might have 5 or 6 sets of initials placed there by those who have read the document.
@RogerB said:
I usually expand names when I'm confident of accuracy. Initials are left as-is. Early 20th century documents might have 5 or 6 sets of initials placed there by those who have read the document.
i will strive to leave initials as-is. this is not a project im wanting to go deep with. you are the finalizer here, so what you decide is best for my transcriptions, is fine with me.
im here to reduce work load and enjoy a glimpse into the numismatic past.
if not for the telegraph. shoo weee.
thanks for your positivity and patience. just what a project like this requires.
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While the goal is to expand information access, it's also about having fun with the subject and discovering lots of interesting history. Most of the material being transcribed has never been seen by any living person and it's likely completely unknown to numismatics.
(One volunteer has a letter about changing the coin designs for the 1876 Centennial, Another has a letter about a liberty bell design for Centennial coins. There are many more topics that will come to light.)
Can we assume you don't have an issue with us sharing any hot little tidbits here?
Mr. Newman and I had a little fun earlier this week, but I kept wondering if I REALLY had the right to share something that "I found", when in reality, I just happen to have access to something YOU found.
Just want to make sure I understand any limitations that might exist....
I can't figure out some of this - your help, please
My take:
for the proposed five dollar piece of increased diameter, (the same as those lately cut by Mr. Morgan) according to the design enclosed in your letter with the spray of wheat and cotton omitted. When the dies and (are??) complete, specimen pieces will be struck in....
Could be off by a word or two....
The handwriting looks familiar. I'm sure I've transcribed something by the same hand.
Can we assume you don't have an issue with us sharing any hot little tidbits here?
+1
i was operating under F.O.I.A., but presumptively so.
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if it is ok, at the time approval is given, i will post some tidbits from one communication that reads closer to a page from a schoolgirl's diary than from grown, presumably educated, professional men ! doh
but if not ok to share, than i won't and keep all the humor, irony and laughs to myself.
it is from the h. l. character i asked about a few posts ago.
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RE: "Can we assume you don't have an issue with us sharing any hot little tidbits here?"
Sure. I understand that some of the bits and pieces are of interest to other board members, also. Just remember that the documents sent out are pieces of larger puzzles. It's also a good way to help each other.
RE: quoted text. The suggested transcription is good. The questionable work is "are." Some writers used a small flourish at the end of words - that makes it look like "and" - but maybe we are too literal in today's printed-character world.
Clerks occasionally improved the language and grammar of those dictating letters. At other times the clerk or stenographer didn't actually understand a Mint employee's technical language, and the final document has phonetic equivalents. The most commonly encountered are "picks", "pix", and "pikx" in place of "pyx."
Your personal and confidential letters of March 7, 1877, in relation to Mr. Barber and the San Francisco and Carson Mint double eagle dies, have been received.
I regret that Mr. Barber has by want of proper care and forethought, to say the least of it, caused so much trouble at those mints in the coinage of double eagles.
Yep. William Barber sent out dies missing dates, botched the obverse hub for the 1877 DE, and had to remake the Trade dollar hubs multiple times before getting it right. He seemed to have devoted much personal time and effort to the private medal/token making business he ran with George Soley and son Charles Barber.
Dear Sir:
In telegraphing you yesterday I gave you figures furnished by Wheaton and Beach as to silver in bullion fine ? and believe it was substantially correct. But until assays are made of course we could not tell exactly. We are now cleaned out of trades every day. Mostly I believe being shipped east – The China Str.? only took 49,000. and can have deliver over a million this month.
I appointed yesterday seven old adjusters who were needed badly. I included in the list all you had shown of excear? Mrs. Frances Bond, there is a strong feeling in this institution that she had better not be re-appointed. Reasons in detail I will not state as I think you will not require it.
I am overwhelmed with the conviction that Fisher is not fit for Engineer and shall change as soon as practicable. Scott, the indispensable? machinist is fully inexpressed? with his importance and utterly refuses to show Hawkes or any one else his process of hardening dies, which process I don’t believe is inpacibles? as thouon? by his work and the correspondence of a year ago between Barber Eugene? Pollock yours elf? & Cicott?, which I have examined. people insist that is good, your people think the fault is in hardening & tempering. Scott differs he is very testy about it and I think is wrong.
I shall as soon as the new dies come. get another man to work on them and if he spoiles? a few, it is inevitable, and we must stand it.
I cannot endure the idea of having a man who is indispensable. Scott was sick last week, and is getting old, he is exceedingly crochety and self opinionated. He bosses Cicott & intends to boss me. We will see about that. I told Cicott today we would pat him on the back till the new dies come and then let another man try his hand. Oiur? Stoneroom is in a. “ creer, accounts kept as they should be. Mr. Chieas, the stonekeeper is John Teaggs’ friend, appointed at this special request and your known friendship for him ^ (Teagg) and is a first class man. Mercado is appointed as you desired & Bigley appointed today to M & R department is backe? by a curious crowd which you may like to have named. C. N. Felton told me that Jim Gannon?, Bill Higgins, Estee, Mike Comoy? & some others were very anxious to have him appointed & wanted he should ask me. I told him if he was a good man I would appoint him when his services were needed. Yesterday is making up Martins fover? I sent word to Felton I was ready & today he came in a good, stout able bodies man that luiter? Martin & I told him to report tomorrow. SO I have got a good man & peased? a powerful element. Isnt that diplomacy?
The rects.? I gave half.? I suppose we had forwarded. I have sent them today. Making about 75,000 trades a day now. 80 next week.
he's not afraid to do that which he accuses others of. i've noticed this trait in many people. i'm confident i'm not exempt.
i admit, i was laughing through a good part of his inane babble. that which i could read anyway.
it is too bad that all the underlines didnt survive the copy/paste. it makes 1/2 of the impact of the letter.
on a side note; if you hit a dry spell, let me know and i can forward a few in lieu of all-at-once. it will be a few/several days before i wrap up this batch.
if you bought AND sold that glass 1943, congratz! - it is nice it went to someone whom knew what to do with it and then did it. dont forget to do something good for the world.
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It's nice to know when Wikipedia fails you and Google won't pull you through ... there's always The Numismatist for searching online.
I couldn't figure out that name for the life of me and then I came across a Col. Oliver C. Bosbyshell in a Numismatist search for Coiner, 1880, etc... His name came up in a 1981 article delving into 'extracurricular' gold pattern transactions.
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this one is kinda long, but if you enjoy thinking/reading about world coinage/events and how interconnected they are, or were, this is one i found quite fascinating.
i will also post one about territorial gold dies, i think it was. sometime soon.
the work i am doing i do on my pc desktop (a beast imo) & because of the 32" tv which allows for a much larger scale/resolution, allowing a pdf and word doc to be side-by-side for transcription amongst other work i do which yields a much higher efficiency/effective rate. then have to transfer all back to an external and then to my tablet (for internet), which after a while gets a big inconvenient. - i probably should have networked the 2 by now. i will give that some effort now i'm thinking about it.
x
March 24, 1897.
To the Honorable
Secretary of the Treasury.
Sir:
Before estimating the value of foreign coins to be proclaimed on the first day of April, I respectfully submit for your consideration a few points relative to the principal or full legal tender silver coins or monies of certain countries, especially of India, Russia and Tripoli.
It has occurred to me that it would be advisable in the next circular of the value of foreign coins, not to estimate the value of the Indian rupee, but to leave the space therefor blank, and append thereto a not to the effect that the value of that coin shall be determined in accordance with the consular certificates attached to invoices of merchandise from India; in other words, that the Indian rupee shall be hereafter treated by the Department as a depreciated currency. My reasons for considering this course advisable are given below.
The full text of the law, relating to the estimating and proclaiming of the value of foreign coins at present in force, “Act of August 28th, 1894, Section 25,) is as follows.
“That the value of foreign coins as expressed in the money of account of the United States shall be that of the pure metal of such coin of standard value; and the values of the standard coins in circulation of the various nations of the World shall be estimated quarterly by the Director of the Mint, and be proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury immediately after the passage of this Act and thereafter quarterly on the first day of January, April, July and October in each year. And the values so proclaimed shall be followed in estimating the value of all foreign merchandise exported to the Untied States during the quarter for which the value is proclaimed and the date of the consular certification of and invoice shall, for the purpose of this section, be considered the date of exportation:
Provided, The Secretary of the Treasury may order the reliquidation of any entry at a different value, whenever satisfactory evidence shall be produced to him showing t hat the value in United States Currency of the foreign money specified in the invoices was, at the date of certification, at least ten percentive? more or less than the value proclaimed during the quarter in which the consular certification occurred.”
When the Director of the Mint has estimated the values of the standard coins of the various countries at that of the pure metal they contain, he has done all that the law requires him to do in the premises. But when the following of the strict letter of the statute involved ascribing to the coins of a country a value greatly inferior to their actual value, it is certainly proper that attention should be called thereto.
When the free coinage of silver is suspended in a country having the single silver standard, the value of the full legal tender silver coins of such country is very apt. to acquire, in its inland trade, a value greater than that of the pure metal they contain.
The rupee of India is at present, a case illustrative of this. Up to the 26th of June, 1893, the coinage of silver was free. Since the closing of the Indian Mints on that day to the coinage of silver on private account, the gold value of the silver rupee has always been greater than that of the pure metal in the coins. It is now over thirty percent higher than the market price of the pure metal in the rupee.
Such being the case it does not seem proper that the Director of the Mint should estimate its value and the Secretary of the Treasury proclaim it as that of the market value of the pure metal it contains, although in doing so both are only obeying the letter of the law. The real value of the Indian rupee is determined by its price in London, but the Director of the Mint has no authority to calculate its value in accordance with that price.
Under circumstances like those just described, although not exactly similar, I have in the past represented to the Department, when called upon for an expression of opinion on the subject, that the metallic currency of the country in question, should be treated by the Department as a depreciated currency, and that the regulations of the Department governing the calculation of the value of invoices expressed in such currency, should be made in accordance with the value given it in the consular certificates attached to these invoices. At the present time, the silver rupee of India may be looked upon as a depreciated currency, since prior to the beginning of the decline of the price of silver, the Indian rupee had a value of forty-seven cents and four mills in the money of account of the United States. hence the suggestion made above that, in the circular of the value of foreign coins to be issued April 1st, 1897, the space for the value of the Indian rupee be left blank, and that a note be appended, stating that the value of the same shall be determined in accordance with the consular certificates, attached to invoices from the ports of British India.
A question also arises with respect to the Russian rouble. That country has long had a depreciated currency, but it is now preparing to adopt the gold standard. It may be said to have even now the gold standard, since the paper roubles or bills of credit of Russia, sometimes called also silver roubles, had a fixed value in gold. Until recently, the value of the paper rouble was a fluctuating one. It has long been the custom of the Director of the Mint to calculate, and of the Secretary of the Treasury to proclaim, the value of the rouble as a equal to that of the pure silver in it, although the value of the invoices from that country has for some years past been estimated in accordance with the value ascribed to the rouble in the consular certificates attached to such invoices. Of late, however, an Imperial ukase has declared that one and one-half paper roubles shall be equal to one gold rouble, or to fifty one cents and four mills in the money of account of the United States. By a ukase of January 3rd, 1897, the Russian Minister of Finance was directed to cause to be coined, imperials and half-imperials, bearing as an indication of their price in paper, the former fifteen roubles, and the latter seven roubles, fifty copecks, and to place these coins in circulation as soon as manufactured.
If the silver rouble were as heretofore, valued at that of the pure metal it contains, it would be greatly undervalued.
The difference between the value given it by Imperial ukase?, and the present market value of the silver in it, is fully thirty percent, it now having a fixed gold value equal to fifty one cents, and four mills.
I would respectfully recommend that, for the present, the course suggested in the case of the Indian rupee be also followed in that of the Russian rouble. there seems to be no good reason for officially estimating these coins so much below their value, if it can be legally avoided.
In the circular of the value of foreign coins issued January 1, 1897, the mahbub of Tripoli was not mentioned, and I shall omit calculating its value in the future unless you instruct me to the contrary.
The rule prescribed by the Statute cannot be applied to the valuation of the Tripoli mahbub, because it is not a real coin. Neither the mahbub itself nor any of its multiples is stamped. It is simply a money of account said to be equal to 20 Tripoli piasters. but the Tripoli piaster is not equal to the Turkish piaster, and like the mahbub has no actual existence. The value of the pure metal in the mahbub cannot be estimated, because it contains none.
The intrinsic value of the Tripoli piaster is regulated by the course of the gold medjidie at Constantinople. Per October 1893, the parities? in Tripoli were as follows:
Turkish Pound 117 Tripoli Piasters
Medjidie 21 ½ Piasters
20 Franc piece 102 Piasters
Pound Sterling 127 ½ Piasters
Calculating the value of the mahbub of 20 Tripoli piasters according to that ascribed to it above in pounds sterling, would give it a value of 76 cents and 3 mills in the money of account of the Untied States.
By taking the Turkish pound as above equal to 117 Tripoli piasters, and £100 equal to 110.05 Turkish pounds, (the Constantinople rate of exchange on London, March 13th), the parity is reached of 128.76 Tripoli piasters equal to £1 equal to $4.8665; whence 20 Tripoli piasters or one mahbub equal to 75 cents and 7 mills, which is about its present value.
For the reasons just stated, I discontinued the estimation of the value of the Tripoli mahbub.
Lastly I would respectfully suggest as worthy of your consideration, when Russia, Japan and India containing a population of the Globe, are on the eve of going over to a gold standard, and when apart from China, where silver has always passed by tare and not by late, only Bolivia, part of Central America, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Persia continue to have a silver currency, whether it would not be better t o treat the currency of all single silver standard countries as depreciated currencies, and to have the value of their full legal tender coins determined for custom purposes by the consular certificate attached to invoices of merchandise from such countries. By considering them as depreciated currencies their exact value at the time of shipment could be determined whereas by the present mode of valuation it can be determined only approximately. Besides, by considering the currencies of all single silver standard countries as depreciated currencies and estimating their values accordingly, uniformity would be introduced into the method of calculating their values, a uniformity which it now lacks.
Respectfully yours,
R. E. Preston
Director of the Mint
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They were having workman issues in New Orleans in 1898 too:
The Mint of the United States at New Orleans,
Superintendent's Office
Nov. 19, 1898.
Hon. George E. Roberts,
Director of the Mint
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
Deliveries of Coin as follows;
(Table deleted for posting to forum...not interesting)
My time has been so closely required in Cashier's - Melter & Refiner's - Counter's and Coiner's weigh rooms that have not given the various departments attention. Being without technical knowledge of the actual working department of the Assayer's room and the force therein, (which is not large), I would not take the responsibility of passing judgment thereon in the way of suggestions, but regarding the Assayer, Assistant Assayer, and their computing clerk and the warrant clerk and bookkeeper (five parties), I am at this time compelled to say that I can not regard them as doing more than the work of two (Note: word hand cancelled) three good men who would not be over-worked.
The point is well illustrated in the case of Mr. O. H. Simpson (one of the most indispensable men in the N. O. Mint), who formerly with two or three assistants complained of the "great quantity of his work" but who usually with more work than ever before known in that department seems very content to do it and most anxious to continue undisturbed.
Had these parties been experienced in business enterprise where work and attention are required and dissipation and reasonable hours impossible their lamentations would never have been heard.
My letters are written you on Sunday but dated Saturday for the reason that I have not the time to write during the week.
I wish to ask your consideration regarding my salary which has been only $117.00 per month. Have written Hon. R. E. Preston to present the matter to you and the Honorable Secretary of the Treasury, having full confidence that it will receive due attention.
I wish to remain yours,
Very respectfully,
Joseph Linebaugh (??).
"...value given it by Imperial ukase?, and..." "ukase" is correct there and elsewhere. (Russian: указ = an official decree; Imperial Ukase [Императорский Указ] was one issued by the Tsar.)
"...China, where silver has always passed by tare and not by late,..." the last word should be "tale"
In this instance:
tare = silver content
tale = weight of entire coin
These might be harder then transcribing Pearl Jam lyrics
mark
Walker Proof Digital Album Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
@Justacommeman said:
These might be harder then transcribing Pearl Jam lyrics
mark
Maybe I'm a sick man, but I get a kick out of it!
The first read through often leaves words, or whole passages, that are completely unintelligible. But with a little work, comparing similar words, and some creative divining of the meaning, it is possible to coax out the text.
I'm not going to claim I get EVERYTHING right....(some words in the above transcription still seem forced)...but it's gratifying when you can nail down the intent and content of the letters.
I still have a hard time with names. There is no context to help figure out spelling of those....
In the post about "workman issues in New Orleans in 1898," the writer, Joseph Linbaugh, was sending Roberts informal reports about conditions at the New Orleans Mint. These included facts as well a gossip and it's not yet clear if Roberts considered them useful or simply amusing. (I have not found his name on the official list of employees --- yet.)
Report of the Examination of the operations of the several working departments of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, made by M.F. Bonzano, Supr. of the U.S. Mint at New Orleans, under the orders of the Director of the Mint, during the months of May, June, August and September 1875.
New Orleans October, 1875
To the Hon. H.R. Linderman,
Director of the Mint
Washington, D.C.
Sir,
I have the honor to submit the following report of the examination made by me, under your orders, of the operations of the several operating departments of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia:
In response to your telegraphic summons, dated May 3 1875, I reported to you in person, at Washington, on the following 10th, and, having received your instructions, proceeded to Philadelphia for the purpose of performing the duties assigned me. Having exhibited my credentials to the Superintendent, I was most cordially received by that officer, and the others officers, who all were unanimous in expressing their willingness to afford me all needful facilities, and offered me their assistance in investigating the causes of the difficulties lately experienced by them, and which had attracted the notice of the Department. Believing it important that some of my experiments, about to be instituted, should be conducted independent of the control of the employees of the Departments, I suggested to you that I might divine valuable aid from the services of Mr. Thos. Tiedermann, who had for many years served as my foreman in the N.O. Branch Mint, when I was the Melter and Refiner of that Institution, and received your approval and authority to avail myself of his services. He was accordingly sent for and reported to me at Philadelphia on the 19th of May.
Melting Department
The frequency of condemned gold ingot melts, in comparison with the small number formerly condemned, and with the results of other mints, having given rise to a difference of opinion between the Melter and Refiner and the Assayer of the Philadelphia Mint, it seemed to me proper to direct my attention first to this important matter. The large increase of business at the Philadelphia Mint had induced Prof. Booth to increase his gold ingot melts to a weight of 5000 ounces, and sometimes more; and it is only since these large melts were inaugurated that the proportion of the melts condemned, to those passed, became alarming to the Melter and Refiner, who, disappointed in his expectation of better results from his indefatigable attention and increased vigilance, inclined to interpret these perplexing excessive variations of title, by attributing to the several metals, constituting the standard alloy, in their fluid state, a tendency to “segregate” under the influence of very small, if not infinitesimal, quantities of base and volatile metals. Without attempting a decision as to the merits of the theory advanced by Professor Booth, it seemed to me preferable to adopt such a modification of the mechanical manipulations as would prevent segregation if such a tendency existed. Accordingly a number of smaller melts, composed of bars of gold of the most various titles and differing much in physical aspects, were made. Particular care was taken to have the melts, just previous to pouring, thoroughly stirred. In every case the resultant titles were uniform and agreed with those computed. Extending the same process to the large ingot melts, the result was less satisfactory. This was mainly due to the great difficulty experienced in stirring a large gold melt. The resistance of the fluid gold to the immersion of a stirrer, being equivalent to the product of the volume of the latter into the difference between the specific quantity of gold and (?) of the stirrer, it is evident that this resistance increases with the depth of the pan and, in a melt of 5000 ounces, it requires the full exertion of an able-bodied man to overcome it and move the stirrer about vigorously. When it is considered that this exertion is called for when the furnace is at its highest temperature and open, with the radiating heat striking in the face of the operator, we shall readily admit, as a fact, the assertion of practical melters that the stirring of a large melt constitutes the hardest work of the Melting Department. The workmen of the Melting Department, so far as they came under my observation, are skillful, clean and neat in their work, as might indeed be expected from men who have had so much practice; and they seem to take a just pride in doing their work well. By long continued stirring, in some instances, excessively long, a uniformity of title was, at last, obtained. Encouraged by this result, the Melter and Refiner still further improved his melting process by reducing his melts to more reasonable dimensions, and with the happiest result, as is shown by the almost entire cessation of condemned melts.
The experience had with the gold melts led to similar improvements in melting silver, which, in my opinion, is satisfactory, and will compare favorably with any other mint.
My examination should have embraced the determination of my losses in melting Nathans’s (?) silver, the allowance for which seems inadequate to the Melter + Refiner, but for the circumstance that no such silver was received of the Mint during my stay.
It is due to Professor Booth that I should frankly admit that, whatever improvement in the result of his work may have been attained, is far more due to his own strenuous efforts and scientific resources, than to the few and meagre suggestions I may have made, The difficulties, incident to the enlarging of the capacity of his department, in such few and small rooms as are at his disposal, led him, naturally I think, to seek their solution in enlarging his melts to a point beyond what may be considered practical limits, an, in doing so, he encountered new and unexpected (?), which I trust are now definitely set at rest.
Assay Department.
This department, in all its details, may well serve as a model for other institutions. Under its skillful, conscientious and able management, it has been enabled to respond promptly to all demands made upon it by the vastly increased business of the Mint. The personal labor of Mr. Dubois has however increased to such an extent as to require of him excessive and unreasonable efforts, which may be brought within bounds by allowing him the additional assistant he has, as he informs me, often applied for, without any result as yet. When it is considered how much the preservation of the health of Mr. Dubois is a condition of the efficiency of the Assay Department, and, through it, of that of the whole Mint, I feel no hesitation to suggest that the additional Assistant, asked for by him, should be (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document likely continues).
Coining Department.
In this Department my attention was chiefly directed to the manner of keeping the accounts, and the character and quantity of the Clippings returned by the Coiner. The books and accounts are kept by the Assistant Coiner, Mr. Bosbyshell, with exemplary completeness and neatness. The system adopted seems to answer its purposes perfectly. By it, a constant control is had of the metals in the several stages of their conversion into coin, and the apparent wastage, resulting from each operator, can be ascertained at the termination of each partial step in the manufacture of the coins. The system of accounts, kept by the coiner, could not well be improved upon.
Clippings.
The Melter and Refiner delivers his silver ingots to the Coiner, (through the Superintendent) after pickling and bleaching them previous to the delivery. The coiner returns his clips and clippings, through the same channel, to the Melter + Refiner without pickling, but after heating them to a dull red heat for the purpose of burning off the grease. The Melter and Refiner is of the opinion that, in consequence of this mode of procedure, he is at a disadvantage, an opinion which seems to be sustained by the very small wastage of the Coining Department. The allowance, by law, of a certain percentage on the amount of metal worked, is intended to cover the actual losses in the working of these metals. The legal allowances are based upon the experience, during a long period, of various mints at home and abroad. However honorable the efforts of an officer to show the smallest possible wastage, after the labors of the year are accomplished, may be, his exertions in that direction cannot be carried too far without incurring expense greater than the value of the metal saved. It is expected that there will be wastage, and if by proper care, vigilance and skill, he keeps his wastage well within the limits allowed by law, and which limits are found ample by experience, he has done his duty faithfully and ably.
Taking this view on the intention of the law, I am inclined to disapprove of the bleaching of silver ingots as wholly unnecessary, and involving unnecessary labor. By omitting this operation there is no increase of the general wastage, though it might, to a small extent, increase that of the Coiner and diminish that of the Melter + Refiner. So far as the interest of the Government is concerned, it is immaterial how the sum total of the wastage is apportioned between the two departments, provided the wastage of each is within reasonable proportion of the whole allowance for each, respectively. To return to the Melter and Refiner bleached silver clippings, would cause still further unnecessary labor without any other effect than a partition of the general wastage, more favorable to the Melter and Refiner. I am of opinion, therefor (sic), that the bleaching of silver ingots should be discontinued, and that the clippings should be simply heated to redness to burn off the grease, and allowed to cool, or, if cooled with water, reheated to a temperature above that of boiling water, for the purpose of expelling the moisture which may have entered the pores of the metal or lodged between the folds of the strips.
Gold ingots, and the clippings therefrom, are always bleached before delivering them. Considering the great relative value of this metal, the labor involved in bleaching is comparatively small, and as this mode of delivery has been in practice since a long time, in all the mints I believe, and never was complained of by any of the parties concerned, there is no reason for departing from a custom so universally approved.
General Remarks.
When the U.S. Mint Building was established in an almost suburban quarter of the moral, sober and tranquil city of Philadelphia, at a time when the population, commerce and wealth of the country bore a very small proportion to the vast development of these elements of National greatness, as they now are, the projections of this institution though, undoubtedly, that they have provided a grand and magnificent establishment, than could cope with all the work incident to the making the precious metals into coins, than might ever be demanded of it. The far-famed moral and quiet character of the population quieted all apprehensions as to its safety from thieves and burglars, and caused no hesitation to locate it on a lot of ground, just of sufficient size for the building, and facing three streets, one of which has only the width of a modern alley.
With the increase in the production of precious metals, the work of this institution has increased to such an extent, that it required the greatest ingenuity on the part of its able and skillful officers to provide room for a mass of machinery which is probably tenfold that originally designed for it. They accomplished this difficult task by crowding rolls, presses, furnaces to such an extent as to render the work very uncomfortable to the men, and its supervision very difficult to the officers. The filling up of the interior once with engines, boilers +c. has destroyed proper ventilation of nearly all the working rooms, and rendered the best exertions of the men less productive. The proximity of the building to others is, in my humble opinion, a great defect. Dishonest employe’s (sic) could easily find means, with the assistance of persons outside of the same character, to dispose readily of any precious metals they might abstract, without detection. Burglars, by possessing themselves of the neighboring houses, under the pretext of an honest business, might prepare for years, unmolested, for some grand enterprise which might promise greater results than the frequent bank-robberies, which have, of late, disgraced some of our most tranquil country-towns.
The proper supervision of the operations of the several departments, and of the workmen, is rendered very difficult by reason of the contracted space within which they must be conducted and, no doubt, many of the difficulties experienced by the officers in conducting their works are reperable (sic) to the want of proper space and accommodations.
I believe I am safe in asserting that no private manufactory, whose owners are solvent, would hesitate to go to the expense of having a building and grounds, adequate and suitable for a business of such extent, leaving aside the paramount importance of the safety and security of an establishment to which are entrusted, not only a great portion of the material wealth but also of national honor. Contenting myself with having pointed out one of the chief causes of the difficulties lately experienced by the U.S. Mint of Pha. and to which I attribute the recent difficulties about condemned melts, by reason of the great difficulties, almost impossibilities of conducting operations of such magnitude with proper safeguards and supervision, in such disproportionate and inadequate space, I proceed to point out another difficulty which has assumed the proportions of a nuisance, namely that of the indiscriminate admission of a large number of
Visitors.
who daily flock to the Mint and, by their number and uncertainty of character, embarrass the operative officers and the workmen. It is evident that by far the greatest number of these visitors are impelled by an idle curiosity without other purpose than to gratify a nascent curiosity to see vast sums represented by the bar, strips, planchets and coins of the mint These visitors are composed of all classes, those of the accidentally or habitually idle, seeming to predominate. They are admitted by the “conductors”, as to a show, without the very wholesome restraint of a ticket or admission fee. The number taken through, at one draft, seems to be indefinite and, without any reference to what operations are going on, or to the judgement of some responsible officer. That the safety of the bullion in course of manufacture is imperiled by such indiscriminate admission of visitors, and that the workmen’s attention is thereby diverted, unconsciously probably, from their work, cannot be doubted, Every counterfeiter in this country may, under this deplorable system, avail himself of the opportunities afforded him b irresponsible conductors, to aid him in perfecting himself in his nefarious enterprise. (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document continues) … week, and during one or more convenient hours on those days, and after having registered their names some days previous to their visit, with proper reference to well-known citizens. The number introduced at one time, under the care of a conductor, ought not to exceed five, which will give the conductor full employment to explain properly what may interest them, and to keep them from incautiously handling the machinery and precious metals. Such a system would not deter persons of proper sort from gratifying a laudable curiosity of witnessing the operations of the mint, while it would keep out the throng of idlers who merely call at the Irish for want of a better and more (?) pastime.
I believe the strict rules governing the admission of visitors to the Printing … (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document continues) … strict rules, while all the thoughtful and order-loving people commend them. I can see no reason why similar rules, established in the interest of the public good, would not equally receive the approbations of the people.
Respectfully submitted,
M.F. Bonzano,
Supr. U.S. Mint, N.O.
Comments
If it's one document, then make one transcription.
(Careful -- sometimes I think these files breed on their own....)
.
anyone trans any docs by h. l. dodge yet?
.
I just got to one....
But the handwriting is identical to that of T. C. F.(??) Robertson, Acting Supervisor at SF, of the same era, (with exception of signature). So if your question deals with interpretation, someone else is writing at least some of the correspondence.
(BTW...I'm unsure of the initials for Mr. Robertson. Might be T. X. F??)
This looks like a good challenge. Here's my attempt:
silver & copper which he has [presented?] as a new
metal [styled?] goloid - which consists of the
following proportions of each of the above [?] -
metal goloid - one pound of standard gold, [nine fifty?]
fine, & twenty four pounds of standard silver [nine fifty?]
fine - [then?] [mix?] in it [due?] proportion of copper, [?]
[present form?] with [?] alloy with copper [?] -
T H F ?
Maybe. Here are two examples:
Take a shot....
Added: I did do a Google search of SF Mint Superintendents, but no luck. There is a comprehensive list of Mint Directors on Wikipedia, so I can get THOSE names right. Superintendents, not so much....
http://www.fultonhistory.com/Process small/Newspapers/Utica NY Weekly Herald/Utica NY Weekly Herald 1875 - 1878.pdf/Utica NY Weekly Herald 1875 - 1878 - 0806.pdf
Heaviest black line across nearest bottom
Next heavy line up from that & it runs thru a table in col 3
Look in rightmost column around where the line goes thru that right column
It says t h f Robertson appointed chief at SF Mint
We do have to be careful though
The mint may reference our work in court cases or other situations where they need authoritative info....
How on earth did you find THAT!?
Answers the question, though. T. H. F. it is....I shall make the change.
(Part of my issue was that somebody else must be drafting these letters for the SF mint, and they are only signed by Robertson (as Acting Superintendent), or Superintendent Dodge. Without some other text to compare and contrast with, it's near impossible to decipher some letters.)
Also regarding T.H.F. Robertson, in the 1878 San Francisco City Directory:
https://archive.org/stream/annualdirectoryo1878dmbi/annualdirectoryo1878dmbi_djvu.txt
SAN FRANCISCO CITY DIRECTORY,
GENERAL DEPARTMENT.
T. H. F. Robertson, chief clerk; Horace Beach, cash-
ier; George Parry, computing clerk; C. S. Tripler, ab-
stract clerk; Hugh Chalmers, receipt clerk; Frank W.
Gross, assistant book keeper.
P. A. Lamping, time and door keeper ; Charles F.
Robinson, captain of night watch.
ASSAYEE'S DEPARTMENT.
O. D. Munson, assayer; H. H. Lawrence, first assist-
ant ; C. H. Sherman, second assistant.
MELTEB AND REFINER'S DEPARTMENT.
Martin Alexander, inciter and refiner ; T. B. Mc-
Cauley, assistant.
COINER'S DEPARTMENT.
F. X. Cicott, coiner ; M. K. Cady jr., assistant.
Internal Revenue Office.
U. S. Court Building. William Hlgby, Collect r;
HalaeyF. Cooper, John E.Youngbir; . II B. M:iyhew,A.
F. Adams, William A. Davies, H. A. Hebard, Fredk
R.Gray, George W. Ryley, deputy collectors; John
E. Davis, Charles D. Douglas, Oar] Footman,
Frank Laumeistcr, clerks: E. N. Btrout, CH
Neidham, H. E. Hall. L. II. Murch, .la:
M. Cooley, W. H. Hubbard. 0. W. Mill
Newbold, gaugers; Thos. Biagllton, F. If. 1.
seph Wallace, Charles E. H>>lt. Henry H. Humus, Al-
exander C. Beritzhoff, storekeepers.
Signal Siivid'.
Office, 42 Merchants' Exchange. 0. B, Btf]
Observer.
Sub-Treasury.
Office, 610 Commercial. William Sherman, assist-
ant treasurer; F. G. Bornemann, oashli rj Edward Bt,
John Bellows, bookkeeper; T. B. Clarke, i-t:nni> i li rk;
L. A. Boynton, assistant cashier; 0. 0. Oabi rn
ant book keeper; C. B. Bwasi y, clerk; J. Windrow, il.
S. Tucker, L. J.Roland and T.M. Watson, wat> bmi a.
yosclimber -- Excellent start on the Stephens excerpt!
All - Clerks at each mint prepared most of the correspondence. They often signed the name of the Superintendent, although that is less common outside of Philadelphia or Mint HQ.
As implied in several posts above, it is very helpful to use on-line resources to check the spelling of names encountered in documents. Census records and city directories are very useful. The sample yosclimber posted is good, but it is also a reminder of the defects of OCR. When possible, look at the original.
Similar Question as above.
The Superintendent of the Pa. Mint in 1879?
My best guess is Goudon Lundey? I haven't been successful in finding anything on the internet.
?
http://www.jkamericana.com/1880-a-loudon-snowden-superintendent-medal-julian-mt-14#.WG5YBYVFyUk
note the S in superintendent then look at the first letter of the last name
Dave
a GOOGLE SEARCH "PHILADELPHIA MINT SUPERINTENDENT 1879"
will yield Archibald Loudon Snowden
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
Thank you,
I saw that in my search, but dismissed it since the first letter in the first name looked like a "G" to me.
Now I see it's an A L connected together.....
Thanks again.
A. Loudoun Snowden had previously been Chief Coiner and Postmaster of Philadelphia. Even while not in a US Mint office, he was extremely influential regarding US coinage. He made extensive suggestions regarding the Morgan dollar design and edge lettering for US coins. He was the son of late director James Ross Snowden.
Question: Do you expand the first names that are abbreviated such as Jas. Pollock to James Pollock?
Supt. ?
Dir.?
Initials?
I usually expand names when I'm confident of accuracy. Initials are left as-is. Early 20th century documents might have 5 or 6 sets of initials placed there by those who have read the document.
i will strive to leave initials as-is. this is not a project im wanting to go deep with. you are the finalizer here, so what you decide is best for my transcriptions, is fine with me.
im here to reduce work load and enjoy a glimpse into the numismatic past.
if not for the telegraph. shoo weee.
thanks for your positivity and patience. just what a project like this requires.
.
While the goal is to expand information access, it's also about having fun with the subject and discovering lots of interesting history. Most of the material being transcribed has never been seen by any living person and it's likely completely unknown to numismatics.
(One volunteer has a letter about changing the coin designs for the 1876 Centennial, Another has a letter about a liberty bell design for Centennial coins. There are many more topics that will come to light.)
Roger,
Can we assume you don't have an issue with us sharing any hot little tidbits here?
Mr. Newman and I had a little fun earlier this week, but I kept wondering if I REALLY had the right to share something that "I found", when in reality, I just happen to have access to something YOU found.
Just want to make sure I understand any limitations that might exist....
+1
i was operating under F.O.I.A., but presumptively so.
.
Got to ask:
I can't figure out some of this - your help, please
My take:
for the proposed five dollar piece of increased diameter, (the same as those lately cut by Mr. Morgan) according to the design enclosed in your letter with the spray of wheat and cotton omitted. When the dies and (are??) complete, specimen pieces will be struck in....
Could be off by a word or two....
The handwriting looks familiar. I'm sure I've transcribed something by the same hand.
That will work, thanks!
if it is ok, at the time approval is given, i will post some tidbits from one communication that reads closer to a page from a schoolgirl's diary than from grown, presumably educated, professional men ! doh
but if not ok to share, than i won't and keep all the humor, irony and laughs to myself.
it is from the h. l. character i asked about a few posts ago.
.
can't help but think there is plenty more meat on the bone, so to speak.
Besides, it will all end up in the Newman Numismatic Portal, anyway.
https://nnp.wustl.edu/
RE: "Can we assume you don't have an issue with us sharing any hot little tidbits here?"
Sure. I understand that some of the bits and pieces are of interest to other board members, also. Just remember that the documents sent out are pieces of larger puzzles. It's also a good way to help each other.
RE: quoted text. The suggested transcription is good. The questionable work is "are." Some writers used a small flourish at the end of words - that makes it look like "and" - but maybe we are too literal in today's printed-character world.
Clerks occasionally improved the language and grammar of those dictating letters. At other times the clerk or stenographer didn't actually understand a Mint employee's technical language, and the final document has phonetic equivalents. The most commonly encountered are "picks", "pix", and "pikx" in place of "pyx."
Huh. I've read J. A. Pollock correspondence scratched out in hand dated 1877(?), then it changes dramatically in 1878.
Clerk.
Today, some lucky (?) volunteer got a bunch of Alexander Stephens letters - those are the chicken scratching-types I posted a couple of days ago.
Your personal and confidential letters of March 7, 1877, in relation to Mr. Barber and the San Francisco and Carson Mint double eagle dies, have been received.
I regret that Mr. Barber has by want of proper care and forethought, to say the least of it, caused so much trouble at those mints in the coinage of double eagles.
Yep. William Barber sent out dies missing dates, botched the obverse hub for the 1877 DE, and had to remake the Trade dollar hubs multiple times before getting it right. He seemed to have devoted much personal time and effort to the private medal/token making business he ran with George Soley and son Charles Barber.
This has turned into one of my favorite threads. Please keep feeding us tidbits of cool information and fun/odd stories as they pop up.
Aw. Gee. Ouch.
January 24, 1878
Dr. Linderman
Dear Sir:
In telegraphing you yesterday I gave you figures furnished by Wheaton and Beach as to silver in bullion fine ? and believe it was substantially correct. But until assays are made of course we could not tell exactly. We are now cleaned out of trades every day. Mostly I believe being shipped east – The China Str.? only took 49,000. and can have deliver over a million this month.
I appointed yesterday seven old adjusters who were needed badly. I included in the list all you had shown of excear? Mrs. Frances Bond, there is a strong feeling in this institution that she had better not be re-appointed. Reasons in detail I will not state as I think you will not require it.
I am overwhelmed with the conviction that Fisher is not fit for Engineer and shall change as soon as practicable. Scott, the indispensable? machinist is fully inexpressed? with his importance and utterly refuses to show Hawkes or any one else his process of hardening dies, which process I don’t believe is inpacibles? as thouon? by his work and the correspondence of a year ago between Barber Eugene? Pollock yours elf? & Cicott?, which I have examined. people insist that is good, your people think the fault is in hardening & tempering. Scott differs he is very testy about it and I think is wrong.
I shall as soon as the new dies come. get another man to work on them and if he spoiles? a few, it is inevitable, and we must stand it.
I cannot endure the idea of having a man who is indispensable. Scott was sick last week, and is getting old, he is exceedingly crochety and self opinionated. He bosses Cicott & intends to boss me. We will see about that. I told Cicott today we would pat him on the back till the new dies come and then let another man try his hand. Oiur? Stoneroom is in a. “ creer, accounts kept as they should be. Mr. Chieas, the stonekeeper is John Teaggs’ friend, appointed at this special request and your known friendship for him ^ (Teagg) and is a first class man. Mercado is appointed as you desired & Bigley appointed today to M & R department is backe? by a curious crowd which you may like to have named. C. N. Felton told me that Jim Gannon?, Bill Higgins, Estee, Mike Comoy? & some others were very anxious to have him appointed & wanted he should ask me. I told him if he was a good man I would appoint him when his services were needed. Yesterday is making up Martins fover? I sent word to Felton I was ready & today he came in a good, stout able bodies man that luiter? Martin & I told him to report tomorrow. SO I have got a good man & peased? a powerful element. Isnt that diplomacy?
The rects.? I gave half.? I suppose we had forwarded. I have sent them today. Making about 75,000 trades a day now. 80 next week.
Yours truly,
H. L. Dodge
Rambles a bit, does he?
lol.
he's not afraid to do that which he accuses others of. i've noticed this trait in many people. i'm confident i'm not exempt.
i admit, i was laughing through a good part of his inane babble. that which i could read anyway.
it is too bad that all the underlines didnt survive the copy/paste. it makes 1/2 of the impact of the letter.
on a side note; if you hit a dry spell, let me know and i can forward a few in lieu of all-at-once. it will be a few/several days before i wrap up this batch.
if you bought AND sold that glass 1943, congratz! - it is nice it went to someone whom knew what to do with it and then did it. dont forget to do something good for the world.
.
O.K.
Coiner at the Philadelphia mint 1880
It's nice to know when Wikipedia fails you and Google won't pull you through ... there's always The Numismatist for searching online.
I couldn't figure out that name for the life of me and then I came across a Col. Oliver C. Bosbyshell in a Numismatist search for Coiner, 1880, etc... His name came up in a 1981 article delving into 'extracurricular' gold pattern transactions.
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" Pablo Picasso
Col. Bosbyshell got into considerable hot water in the mid-1890s. But he emerged in good shape.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Bosbyshell
check out the signature there.
I think that is an O with some heavy loops since the rightmost doesn't come down to an L level.
I would say O. C. Bosbyshell
It is probably unimportant either way as bosbyshell alone is an easy search term.
He usually signed "O. C. Bosbyshell"
.
this one is kinda long, but if you enjoy thinking/reading about world coinage/events and how interconnected they are, or were, this is one i found quite fascinating.
i will also post one about territorial gold dies, i think it was. sometime soon.
the work i am doing i do on my pc desktop (a beast imo) & because of the 32" tv which allows for a much larger scale/resolution, allowing a pdf and word doc to be side-by-side for transcription amongst other work i do which yields a much higher efficiency/effective rate. then have to transfer all back to an external and then to my tablet (for internet), which after a while gets a big inconvenient. - i probably should have networked the 2 by now. i will give that some effort now i'm thinking about it.
x
March 24, 1897.
To the Honorable
Secretary of the Treasury.
Sir:
Before estimating the value of foreign coins to be proclaimed on the first day of April, I respectfully submit for your consideration a few points relative to the principal or full legal tender silver coins or monies of certain countries, especially of India, Russia and Tripoli.
It has occurred to me that it would be advisable in the next circular of the value of foreign coins, not to estimate the value of the Indian rupee, but to leave the space therefor blank, and append thereto a not to the effect that the value of that coin shall be determined in accordance with the consular certificates attached to invoices of merchandise from India; in other words, that the Indian rupee shall be hereafter treated by the Department as a depreciated currency. My reasons for considering this course advisable are given below.
The full text of the law, relating to the estimating and proclaiming of the value of foreign coins at present in force, “Act of August 28th, 1894, Section 25,) is as follows.
“That the value of foreign coins as expressed in the money of account of the United States shall be that of the pure metal of such coin of standard value; and the values of the standard coins in circulation of the various nations of the World shall be estimated quarterly by the Director of the Mint, and be proclaimed by the Secretary of the Treasury immediately after the passage of this Act and thereafter quarterly on the first day of January, April, July and October in each year. And the values so proclaimed shall be followed in estimating the value of all foreign merchandise exported to the Untied States during the quarter for which the value is proclaimed and the date of the consular certification of and invoice shall, for the purpose of this section, be considered the date of exportation:
Provided, The Secretary of the Treasury may order the reliquidation of any entry at a different value, whenever satisfactory evidence shall be produced to him showing t hat the value in United States Currency of the foreign money specified in the invoices was, at the date of certification, at least ten percentive? more or less than the value proclaimed during the quarter in which the consular certification occurred.”
When the Director of the Mint has estimated the values of the standard coins of the various countries at that of the pure metal they contain, he has done all that the law requires him to do in the premises. But when the following of the strict letter of the statute involved ascribing to the coins of a country a value greatly inferior to their actual value, it is certainly proper that attention should be called thereto.
When the free coinage of silver is suspended in a country having the single silver standard, the value of the full legal tender silver coins of such country is very apt. to acquire, in its inland trade, a value greater than that of the pure metal they contain.
The rupee of India is at present, a case illustrative of this. Up to the 26th of June, 1893, the coinage of silver was free. Since the closing of the Indian Mints on that day to the coinage of silver on private account, the gold value of the silver rupee has always been greater than that of the pure metal in the coins. It is now over thirty percent higher than the market price of the pure metal in the rupee.
Such being the case it does not seem proper that the Director of the Mint should estimate its value and the Secretary of the Treasury proclaim it as that of the market value of the pure metal it contains, although in doing so both are only obeying the letter of the law. The real value of the Indian rupee is determined by its price in London, but the Director of the Mint has no authority to calculate its value in accordance with that price.
Under circumstances like those just described, although not exactly similar, I have in the past represented to the Department, when called upon for an expression of opinion on the subject, that the metallic currency of the country in question, should be treated by the Department as a depreciated currency, and that the regulations of the Department governing the calculation of the value of invoices expressed in such currency, should be made in accordance with the value given it in the consular certificates attached to these invoices. At the present time, the silver rupee of India may be looked upon as a depreciated currency, since prior to the beginning of the decline of the price of silver, the Indian rupee had a value of forty-seven cents and four mills in the money of account of the United States. hence the suggestion made above that, in the circular of the value of foreign coins to be issued April 1st, 1897, the space for the value of the Indian rupee be left blank, and that a note be appended, stating that the value of the same shall be determined in accordance with the consular certificates, attached to invoices from the ports of British India.
A question also arises with respect to the Russian rouble. That country has long had a depreciated currency, but it is now preparing to adopt the gold standard. It may be said to have even now the gold standard, since the paper roubles or bills of credit of Russia, sometimes called also silver roubles, had a fixed value in gold. Until recently, the value of the paper rouble was a fluctuating one. It has long been the custom of the Director of the Mint to calculate, and of the Secretary of the Treasury to proclaim, the value of the rouble as a equal to that of the pure silver in it, although the value of the invoices from that country has for some years past been estimated in accordance with the value ascribed to the rouble in the consular certificates attached to such invoices. Of late, however, an Imperial ukase has declared that one and one-half paper roubles shall be equal to one gold rouble, or to fifty one cents and four mills in the money of account of the United States. By a ukase of January 3rd, 1897, the Russian Minister of Finance was directed to cause to be coined, imperials and half-imperials, bearing as an indication of their price in paper, the former fifteen roubles, and the latter seven roubles, fifty copecks, and to place these coins in circulation as soon as manufactured.
If the silver rouble were as heretofore, valued at that of the pure metal it contains, it would be greatly undervalued.
The difference between the value given it by Imperial ukase?, and the present market value of the silver in it, is fully thirty percent, it now having a fixed gold value equal to fifty one cents, and four mills.
I would respectfully recommend that, for the present, the course suggested in the case of the Indian rupee be also followed in that of the Russian rouble. there seems to be no good reason for officially estimating these coins so much below their value, if it can be legally avoided.
In the circular of the value of foreign coins issued January 1, 1897, the mahbub of Tripoli was not mentioned, and I shall omit calculating its value in the future unless you instruct me to the contrary.
The rule prescribed by the Statute cannot be applied to the valuation of the Tripoli mahbub, because it is not a real coin. Neither the mahbub itself nor any of its multiples is stamped. It is simply a money of account said to be equal to 20 Tripoli piasters. but the Tripoli piaster is not equal to the Turkish piaster, and like the mahbub has no actual existence. The value of the pure metal in the mahbub cannot be estimated, because it contains none.
The intrinsic value of the Tripoli piaster is regulated by the course of the gold medjidie at Constantinople. Per October 1893, the parities? in Tripoli were as follows:
Turkish Pound 117 Tripoli Piasters
Medjidie 21 ½ Piasters
20 Franc piece 102 Piasters
Pound Sterling 127 ½ Piasters
Calculating the value of the mahbub of 20 Tripoli piasters according to that ascribed to it above in pounds sterling, would give it a value of 76 cents and 3 mills in the money of account of the Untied States.
By taking the Turkish pound as above equal to 117 Tripoli piasters, and £100 equal to 110.05 Turkish pounds, (the Constantinople rate of exchange on London, March 13th), the parity is reached of 128.76 Tripoli piasters equal to £1 equal to $4.8665; whence 20 Tripoli piasters or one mahbub equal to 75 cents and 7 mills, which is about its present value.
For the reasons just stated, I discontinued the estimation of the value of the Tripoli mahbub.
Lastly I would respectfully suggest as worthy of your consideration, when Russia, Japan and India containing a population of the Globe, are on the eve of going over to a gold standard, and when apart from China, where silver has always passed by tare and not by late, only Bolivia, part of Central America, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico and Persia continue to have a silver currency, whether it would not be better t o treat the currency of all single silver standard countries as depreciated currencies, and to have the value of their full legal tender coins determined for custom purposes by the consular certificate attached to invoices of merchandise from such countries. By considering them as depreciated currencies their exact value at the time of shipment could be determined whereas by the present mode of valuation it can be determined only approximately. Besides, by considering the currencies of all single silver standard countries as depreciated currencies and estimating their values accordingly, uniformity would be introduced into the method of calculating their values, a uniformity which it now lacks.
Respectfully yours,
R. E. Preston
Director of the Mint
.
They were having workman issues in New Orleans in 1898 too:
The Mint of the United States at New Orleans,
Superintendent's Office
Nov. 19, 1898.
Hon. George E. Roberts,
Director of the Mint
Washington, D. C.
Sir:
Deliveries of Coin as follows;
(Table deleted for posting to forum...not interesting)
My time has been so closely required in Cashier's - Melter & Refiner's - Counter's and Coiner's weigh rooms that have not given the various departments attention. Being without technical knowledge of the actual working department of the Assayer's room and the force therein, (which is not large), I would not take the responsibility of passing judgment thereon in the way of suggestions, but regarding the Assayer, Assistant Assayer, and their computing clerk and the warrant clerk and bookkeeper (five parties), I am at this time compelled to say that I can not regard them as doing more than the work of two (Note: word hand cancelled) three good men who would not be over-worked.
The point is well illustrated in the case of Mr. O. H. Simpson (one of the most indispensable men in the N. O. Mint), who formerly with two or three assistants complained of the "great quantity of his work" but who usually with more work than ever before known in that department seems very content to do it and most anxious to continue undisturbed.
Had these parties been experienced in business enterprise where work and attention are required and dissipation and reasonable hours impossible their lamentations would never have been heard.
My letters are written you on Sunday but dated Saturday for the reason that I have not the time to write during the week.
I wish to ask your consideration regarding my salary which has been only $117.00 per month. Have written Hon. R. E. Preston to present the matter to you and the Honorable Secretary of the Treasury, having full confidence that it will receive due attention.
I wish to remain yours,
Very respectfully,
Joseph Linebaugh (??).
"These people suck, and I want a raise!!"
"...value given it by Imperial ukase?, and..." "ukase" is correct there and elsewhere. (Russian: указ = an official decree; Imperial Ukase [Императорский Указ] was one issued by the Tsar.)
"...China, where silver has always passed by tare and not by late,..." the last word should be "tale"
In this instance:
tare = silver content
tale = weight of entire coin
These might be harder then transcribing Pearl Jam lyrics
mark
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
Maybe I'm a sick man, but I get a kick out of it!
The first read through often leaves words, or whole passages, that are completely unintelligible. But with a little work, comparing similar words, and some creative divining of the meaning, it is possible to coax out the text.
I'm not going to claim I get EVERYTHING right....(some words in the above transcription still seem forced)...but it's gratifying when you can nail down the intent and content of the letters.
I still have a hard time with names. There is no context to help figure out spelling of those....
In the post about "workman issues in New Orleans in 1898," the writer, Joseph Linbaugh, was sending Roberts informal reports about conditions at the New Orleans Mint. These included facts as well a gossip and it's not yet clear if Roberts considered them useful or simply amusing. (I have not found his name on the official list of employees --- yet.)
hehehe
.
Report of the Examination of the operations of the several working departments of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia, made by M.F. Bonzano, Supr. of the U.S. Mint at New Orleans, under the orders of the Director of the Mint, during the months of May, June, August and September 1875.
New Orleans October, 1875
To the Hon. H.R. Linderman,
Director of the Mint
Washington, D.C.
Sir,
I have the honor to submit the following report of the examination made by me, under your orders, of the operations of the several operating departments of the U.S. Mint at Philadelphia:
In response to your telegraphic summons, dated May 3 1875, I reported to you in person, at Washington, on the following 10th, and, having received your instructions, proceeded to Philadelphia for the purpose of performing the duties assigned me. Having exhibited my credentials to the Superintendent, I was most cordially received by that officer, and the others officers, who all were unanimous in expressing their willingness to afford me all needful facilities, and offered me their assistance in investigating the causes of the difficulties lately experienced by them, and which had attracted the notice of the Department. Believing it important that some of my experiments, about to be instituted, should be conducted independent of the control of the employees of the Departments, I suggested to you that I might divine valuable aid from the services of Mr. Thos. Tiedermann, who had for many years served as my foreman in the N.O. Branch Mint, when I was the Melter and Refiner of that Institution, and received your approval and authority to avail myself of his services. He was accordingly sent for and reported to me at Philadelphia on the 19th of May.
Melting Department
The frequency of condemned gold ingot melts, in comparison with the small number formerly condemned, and with the results of other mints, having given rise to a difference of opinion between the Melter and Refiner and the Assayer of the Philadelphia Mint, it seemed to me proper to direct my attention first to this important matter. The large increase of business at the Philadelphia Mint had induced Prof. Booth to increase his gold ingot melts to a weight of 5000 ounces, and sometimes more; and it is only since these large melts were inaugurated that the proportion of the melts condemned, to those passed, became alarming to the Melter and Refiner, who, disappointed in his expectation of better results from his indefatigable attention and increased vigilance, inclined to interpret these perplexing excessive variations of title, by attributing to the several metals, constituting the standard alloy, in their fluid state, a tendency to “segregate” under the influence of very small, if not infinitesimal, quantities of base and volatile metals. Without attempting a decision as to the merits of the theory advanced by Professor Booth, it seemed to me preferable to adopt such a modification of the mechanical manipulations as would prevent segregation if such a tendency existed. Accordingly a number of smaller melts, composed of bars of gold of the most various titles and differing much in physical aspects, were made. Particular care was taken to have the melts, just previous to pouring, thoroughly stirred. In every case the resultant titles were uniform and agreed with those computed. Extending the same process to the large ingot melts, the result was less satisfactory. This was mainly due to the great difficulty experienced in stirring a large gold melt. The resistance of the fluid gold to the immersion of a stirrer, being equivalent to the product of the volume of the latter into the difference between the specific quantity of gold and (?) of the stirrer, it is evident that this resistance increases with the depth of the pan and, in a melt of 5000 ounces, it requires the full exertion of an able-bodied man to overcome it and move the stirrer about vigorously. When it is considered that this exertion is called for when the furnace is at its highest temperature and open, with the radiating heat striking in the face of the operator, we shall readily admit, as a fact, the assertion of practical melters that the stirring of a large melt constitutes the hardest work of the Melting Department. The workmen of the Melting Department, so far as they came under my observation, are skillful, clean and neat in their work, as might indeed be expected from men who have had so much practice; and they seem to take a just pride in doing their work well. By long continued stirring, in some instances, excessively long, a uniformity of title was, at last, obtained. Encouraged by this result, the Melter and Refiner still further improved his melting process by reducing his melts to more reasonable dimensions, and with the happiest result, as is shown by the almost entire cessation of condemned melts.
The experience had with the gold melts led to similar improvements in melting silver, which, in my opinion, is satisfactory, and will compare favorably with any other mint.
My examination should have embraced the determination of my losses in melting Nathans’s (?) silver, the allowance for which seems inadequate to the Melter + Refiner, but for the circumstance that no such silver was received of the Mint during my stay.
It is due to Professor Booth that I should frankly admit that, whatever improvement in the result of his work may have been attained, is far more due to his own strenuous efforts and scientific resources, than to the few and meagre suggestions I may have made, The difficulties, incident to the enlarging of the capacity of his department, in such few and small rooms as are at his disposal, led him, naturally I think, to seek their solution in enlarging his melts to a point beyond what may be considered practical limits, an, in doing so, he encountered new and unexpected (?), which I trust are now definitely set at rest.
Assay Department.
This department, in all its details, may well serve as a model for other institutions. Under its skillful, conscientious and able management, it has been enabled to respond promptly to all demands made upon it by the vastly increased business of the Mint. The personal labor of Mr. Dubois has however increased to such an extent as to require of him excessive and unreasonable efforts, which may be brought within bounds by allowing him the additional assistant he has, as he informs me, often applied for, without any result as yet. When it is considered how much the preservation of the health of Mr. Dubois is a condition of the efficiency of the Assay Department, and, through it, of that of the whole Mint, I feel no hesitation to suggest that the additional Assistant, asked for by him, should be (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document likely continues).
Coining Department.
In this Department my attention was chiefly directed to the manner of keeping the accounts, and the character and quantity of the Clippings returned by the Coiner. The books and accounts are kept by the Assistant Coiner, Mr. Bosbyshell, with exemplary completeness and neatness. The system adopted seems to answer its purposes perfectly. By it, a constant control is had of the metals in the several stages of their conversion into coin, and the apparent wastage, resulting from each operator, can be ascertained at the termination of each partial step in the manufacture of the coins. The system of accounts, kept by the coiner, could not well be improved upon.
Clippings.
The Melter and Refiner delivers his silver ingots to the Coiner, (through the Superintendent) after pickling and bleaching them previous to the delivery. The coiner returns his clips and clippings, through the same channel, to the Melter + Refiner without pickling, but after heating them to a dull red heat for the purpose of burning off the grease. The Melter and Refiner is of the opinion that, in consequence of this mode of procedure, he is at a disadvantage, an opinion which seems to be sustained by the very small wastage of the Coining Department. The allowance, by law, of a certain percentage on the amount of metal worked, is intended to cover the actual losses in the working of these metals. The legal allowances are based upon the experience, during a long period, of various mints at home and abroad. However honorable the efforts of an officer to show the smallest possible wastage, after the labors of the year are accomplished, may be, his exertions in that direction cannot be carried too far without incurring expense greater than the value of the metal saved. It is expected that there will be wastage, and if by proper care, vigilance and skill, he keeps his wastage well within the limits allowed by law, and which limits are found ample by experience, he has done his duty faithfully and ably.
Taking this view on the intention of the law, I am inclined to disapprove of the bleaching of silver ingots as wholly unnecessary, and involving unnecessary labor. By omitting this operation there is no increase of the general wastage, though it might, to a small extent, increase that of the Coiner and diminish that of the Melter + Refiner. So far as the interest of the Government is concerned, it is immaterial how the sum total of the wastage is apportioned between the two departments, provided the wastage of each is within reasonable proportion of the whole allowance for each, respectively. To return to the Melter and Refiner bleached silver clippings, would cause still further unnecessary labor without any other effect than a partition of the general wastage, more favorable to the Melter and Refiner. I am of opinion, therefor (sic), that the bleaching of silver ingots should be discontinued, and that the clippings should be simply heated to redness to burn off the grease, and allowed to cool, or, if cooled with water, reheated to a temperature above that of boiling water, for the purpose of expelling the moisture which may have entered the pores of the metal or lodged between the folds of the strips.
Gold ingots, and the clippings therefrom, are always bleached before delivering them. Considering the great relative value of this metal, the labor involved in bleaching is comparatively small, and as this mode of delivery has been in practice since a long time, in all the mints I believe, and never was complained of by any of the parties concerned, there is no reason for departing from a custom so universally approved.
General Remarks.
When the U.S. Mint Building was established in an almost suburban quarter of the moral, sober and tranquil city of Philadelphia, at a time when the population, commerce and wealth of the country bore a very small proportion to the vast development of these elements of National greatness, as they now are, the projections of this institution though, undoubtedly, that they have provided a grand and magnificent establishment, than could cope with all the work incident to the making the precious metals into coins, than might ever be demanded of it. The far-famed moral and quiet character of the population quieted all apprehensions as to its safety from thieves and burglars, and caused no hesitation to locate it on a lot of ground, just of sufficient size for the building, and facing three streets, one of which has only the width of a modern alley.
With the increase in the production of precious metals, the work of this institution has increased to such an extent, that it required the greatest ingenuity on the part of its able and skillful officers to provide room for a mass of machinery which is probably tenfold that originally designed for it. They accomplished this difficult task by crowding rolls, presses, furnaces to such an extent as to render the work very uncomfortable to the men, and its supervision very difficult to the officers. The filling up of the interior once with engines, boilers +c. has destroyed proper ventilation of nearly all the working rooms, and rendered the best exertions of the men less productive. The proximity of the building to others is, in my humble opinion, a great defect. Dishonest employe’s (sic) could easily find means, with the assistance of persons outside of the same character, to dispose readily of any precious metals they might abstract, without detection. Burglars, by possessing themselves of the neighboring houses, under the pretext of an honest business, might prepare for years, unmolested, for some grand enterprise which might promise greater results than the frequent bank-robberies, which have, of late, disgraced some of our most tranquil country-towns.
The proper supervision of the operations of the several departments, and of the workmen, is rendered very difficult by reason of the contracted space within which they must be conducted and, no doubt, many of the difficulties experienced by the officers in conducting their works are reperable (sic) to the want of proper space and accommodations.
I believe I am safe in asserting that no private manufactory, whose owners are solvent, would hesitate to go to the expense of having a building and grounds, adequate and suitable for a business of such extent, leaving aside the paramount importance of the safety and security of an establishment to which are entrusted, not only a great portion of the material wealth but also of national honor. Contenting myself with having pointed out one of the chief causes of the difficulties lately experienced by the U.S. Mint of Pha. and to which I attribute the recent difficulties about condemned melts, by reason of the great difficulties, almost impossibilities of conducting operations of such magnitude with proper safeguards and supervision, in such disproportionate and inadequate space, I proceed to point out another difficulty which has assumed the proportions of a nuisance, namely that of the indiscriminate admission of a large number of
Visitors.
who daily flock to the Mint and, by their number and uncertainty of character, embarrass the operative officers and the workmen. It is evident that by far the greatest number of these visitors are impelled by an idle curiosity without other purpose than to gratify a nascent curiosity to see vast sums represented by the bar, strips, planchets and coins of the mint These visitors are composed of all classes, those of the accidentally or habitually idle, seeming to predominate. They are admitted by the “conductors”, as to a show, without the very wholesome restraint of a ticket or admission fee. The number taken through, at one draft, seems to be indefinite and, without any reference to what operations are going on, or to the judgement of some responsible officer. That the safety of the bullion in course of manufacture is imperiled by such indiscriminate admission of visitors, and that the workmen’s attention is thereby diverted, unconsciously probably, from their work, cannot be doubted, Every counterfeiter in this country may, under this deplorable system, avail himself of the opportunities afforded him b irresponsible conductors, to aid him in perfecting himself in his nefarious enterprise. (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document continues) … week, and during one or more convenient hours on those days, and after having registered their names some days previous to their visit, with proper reference to well-known citizens. The number introduced at one time, under the care of a conductor, ought not to exceed five, which will give the conductor full employment to explain properly what may interest them, and to keep them from incautiously handling the machinery and precious metals. Such a system would not deter persons of proper sort from gratifying a laudable curiosity of witnessing the operations of the mint, while it would keep out the throng of idlers who merely call at the Irish for want of a better and more (?) pastime.
I believe the strict rules governing the admission of visitors to the Printing … (NOTE: Scan cuts off here; but page of original document continues) … strict rules, while all the thoughtful and order-loving people commend them. I can see no reason why similar rules, established in the interest of the public good, would not equally receive the approbations of the people.
Respectfully submitted,
M.F. Bonzano,
Supr. U.S. Mint, N.O.