A persistent problem in numismatic research is the scattered nature of documents relating to aspecific subject. Normally, this requires careful examination of a dozen or more archival files ofa general nature, i.e., "Letters Sent," "Miscellaneous Correspondence," "Branch Mint Letters,"etc., before we can begin to assemble a complete description of the subject.

However, during a period of about a decade from 1910-1919 the Mint Bureau filed mostdocuments by subject. Clerks used a 6-digit code to indicate a topic of the correspondence. Eachnew item on that topic was given the same code number and all were filed together.

This letter by the new Superintendent of the San Francisco Mint in 1913 is an example of thekinds of material currently being uncovered during digitization work at National Archives. Inthis instance we have a first-hand account of the condition of the mint facility and requests forimprovements. An additional 30 pages of back-and-forth correspondence adds to ourunderstanding of the circumstances surrounding coinage production at that time.

Currently, the files being scanned are organized by topic. This brings letters written over severalyears into one set of documents and might eventually help answer some of our questions. Forexample, a different file has early Mint sources of silver organized by origin and calendarquarter. These were made in 1914 from original documents.

A transcription and minimal formatting were used to save space.

[RG104 Entry 229 Box 300. 313296]

TREASURY DEPARTMENT
MINT OF THE UNITED STATES
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
November 12, 1913
Director of the Mint,
Washington, D. C.

Sir:

I am addressing you upon various matters which have come to my attention since assuming theSuperintendency. Some of my recommendations will entail the spending of a considerableamount of money, but I feel that such expenditures are warranted by the existing conditions. Ihave discussed these matters at length with Dr. Dewey, and he will be able to explain anythingthat I may not have made clear. Two things have impressed themselves upon me: One, that everyeffort should be bent toward devising methods to protect the coin and bullion; the other, that theinternal appearance of the Mint, especially the portion seen by the visitors, should be improved. Ihope that after consideration, you will give me your ideas upon the various subjects.

Inquiry reveals the fact that my predecessor paid for this class of bullion without melting, thebars remaining unmelted until they were either run through the refinery or into ingots. Frequentlymonths elapsed between the receipt and the melting. Judge Sweeny, on thecontrary, insisted on the immediate melting of all deposits received by the Mint. The Selby bars,which weigh about 2,000 ounces, being for convenience, run into two bars, approximating onethousand ounces each. To avoid the second melting, a great number of these one thousand ouncebars were stored as certificate bars, and are now under seal in one of our vaults.

One thousand ounce certificate bars have many disadvantages. It is difficult to weigh them asclosely as is required; they are very liable to abrasion, as from their size and weight it is hard tohandle them without scraping on the iron trucks or other bars, and they differ greatly inappearance to the regulation size certificate bars.

While I shall insist upon the immediate melting of the Selby bars, I have directed that as far aspossible they be run, on the first melting, into regulation four hundred ounce bars. In themeantime we will use the fine gold product of our refinery for ingots, when necessary, and forcertificate bars when our stock of gold coin is replenished.

A most peculiar condition arose during the past few days. We received a deposit of Mexican dorebullion, the depositor requesting fine silver in payment for the silver contained in the deposit. Inaccordance withthe depositor's request, we, on November 1, 1913, issued bars amounting to 44,695 fine ounces,leaving the Mint with only 10,000 ounces of fine silver on hand. In the meantime the CrockerNational Bank delivered 100,000 pesos in Mexican silver coin at the Mint, asking that wepurchase the same. Upon being informed that we were unable to purchase, the Bank requestedthat we return fine bars for the silver contained. This we were unable to do, owing to the smallstock of silver on hand. The Bank withdrew the pesos in question and disposed of them on theoutside.

I also desire to call your attention to the condition of our stock of subsidiary silver coin. Todaywe have on hand the following:

Of the above dimes, $20,000.00 is reserved for the Assistant Treasurer of the United States inthis city, he having notified us that he would before long call on us for that amount.We are in receipt of the 100,000 ounces fine silver purchased by you, making 110,000 fineounces silver on hand, and we will receive from our refinery 50,000 fine ounces per month. Youwill see from these figures that it will be, to say the least, a very difficult matter for us to build upour stock of subsidiary silver coin, especially so if we are called upon to issue fine barsin the amounts requested during the past two weeks. It does not seem to me that we should everbe in a position where the question of coining one or two hundred thousand dollars in silver, orthe payment of seventy five or a hundred thousand ounces of fine silver bars should embarrassus, and, in order to relieve us from the danger of such embarrassment, I request that you purchasefor this Mint five hundred thousand ounces of fine silver.

I intend to run on purchased power until the first of January, when I hope to be able to operatethe new plant. After one or two months operations on power from our own plant I will be able todecide whether it will be best to manufacture or to purchase the electric current required.

This matter is, I understand, under consideration at the present time. I hope that action will betaken as soon as possible.

Upon hearing from you some time ago in relation to the lighting of the outside of the Mint, Imade it a point to personally inspect not only the outside lights, but the inner lighting system aswell. Together with Mr. Hawkins, I made a very thorough inspection,and while I was prepared to find an inefficient system, I was surprised at the condition existing.The outside lights are attached to the building just below a ledge of stone which prevents thelight being thrown upward, and leaves everything above the lamp shrouded in darkness. Thelamps throw but little light on the sidewalk and in the garden, and the Mint in general presents amost gloomy appearance. From across the street the lamps look like small balls of light and nogeneral illumination is apparent. In fact the light under the present system is confined to thesmall space immediately around the lamps, the space between the lamps being but dimly lighted.From Market Street, the main thoroughfare of San Francisco, no lights at all are visible, and theMint property is to be noted only on account of its extreme darkness.From the Mint Mr. Hawkins and I visited the Post Office, and found conditions entirely different.The Post Office has lamps attached to the building and posts just on the inner edge of thesidewalk. With both kinds of lamps burning the Post Office property was very well lighted andpresented a marked contrast to our institution. The comments of citizens and the newspaperarticles on the inadequate lightingof the Mint are, I must say, justified. I believe steps should be taken to remedy the defect, and, asyou are aware, this can only be done by installing a system of lamp posts that will diffuse lightnot only upon the sidewalk and garden, but upon the building as well.

In 1911 Judge Sweeny took steps to install an interior lighting system, being supplied with some$560.00 worth of material by the Supervising Architect's Department, the wiring to be done bythe Mint electricians. Under Mr. Marshall, Assistant Superintendent of Machinery and ChiefElectrician, the attic and portions of the top floor of the Mint were wired, and in these places thelighting is good. Mr. Leach, I am informed, considered the work unnecessary and ordered itdiscontinued. In other than the above mentioned places the lights are temporary in character,globes being carried on cords and draped over furniture, gas fixtures, furnaces, machinery, etc.Where the cords with the electric globes have not been run, light is furnished by flaring andsmoking gas jets. In our trip through the building we found wax tapers a help, and in a number ofthe rooms, a necessity. It seems to me that the Mint should be wired so that any room or corridorcould be flooded with light when desired. Of course that may never be necessary, but one wouldthink that the storehouse for such a great quantityof coin and bullion should be equipped to meet the emergency.

The Chief Clerk's office was lighted by two chandeliers, six gas jets to each chandelier. Myoffice had one chandelier of the same type, and it was rather amusing to see the watchmenendeavoring to light the offices. In mine he succeeded in getting one gas jet to burn. In the ChiefClerk's office he was a little more successful, finding, if I remember correctly, four of the gas jetsin working order. I have had our electrician wire these two offices and have purchased andinstalled modern electric chandeliers. It may be that time will lessen my feeling for theresponsibility for the immense treasure in my possession. Of that I cannot tell, but at present Idesire to safeguard things in every possible way, and I think that light is one of the surest ways ofdoing so. Our small mechanical force has much to attend to and would not, in my judgment, beable to handle such a big job. Even if they should start on it, it would take at least a year and ahalf or two years before they could finish. Under the circumstances, I think it would be best totake the matter up with the proper authority, with a view to remedying the existing conditions assoon as possible.

I am informed by the Supervising Architect's office in this city that they have just completed thewiring of the Appraiser's Building, one of San Francisco's oldest structures, and I hope you willuse your good offices to get similar work in the Mint.

The settlement just finished has shown the necessity for more vault space. We lost a number ofdays' work by being forced to move coin out of a vault so that we could count back into the samevault. We have a space that, with a little brick work, will make an ideal vault, and will not onlyguard against useless work in future settlements, but will help in our general operations as well.If provision can be made with the Supervising Architect's department to supply the door, we canattend to the balance of the work ourselves.

Dr. Dewey has advanced a suggestion that I think should be given serious consideration. It is hisidea that a small tunnel be run directly under the outer edge of the three silver dollar storagevaults. This would enable the watchmen to patrol under the vaults at stated periods, and wouldabsolutely prevent any tunneling with intent to rob the institution. The silver dollar vaults runback to the outer line of the building to Fifth Street, and fear of tunneling under the street to thevaults, has, I am informed, caused my predecessor great uneasiness. If such a thing wereaccomplished, it, under the present conditions, would not be discovered for years, as theseals of the vault doors will in all probability not be broken until either my death or my successoris appointed. The work would be expensive and might require a special appropriation byCongress, but I must confess that I am unable to see how the 61,395,000 standard silver dollarsstored in these vaults can be rendered wholly safe from attack in any other way. Will you givethis matter consideration with a view to placing it in the proper channel to secure relief.

I desire to call the attention of my superior officers in the Treasury Department to the conditionof the watch in this Mint. This I can best do by giving the age, etc., of the various watchmen.Inasmuch as similar conditions no doubt exist in other Federal buildings, I feel that the matter isone that should be governed by Departmental policy rather than individual action. The listfollows:

The walls of the entrance, main corridor on first floor, and stairs leading to basement, and secondfloor, are painted to resemble marble. Inasmuch as the man who did the painting was dismissedby Superintendent Daggett about 19 years ago, you can readily see that a repainting is necessary.I would suggest that a five foot wide marble wainscot be run along the walls of the abovementioned entrance, corridors and stairs, and that the principal walls and ceilings be finished in awhite or cream color. The white marble would protect the walls from the hands and clothing ofour workmen, and would not kill off the light as would a wainscot of the dark paint. It would beimpracticable to paint the entire walls a light color as the lower portions would soil quickly andneed constant painting. A yearly average of 50,000 visitors pass through our institution, and Iwould like to see our entrance, etc., placed in a condition to impress them favorably.

The greater portion of the furniture in the Superintendent's and Chief Clerk's offices is theoriginal furniture that was supplied in 1874 when the Mint was first opened. I wish to bring theseoffices up to the standard of the other Government institutions in this city, and with that in viewwill, in the latter part of the fiscal year, if the state of our contingent appropriation warrants it,request you to approve such purchases of furniture as I may consider necessary.

Respectfully,
/s/ T. W. H. Shanahan,
Superintendent.