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V4 2001 INDEX       E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 4, Number 34, August 19, 2001, Article 13 GLEANINGS FROM "A MIGHTY FORTRESS" Just a couple interesting tidbits from "A Mighty Fortress: The Stories Behind the 2nd San Francisco Mint" by Richard Kelly and Nancy Oliver: [Discussing the 1st Mint] "As production continued to soar in this dark, small mint, so did embezzlement. One lesser- known case involved the janitor of the building. He had been praised many times for his ability to rid the mint of rats. But one day he was found to be sewing $20 gold pieces into each dead rat before throwing them into the trash. After hours, he collected the rats and retrieved the coins inside." (p14) "San Francisco ... had more than its share of insanity and suicides.... In 1874, 58 people committed suicide. One of the 58 included the melter and refiner of the San Francisco Mint, John M. Eckfeldt while he was involved with the transfer of equipment from the 1st mint to the 2nd. A telegram dated October 8, 1874, from Superintendent LaGrange, reported that "Eckfeldt shot himself at 9 a.m. that day due to depression of spirits caused by overwork on new mint machinery." (p18-19)

Wayne Homren, Editor

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