Q. David Bowers
Silver Dollar Planchets
Silver dollar blanks, as they were called, were studied at the Philadelphia Mint in fiscal year 1902. A survey was run which showed that on various business days in April the percentage of acceptable dollar blanks ran from business days on April 1st onward as follows: 83.6%, 98%, 92.3%, 83%, 87.3%, etc. The average percentage was 90.3% for the month.
On April 23, a day which happened to have a 90.3% acceptance rate, during a particular test there were 271 dollar blanks fed into the automatic weighing machine. Six were found to be a grain or more less than the required weight and were condemned. Twenty-three were rejected as being a grain or more heavier than the required weight. "All blanks heavier than one grain are called heavies and are filed, while all blanks lighter than one grain are condemned," the report noted.
Coining Press Capacities
The Annual Report of the Director of the Mint, 1902, told that the amount of pressure required for stamping a silver dollar was 160 tons. By comparison 35 tons was needed for quarter eagles, 155 tons for double eagles, 98 tons for half dollar, and 35 tons for a dime, and 40 tons for a cent. A large coining press at the mint was driven by a 7.5-horsepower electric motor running at 950 revolutions per minute and could strike 90 coins per minute.
A small coining press was run by a 3-horsepower motor at 1,050 revolutions per minute and could strike 100 pieces per minute. If a large press was hooked to a 15-horsepower motor belted to a countershaft, 80 pieces per minute could be struck.
The Year 1902 in History
President Roosevelt was very interested in natural resources, and during his term the United States added nearly 150 million acres to its reserves, primarily in the Western states. The teddy bear was produced by a candy store owner who saw a cartoon in the November 18, 1902 issue of the Washington Evening Star showing President "Teddy" Roosevelt refusing to shoot a tethered bear cub while on a hunting trip. The Department of the Interior was established in 1902 as was the U.S. Bureau of Reformation. Prejudice continued against Orientals, and on April 29, 1902 the provisions of the Chinese Exclusion Act were extended to prevent Chinese coming to America from the Philippines and were made permanent.
On May 20, 1902 Cuba became independent, ending the United States protectorate established at the conclusion of the Spanish-American War. On June 28, 1902 Congress passed the Isthmian Canal Act to authorize building a canal across Panama or an alternative route across Nicaragua if proper arrangements could not be made with Colombia (which owned the land in question) and the Panama Canal Company of France (which had the concession). Later, the Panama Canal Company was paid $40 million, and the difficulties with Colombia were settled by a rebellion and separation of Panama on November 1903. The newly formed country granted the United States a strip 10 miles wide for the canal.
The popular songs In the Good Old Summer Time and Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home? were published. Owen Wister's novel, The Virginian, told of life in Wyoming and became an instant best seller. Americans were fascinated with the West, cowboys and Indians, and the like, and during the decade western life would form the focus for many books, films, and songs. George Barr McCutcheon's novel, Brewster's Millions, was published and was later the basis for a popular stage play and several motion pictures. Simplified spelling was all the rage, and the National Educational Association adopted this for 12 words: altho, catalog, decalog, demagog, pedagog, program, prolog, tho, thoro, thorofare, thru, and thruout. During the next 15 years, the movement would gain impetus, and various authors and publications would expand the list to include many others words. However, eventually it died out, although certain ofthe original 12 words would become widely accepted, including catalog and program. Thru and its derivative thruway still survive.
The International Harvester Company was incorporated in New Jersey on August 12, 1902 with a capital of $120 million. Combining several other firms, it controlled the output of 85% of the farm machinery in the United States. The International Nickel Company was created by a merger of the Canadian Copper Company and the Orford Copper Company effected by.J.P. Morgan and others. Business trusts were becoming an increasing concern, and one against which President Roosevelt would take action. On March 10, President Roosevelt stated that the government would proceed under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act against the National Securities Company, a firm controlled by. J.P. Morgan. The average wage of shop girls in Boston was about $5 to $6 a week, and the pay of factory workers in New England mills was in the same range. On May 12, 147,000 United Mine Workers union members struck the anthracite coal mines. The price of coal rose from $5 in May to about $30 in October. Many schools closed to save fuel costs.
The "ola" suffix was becoming popular in American merchandising, having been recently introduced with the Pianola player piano made by the Aeolian Company. In 1902, Crayola brand crayons were introduced by the Pennsylvania firm of Binney & Smith. The Victrola would soon appear, and, decades later in the 1950s, graft money would become known as payola. (Even today teenage girls refer to a handsome young man as a "hunkola.") Newport, Rhode Island was now known as a summer place for the wealthy with gigantic "cottages" being built by many New York financiers and others.
Travel time on the New York Central Railroad from New York to Chicago was 20 hours. In Pasadena, California, on January 1, the first Tournament of Roses Association football game was held; Michigan bested Stanford 49-0. In 1923 the contest would become known as the Rose Bowl game.