The E-Sylum:  Volume 7, Number 15, April 11, 2004, Article 12

QUIZ ANSWER:  HARASZTHY AT THE MINT

  Regarding last week's quiz question about Agoston Haraszthy,
  Dave Lange writes: "One of my favorite secret pleasures is the
  book "Haraszthy at the Mint," by Brian McGinty.  It is essential
  to any study of the early San Francisco Mint. I bought my copy
  directly from the publisher, Dawson's Book Shop in Los
  Angeles. This rare title was published in 1975 and almost
  immediately went out of print. I don't believe it has ever been
  reprinted.

  The amazing Mr. Haraszthy's cause of death is presumptive: In
  July of 1869 he fell from a tree on his Nicaraguan sugar
  plantation into a river. He evidently drowned, and his body was
  never found."

  [I bought my copy of "Haraszthy at the Mint" during the same
  visit to George Kolbe where I bought The Engineering
  Reminiscences of George Escol Sellers.  Both are favorites of
  mine, and I encourage anyone with an interest in mint history to
  read them.   While Haraszthy is obscure to all but the most
  well-read numismatists, his fame is far wider in the world of
  wine, for he was also a pioneer in the California wine-making
  industry.  -Editor]

  Gar Travis forwarded the following, taken from a capsule
  biography of Haraszthy (1812-1869)  "Father of Modern
  Viticulture in California":  "July 6, 1869. Agoston Haraszthy
  set out alone on a mule to discuss the construction progress
  of a new sawmill. He never returned home and no trace of
  him was ever found. It appeared that he had tried to cross
  a river along a fallen tree when a large limb broke. He lost
  his balance, fell into the water, and was either pulled under
  by an alligator or swept out to the shark infested ocean.
  Neither father nor son was aware of the other's death and
  both now rest in the sea."
  haraszthy.html

  Gar also sent a link to this biography on the San Diego
  Historical Society web site. The page includes a photo of
  Haraszthy.  The text is from the House of Hungary, Balboa
  Park.  Haraaszthy Bio

  That page includes a link to yet another sketch, this one from
  from "San Diego Originals" by Theodore W. Fuller (published
  1987). It summarizes his mint escapade as follows: "In 1857,
  two years after the United States Treasury hired his firm, he
  was charged with embezzling $151,000 worth of gold from the
  mint. The case dragged on four years until he could prove his
  theory about the missing metal.  Soot and grime taken from
  roofs of nearby buildings sparkled with gold particles, which
  literally flew up the chimneys. The culprit? Blowers, installed
  to furnish the mint's furnaces with a proper draft. " Article

  [Although we were looking for "Haraszthy At the Mint,"
  Chris Fuccione discovered the book "Strong Wine,
  the life and legend of Agoston Haraszthy," also by author
  Brian McGinty.  An Internet search also turned up "The
  Father of California Wine: Agoston Haraszthy"  by
  Theodore Schoenman, 1979.   The search also unearthed a
  reference to an article written by Haraszthy himself titled
  "Wine-Making in California (Buena Vista Ranch and
  Vineyard)" in  Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol. 29
  (June to November 1864).  -Editor]

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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