The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1865-11-30
THE ASSISTANT TREASURY.
WHERE UNCLE SAM KEEPS HIS MONEY.

The leading financial institution in the
United States is the United States AS
sistant Treasury at New I ork Though
it is only an assistant treasury, anu the
Treasury proper is at W ashington, yet
the transactions of the former are so
vastly greater in volume than those OF
the latter. that the chief work OF the
Washington Office is keeping record OF
the business done by its New York
branch. Nineteen twentieths OF the
public creditors are paid here; by lar
the greater part OF the revenue irom Gus
toms and taxes are received here anu
here is paid, on the days fixed by law,
the interest on s. 600, 100000 OF United
States securities.
A business of from three million 10
ten million dollars daily is done here
done quickly, and without errors or DIS
putes No institution in the city Is bet
ter worth inspection than the Sub rea-
surv, and be it said, in simple justice, no
man is more willing 10 have it Inspected
than Mr. Van Dyck, the Sub Treasurer.
The vaults are a sight which can not
be witnessed elsewhere III the country.
There are two of them but one Is COM
paratiyely empty, as 1t only holds some
$4,000, 900 The other contains over
sixty millions of dollars, one half IN
coin and the other half in paper. Thirty
millions of gold lie dormant, awaiting
the resurrection of specie payments
They are put up in bags containing hNe
thousand dollars each. and weighing
forty five pounds. These bags are piled
one on the top Of the other II closets
which line the inner wall of the vault
\ hundred bags fill n closet. W hen till
ed, the door is closed, locked, and seal
ell with the chashier' ) seal; ticket at
tIcued specifies in that dark and narrow
hole 500, 600 in gold lies hidden. FIT
" or more such closets may be seen,
duly closed, locked, and sealed.
These bags are the product of Gus
toms duties. Every day, between three
and four o clock. a little hand cart, ark
shaped, painted red, covered over and
locked. may be seen travelling up W all
street, propelled by two stout men, and
vending its way from the custom house
to the sub treasury. There are but two
men ostensibly engaged in pushing the
little red cart. But careful observer
may discover two other men, likewise
stout and very watchful. who lounge up
the side walk on parallel line. They
look AS if they carried revolvers. In
these DAYS, when the customs duties
are heavy, the little red ark sometimes
contains $40. .00O--a prize worth the at
teution OF robbers. But it is never at
tackled When it reaches the b-trea-
sury it is unlocked, and the bags handed
out. Each bag is then counted by the
Sub-Treasurer' clerks. They count
with both hands, and with a rapidity and
accuracy truly wonderful. They seem
to possess a sort of instinct, the product
of long experience, which enables them
to discover false coin at glance
Pieces which have been split open, the
inside fled out, the cavity filled with
iridium, the two halves soldered togeth-
er, and re millcd on the edges, are SC
like genuine coins that the best judges
are often deceived by them They
weigh precisely the same as genuine
coins. They are precisely the right size
They have the ring of pure gold. Yet
these counterfeits are detected at glance
hy the experienced clerks of the treasury
1t used to be said of Mr.. +. H. Birdsall
the pre- ent cashier, that when he was a
clerk he could when emptying S5,OUU
bag, at the first dip of his hands into
the glittering mass, pick out all the spu-
rioGs coins.
There is quantity of silver in the
Sub Treasury, in bags and kegs, but at
ter one has been handling millions o.
gold it seems poor sort of metal. a
silver closet holds SIS, 900; there a few
dozen of them fall to completion.
OF paper money the Sub Treasury IL
New \ ork holds some forty millions
Of this over eighteen millions are in
fives. tens. and twenties, and are piled or
shelf in the vault. As nearly as W,
could calculate by the eye, there is {
cord and half of this money. 1t nigh
till a tNo-horse hay cart. When pay
master calls with draft, the clerks giv'
lin a trunk full or bushel basket. 1n'
notes are legal tenders and Nationa
Iapk-notes mixed ndiscriminately-
some old and worn, showing evidence o
long service. others new and crisp. BY
and bv. when Government begins to cal
in the legal tenders, woe betide the Ma
tionaI banks whose issues accum ulate IL
this vault.
The larger notes, Sl00's, S500's, ant
~ COOS. have the honor of closet room
There is n closet there which contains
half dozen millions Lying on the TOT
of mountain ofthese notes was pack
age which we examined. 1t could easil,
have been carried away without incon
venience. 1t contained one tAousane
$500 legal tenders. and was therefor
worth Just half million.
II YOU are going to steal, gentle read
er. let US recommend coupons as tn
most convenient article to convey. =
Seven Thirty coupons are SO small tls
Won can easily put s5o,o00 worth il
vour waistcoat pocket, and as TO Ten
Forty coupons. pinch of them, between
finger and thumb, is q small fortune. =
These little bits of paper, no bigge
than apotheeary's labels, or half tn
size of five cent fractional currency
represent sums varying from S25 il
gold to 1865 in currency. As interest
day comes round they pour in from al
quarters from the far West and the late
lv rebellious South; from Germany AM
Holland from crowned heads in Europ
and from industrious washer-women il