The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1865-12-06
Millions of Money"--Peep into the New

former are so vastly greater volume than those of the
latter, that the chief work OF the washington once Is
keeping record of the business done by its New fork
branch Nineteen tiethS Of the pubc creators are
paid here; nearly all the public loans are disposed OF
here by far the greater from customs ana taxes
is received here; and here is paid on the days n1eo W
law, the interest 50 000,000O00 OF Untea otaeS
curities business of from S3000,00o to S!Voggou44
is daily done heredone quickly, quietly, anu "ttLout
disputes No institution in the city Is oes!er
worth inspection than the subreasury, and be II sau'
In simple justice, no man is more Wiling 10 nare II IL
! spected than Mr. Van Wyck, of the sub-treasury !
| The vaults sight which cannot be witnessed
elsewhere in this country. There two of them but
is comparatively empty, as it only holds some SlV
100000 The other contains over $50 o0o0Q2 one-hat
of which is in con the other half paper. How many
readers have ever seen 81 in paper or goldT
remember one OF the oldest OF ourJudges man Oh large
experience and profound wisdom interruptng party
Of takers who chatering about million OF gold
| with the naive questions
table? Would it 90 under this chair? How many men
would it take to carry it? What does 1t look hkeY
HIS honor light have graied his curiosity by ESlt
to the subreasury. There 80 Q000 600 worth OF god lie
dormant awaiting the resurrection OF specie payments
They are put up in bags containing $4,000 each an9
weighing say fortyive pounds. Thes bags are PIieq
one upon another in closets which line the inner wall OF
the vault; hundred bags filled closet, When hled,
the door is closed locked and sealed with the caser
seal ticket attached specifies that in that dark ana
narrow hole $500 900 in gold lie hidden Fifty or more
snch closets NAV be seen duly closed locked and seal
ed But that vault, whose wealth far outshines the
widest fables Of Oriental story, bags OF gold lie around
in every corner. You kick one you enter. Others
trucks, waiting Sepuure In Ihe cl0SetS 1Hey
are so plentiful and seemingly despsed by the ON
cals who handle them, that insensiby the Spectator
loses his respect for hem and forget that the posses
sion of few such bags would realSe MS LIeIohg Ured
of material prosperity.
These baGs are the product of customs duties. Every
dav between three and four o'clock, little hand
cart ark shaped painted red covered and locked,
may be seen travelling up Wall street, propelled py TWO
stout men, and vending its way up from the custom
house to the sub-treasury There are but Two acn ~ %
tensibly engaged in pushing the little red cart, Dut
careful observer may discover two other men, LIKEWISE
stout and very watchful, who lounge up the sde"1h o
parallel line They look as II they carried feFol' Gia
In these days. when the customs duties areaea'y le
little red ark sometimes contains worm
the attention of robbers But it is never attacked
When If reaches the sub treasury it is unlocked, and
the bags handed in Each bag then counted oy the
sub-treasurers clerks They count with arapdlty ana
accuracy truly wonderful They seem to possess sort
of instinct the product ofong experience which enables
them to discover false coin at glance PleGes Whtn
have been split open, the inside hed OUT the caEl'y
filed with iridium the two halves soldered together
and remed on the edges are SO hike genuine co COINS
that the best judges often deceived by them lne
weigh precisely the as genuine CONS: Iheg @ are
nreesely the right size They have the ring OF pure
goId Their external surface throughout is gold ct
o conntarfeits are detected by d glance by the ex-
perienced clerks of the treasury 1t used to be Sd OF
Mr. E. b. Birdsale, the present CASHIER that Wheh ne
was clerk he could III emptying S500O Dag; at 'IlG
first dip OF his hands INTO the SHINING mass p'N o W
There is quantity of silver in the breasury, in
bag but after has been handling millions OF god
it seems poor sort of material silver closet holds
$40 0OO there are few dozen of them full to repleon
: Within a short time considerable amounts OF silver
| have arrived here from New Orleans-the producIs o.
duties or of the conscation act Many of the coins are
rusted and dingy and il is shreWdly suspected thai
during the dark days of rebel supremacy these pieces
sept the sleep of the Just in damp underground hoes
One of the New Orleans banks is known TO nave DuFee
its coin when Confederate shnPlasters made ther ap
pearance and the plan doubtless adopteo py many
Of paper money the sdbtreasury Of New York hold
forty millions Of this over eighteen mhohs ,t ef
), in fves tens and wentys, and are piled on Shelf
the vault As nearly could calculate by the eye
Id there cord and half of this money 1t might n
two horse hay-cart. w hen paymaster calls with
draft clerk gives him trunkuit or bushe Dasket
The notes are legal tenders and national bank note
mixed indscrminately-some old and worn, shown
evidence of long service, others new and crisp
nd The largest notes. Sl00s S500s and S000s have tn
honor of closet room. There is closet there whlc
contains haf dozen millions. Lying on the top OF
mountain of these notes was package, which we exam
ined II could have easily been put IN the coat poke
and carried away without any mcQnVenIenee ~ con
tanned one thousand $500egal tenders, and was there
fore worth Just half million. But for the contenlE
for money, which the inspection of these enormou
sums is apt for the moment to inspire, might hav
coveted little package. How many able and successft
toll for lifetime in the hope Of acquiring Just sue
parcels2
commend coupons the most convenient article
ny 'conyev Seven thirty coupons small that yo
can easily put $4,000 worth in your waistcoat pocke
ny and tenforty coupons pinch of them betwee
finger and thumb, is a small fortune These little b
of paper no bigger than apothecarys label, or ha
the size of five cents in fractional currency represeI
~ sums Trrying from$25 in gold to 1865 IN currency
interest day comes round they pour from all quarters
E from the far west and from the lately rebelous sou
from Germany and Holland; from crowned heads
Europe and from industrious washeF-wonen IN IN
country. To examine and sort these little pits OF pap
is no slight task One of the richest men IN New OF
re is said keep his daughters married and single ou
cutting off coupons for whole afternoon and eVenlf
before interest day. when the cutting done the elde
daughter herself sweeps out the room to intercept wal
n and estrayS.
r" The vaults of the sub-treasury may really be said
defy burglars In the first place they are built on thrt
five feet of solid masonry, that digging under the
+ and working BY tunnel to the floor would be lmpTa
@ ticabe Then they stand in the main hall of the trea
w urv building in which watch is always kept and IN
f which it would require small labor to intrude aft
nightall The vaults themselves are are IRON chamber
ott feet thick and hollow; the hollow being filled WI
~ musket balls, which defy the burglars drill fo
doors, of massive ron close the entrance TO tnt s s
each door is locked with two locks that eight dlhe
eDt KEYS of peculiar mechanism are required 10 oP
the same Uncle Samuel, poor fellow! IS NOT Llhe.y
be robbed at this office, however he may lare
We remember the sub-treasury when MIR: CISCO W
frst annointed its cheif in two rooms OF the ass
buildng-a quiet, retired establishment IN Wh!ch n
!. body spoke above whisper, ana lew cerhS lelou
counted their gold and demurey pald the salary OF
ros;dent and other public tunctionarles People we
bara to chat with the subtreasurer, man OF lelsu
) 81 and considerable information and twice year eau m
10 collect their interest 1t was SO slow ana SO 0dIo
on institution that even the small West street banke
used to laugh at It, - i,
his grip on the throat of nearly all the bankers
the country and we notice that none OF them are a
posed even to smile when the name of MIR. Van DycA
mentioned.
:
= LTc,,psrr, ,, rop JprrrRsoE DAyIs-We have receiv
communication stating that large NUMBER ol 5ne -
turned soldiers privates, non-commlssloheu anu co
missioned officers of the late Gon.eueLase ay, of
to bestow some substantial evidence OF their respect
admiration for their late chief and president Hon >
ferson Davis. 1t is proposed to present Ar DAVIS
a maonifeent homestead, or the means OF purchase