Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-10


witnessed elsewhere in this country. Their,
are two of them; but one is comparative
ly empty, as it only holds some $40, 1000.
900. The other contains over 500, 600, 600
one half in coin, the other half in paper.
How many readers have I've seen 81, OOO,-
600 in paper or in gold? We remember
one of the Oldest of our judges, a man OF
large experience and profound wisdom,
~nterrupting a party of takers who
were chattering about a million of gold
with the naive questions;
"HOw big is a million Of gold2 Would
it rest on this table? Would it go under
this chair? How many men would il
take to carry it? What does it look like
His Honor might have gratiied his GU
riosity by a visit to the Sub-Treasury. There
$4,000, 600 of gold lie dormant, await
ing the resurrection of specie payments.
They are put up in bags containing 81 5000
each, and weighing say forty-fve pounds.
These bags are piled one upon another in
closets, which line the inner watl of the
vault a hundred bags filled a closet.
When filled the door is closed, locked and
sealed with the cashiers seal; Il ticket at
tached specifies hat in hat dark and mar
row hole $500, 600 in gold lie hidden. Fifty
or more such closets may be seen, duly
closed, locked and sealed. But in that
vault, whose wealth far outshinesthe Wild
est fables of Oriental stoay, bags of gold
lie around in every corner. You kick one
as you enter. Others rest on trucks wait
ing sepulture in the closets. They are so
plentiful, and SO seemingly despised by
the officials who handle them, that i%nsensi-
bly, the spectator loses his respect for them,
and forgets that the possession of a few
such bags would realizeh his lifelong dream
material prosperity.
These bags are the product of customs
Every day, between 3 and 4
o'clock, a little hand-cart, ark-shaped,
painted red, covered over and locked, may
be seen travelling up Wall street, propel-
led by two stout men, and vending its
way from the Custom-house to the Sub
Treasury. There are but two men osten-
sibly engaged in pushing the little red
cart, but a careful observer may discover
other men, likewise stout and very
watchful, who lounge up the sidewalk on
parallel line. They look as if they car
lied revolvers. In these days, when the
duties are heavy, the little red
sometimes contains $3.50, 00O-a prize
worth the attention of robbers. But il is
never attacked. When it reaches the Sub
Treasury it is unlocked, and the bags
handed in. Each bag is then counted by
he Sub-Treasurer's 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
.ong experience, which enables them to
discover Il false coin at a glance. Pieces
which have been split open, the inside
lied out, the cavity filled with iridium, the
.wO halves soldered together, and remilled
IN the edges, are so like genuine coins
hat the best judges are often deceived by
hem. They weigh precisely the same as
coins. They are precisely the
light size. They have the ring of pure
,old. Their external surface throughout
5 gold. Yet these counterfeits are detect
d at a glance by the experienced clerks
# the Treasury. 1t used to be said of Mr..
3. II. Birdsale, the present cashier, that
When he was a clerk he could, in empty
$4,000 bag, at the first dip of his hands
nto the glittering mass, pick out all the
coins.
There is "A quantity of silver in the Sub
Treasury, in bags and kegs, but after one
been handling millions of gold, it
Gems a poor sort ofmetal. A silver clos
t holds $4,000; there are a few dozen of
hem full to repletiOn- Within a short
ime considerable amounts of silver have
here from New 0rleans-the pro-
ucts of duties or of the Coniscation Act.
Iany of the coins are rusted and dingy,
it is shrewdly suspected that during
he dark days of rebel supremacy, these
.ieces slept the sleep of the just in damp
Underground holes. One of the New Or
cans banks is known to have buried its
DIN when Confederate shinplasters made
heir appearance, and the plan was doubt
ess adopted by many private individuals.
Of paper money the Sub-Treasury of
New York holds some forty millions. OF
his over eighteen millions are in fves,
ems, and twenties, and are piled on a shelf
n the vault. As nearly as we could cal
by the eye, there is about a cord
nd a half of this, money. 1t might fill a
wo-horse hay cart. When a paymaster
alls with a draft, the clerks give him a
runkfull ora bushel basket. The notes
re legal tenders and national bank notes
mixed indiscriminately-som old and
worm, showing evidence of long service,
new and crisp.
The larger notes, SlOOs, S5OOs and ST.
zoos have the honor of closet ROOM
There is a closet there which contains half
dozen millions. Lying on the top of a
mountain of these notes was Il package
which we examined. 1t could easily have
,aon mt in tho roof no,l-af and ,orr;ol
way without Inconvenience. 1t contain
d one thousand $500 legal tenders, and
vas therefore, worth just half a million.
But for the contempt for money which the
Inspection of these enormous sums is apt
or the moment to inspire, one might have
coveted this little package. How many
lble and successful men toll for a lifetime
n the hope of acquiring just such a par
ell
But if you are going TO steal, gentle
let me recommend coupons as the
most convenient article to Sconvey.'
5even-Thirty coupons are SO small that
you can easily put $4,000 worth in your
Haistcoat pocket, and as to.'Ten-Forty cous
oons, a pinch of them, between finger and
is a small fortune. These little
lllS VI paper, no GiSSef lHdu dpOIleCdIles
.abels, or half the size of a fve-cents in
fractional currency, represent sums vary;
ng from S25 in gold to 1865 in currency.
AS interest day comes round they pour in
rom all quarters-from the far West, and
rom the lately rebellious South; from
Germany and Holland; from crowned
heads in Europe, and from industrious
washer-women in this country. To ex-
mime and sort these little bits of paper is
no slight task. One of the richest men in
New York is said to keep his daughters,
married and single, busy cutting off cou-
pons for a whole afternoon and evening
before interest day; when the cutting is
done the eldest daughter herself sweeps
out the room to intercept waits and es-
The vaults of the Sub-Treasury may
really be said to defy burglars. In the
first place they are built on t~hirty-ive feet
Of solid masonry, so that digging under
hem and working by a tunnel to the floor
would be impracticable. Then, they stand
in the main hall of the Treasury building,
in which a watch is always kept, and into
which it would require no small labor to
intrude after nightfall. The vaults them
are iron chambers, with iron doors,
roofs, and walls. The latter are two feet
thick, and hollow; the hollow being filed
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