The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1871-11-02
The Chicago Custom House-The
Entire Contents of the Building
Destroyed, Including $l,s3o,OoO
in Paper Money.

Some most extraordinary revelations
to the architecture of the Post Office
and Custom House building, which,
proving to have been sham and a
fraud of the worst kind, has involved
the loss Of an immense sum of money
The vault in the Sub Treasury office,
in which Collector Mclean had depos.
tied all the funds pertaining to hi. de-
partment, was bull upon the second
story. 1t rested upon two iron pillars
built from the basement, with two iron
girders of great strength and weight
connected with the wall. A third CIR
der connected the two pillars, forming a
framework A heavy fireproof vault
was built upon the foundation, and
proved to be about the weakest in the
city to resist the fierceness of the fire.
There were in the vault at the time of
the fire 81 800 900 in greenbacks, $500, 900
in National Bank notes, 1926 900 in
gold. and So 900 in silver making to-
tai of s., ,l30, 600 of which 500, 900 was
in specie.
In an old iron safe which was left out
side the vault was deposited SO 900, con
sisting Of mutilated bills and fractional
! currency. This safe was regarded with
| scorn, and deemed unworthy place in
the vault. But like the little fishes in
the net, its insigniticance saved it,.
When the building caught fire, and
blazed with fervcnt heat, the miserable
| pillars melted, and the immense vault
with its fabulous treasures fell to the
basement. burying the insignificant safe
and its mutiated contents. The conse.
quence was that the contents Of the lat
ter was saved. while $500, 600 in cur
rency was burned to powder and hope
| lessly lost.
The specie was scattered over the
| basement floor, and fused with the heat.
| There are Jumps of fused eagles valued
at from $500 to $1,000, blackened and
burned, but nevertheless good as refined
gold. The employees have been com
| PEELED to rake the ruins Of the entire
building, aud have recovered altoge ther
about five siXlhs of the whole amount.
| 1t is probable that days will pass before
they Will be able to find the remainder.
| 1t is n Fortunate circumstance that
only week ago s5o0,00O in gold ant,
| $25. 900 in silver had been shipped from
the city.
The building waa. a. before stated, a
fraud Of the most baretaced description,
and consequently an everlasting dis
grace to the country. That vault con
tanning treasure to the amount actually
lost should be supported only on two
iron pillars, which gave way and let i,
fall in ruins, and should yet make q
boast of being fireproof, is piece oi
irony the most acute
But this vault was only one of the
| frauds. The fireproof doors Of the Pos,
ONCE vault, in which were stored the
records, proved Trailer still. The hinge,
Of the massive portals which were tc
protect the government records, were
only affixed to Il single brick When
therefore, the walls expanded with the
heat, the sturdy doors fell out of thei
own weight. each hinge carrying Will
1t the single brick to which it held
while the remainder of the wall wa. a.
firm as possible.
OF course, all the records were hope
lessly ruined.
This vault was fire and burglar proof
Experts are not the only persons wh'
can judge of the value of a vault who's,
doors had such feeble hold.
The building is one OF large numbe
built on the same plan, and the condi
ton of the lower vault suggest grea
weakness in those erected in othe
cities. 1t is probable that the govern
ment will order an inspection of ali ex
listing vault.. - Tribune, Oct 10.
Women serve rs hotel clerks i
Ireland, and despatch the work IN tn