The Republican journal., 1873-09-11
Four Tons of Gold.

Four Tons of Gold.
The sum of 1000, 900 in gold coin ar
rived yesterday at the Sub-Treasurv' in
this city, having been forwarded by ex-
press from the Sub-Treasury at San Fran
cisco. According to the usual method Of
reckoning the weight of gold coin, the
weight of this amount was about four tons.
When gold is shipped in the ordinary
manner, in kegs of $50, 900 each, it is Gus
tomary to consider $500 900 equal to a
ton; but rs the iron-bound oaken kegs
form an item in the estimate the weight of
the gold is somewhat less.
When the law for the recoinage of all
gold pieces which had suffered from abra-
sion had been partly carried into effect,
the Assistant Treasurer at Boston notified
the Treasury Department that he had
more gold than he needed, and a consider
able amonnt was therefore sent from Bos-
on to this city Mr.. Ashley the chief of
the coin division in the Sub-Treasury here,
says that he supposes the Depar .ment is
carrying out the same policy in regard to
San Francisco, this being the only city
where the government needs to keep gold
i'll large quantities for mercantile pur-
poses.
The S., 900 900 received here yesterday
was packed in twelve strong iron chests,
| each about two and a half feet in length by
sixteen inches in breadth and depth The
goid, which consists entirely of double
eagles, was in stout canvass bags one
hundred III number, ana containing $50
ooo. Every bag bore seal affixed by the
Assistant treasurer, at San Francisco, and
| each of the chests had three combination
| locks, when the Assistant treasurer Sc
cured The eXplal atlon OF the comblua-
ton was sent to Assistant treasurer Hill
house, OF this city, IN two lnstallmentN,
one by mail and one by express, 50 that If
either fell INTO wrong hands 1t would at
lord no n1ormaton
The treasure was. brought overland
from San Francisco by the Adams Express
| Company, which was responsible to the
! government for its safety The car con-
tanning it was guarded by nine armed
men On the arrival Of the oold in this
| city it was carried iii express wagons to
| the Sub-Treasury where the chests weigh
ING between six and seven hundred pounds
apiece, were placed on trucks and rolled
into the coin division
| The bags We're then emptied and the
contents OF each counted by weighing
! The exact weight of $50, 900 in cold coin
| being known the absence of Il single piece
| Would he instantly detected About 81 :
| ono OoO of tho omGunt was from tho MINI
anL this !, w,. nrrr.s,rv mnrnly to vn;rh
rho rn.t h.vin~ hnen in circulation mist
I've nv,m;naI ninrn IN niern to ~ that
avorv ono i rnn,,inn Two coin nxnerts
beoan fiji I,b9r Yesterday and win nrnb-
,hiy No orcuniad in II fnr wpps
So laroe M amomt Of oold is rarely re-
caivad # flo Snh-Trnas,17.v at onn time
Mr. Asblnv saws that If now contains a it,
flo norn tban s30 0n0 0DO IN ooll coin
vb;.h i. an unusually baa,1 su7nlv One
rn,.n, Ill this i IL. EoI,t .bin,,;nn IA
n1n,d anl, en- ooo h,rino hnnn 1nI;vnr-
cd for shinmnnt since tba e of last .Janu-
a,,. vh;,.h i Ioee th,n h,lf tbn ,nnunt in
cnrrasnondino nnrind last vr,r This i
ana,,,,,tnd fn9, N, rhn e,rt tb,t tha b,I,ncn
| of troJn bos hnrn in our t,ynr thn nynort,
b,,,;nu hnnn ,hn,,t III nun unn nnr.. and
! tho ;Ionn,,. - nnn onn lass ti,,n.a vn,,.
,,c,,
| L ,llitiun f., tbi. thn sub-rTroosn,v.
nou- ,,,u+.i,,. ohnnt sfu nnn nnn in unl,I
lar, elnH ma T. .iIvn, .nJ ~ onn ntnin
,,,,..',,,,,
ThIr. al. t,yo Observation-Disclosures; i, thn
u,,h Tr,,,,,,,.,- ,,o ,l;t,,,.ont '.iIos or tLn
I main A,o, (which ,rn ,,rnri.aI,- alike i,
ranstrnction. Each has walls rieht feet in
! thickness. built in u manner to resist the
utmost efforts which might be made by
burglars. The walls arc each made in two
parallel sections, Of massive stone, and
| The intermediate space is filled with boxes
pt chilled iron, which are packed with
balls of the same material, about an inch
in diameter. These, il is believed. would
turn the most powerful drill which could
be employed. The floor Of each chamber
| is covered with iron plates and rests npon
foundation of solid masonry, which ex-
tends for thirty feet below the level Of the
adjacent sidewalks. The iron doors Of
each are five in number. weighing about
two and Il half tons each, and secured by
numerous locks
The interior of each chamber is lined