Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1873-09-11

The Amount now I'm the sub.Treasury
From the New York Evening Post, August 49,
The sum of $4,000, 900 in gold coin arrived
yesterday at the SUBJ Treasury in this city
having been forwarded by express from tn.
sub Treasury at San Francisco. Accordine
to the usual method of reckoning the weigh
of gold coin, the weight of this amount was
about four tons. When gold is shipped ir
the ordinary manner, in kegs of $50, 900 each
it is customary to consider $500, 900 equal tC
a ton; but as the iron bound oaken kegs form
an item in the estimate, the net weight of the
| gold is somewhat less.
When the law for the recoinage of all GOLD
pieces which had suffered from a brasion had
been partly carried into effect, the Assistant
Treasurer at Boston notified the Treasury
| Department that he had more gold than be
needed, and a considerable amount was,
therefore, sent from Boston to this city. Mr..
Ashley, the chief of the coin division in the
sub-Treasury here, says that he supposes the
Department is carrying out the same policy
in regard to San Francisco, this being the
only city where the government needs to
keep gold in large quantities for mercantile
purposes.
The 81, 1000, 900 received here yesterday was
packed in twelve strong iron chests, each
about two and half feet in length by sixteen
inches in breadth and depth. The gold,
which consists entirely of double eagles, was
in stout canvas bags, 100 in number, each
containing $4,000. Every bag bore seal
affixed by the Assistant Treasurer at San
Francisco, and each of the chests had three
combination locks, which the Assistant Trea-
surer secured. The explanation of the COM
binations was sent to Assistant Treasurer
Hillhouse, of this city, in two installments,
one by mail and one by express, so that if
either fell into wrong hands it would afford
no information.
The treasure was brought overland from
San Francisco by the Adams Express Com
pany, which was responsible to the govern
ment for its safety. The car containing it
was guarded by nine armed men. On the
arrival Of the gold in this city it was carried
the chests, weighing between six and seven
hundred pounds apiece, were placed on trucks
and rolled into the coin division.
The bags were then emptied, and the con-
tents of each counted by weighing. The ex-
act weight of $4,000 in gold coin being
known, the absence of single piece would
be instantly detected. About 81, ,0O0,OOO of
the amount was fresh from the mint, and
this it was. necessary merely to weigh. The
rest, having been in circulation, must be ex-
amined piece by piece to see that every one
is genuine. Two coin experts began this
labor yesterday, and will probably be occu-
pied in it for week.
SO large an amount of gold is rarely re-
ceived at the Sub Treasury at one time. Mr.
Ashley says that it now contains little more
than $50, 10000 in gold coin, which is an
unusually heavy supply. One reason for this
is the light shipping demand, only $11 900
having been delivered for shipment since the
first of last January, which is less than half
the amount in the corresponding period last
year. This is accounted for by the fact that
the balance of trade has been in our favor,
the exports having been about $15, 600, 900
more and the imports $35, 000, 900 less than
year ago.
In addition to this the Sub b-Treasury now
contains about $1O,OOO,OOO in gold bars,
$4OO, 600 in silver, and $28, ,00O, 900 in cur
rency.
There are two Otreasure-chambers in the Sub
Treasury on different sides of the main floor,
which are precisely alike in construction.
Each has walls eight feet in thickness, built
in q manner to resist the utmost efforts which
the burglar might make. The walls are each
made in two parallel sections, of massive
stone, and the intermediate space is filled with
boxes of chilled iron, which are packed with
boxes of the same material, about an inch in
diameter. These, it is believed, will turn the
most powerful drill which could be employ
ed The floor of each chamber is covered
with iron plates, and rests upon foundation
of solid masonry, which extends for thirty
feet below the level of the adjacent side
walks The iron doors of each are five in
number, weighing about two and half tons
apiece, and secured by numerous locks.
The interior of each chamber is lined with
iron compartments, many OF which bear the
red seal of the naval officer, showing that its
contents have been counted by him at GER
tain time, and that the closet has not since
side of the building, which is wholly devoted
to golden coin, each closet contains $500, 900
when filled. The gold is packed away in
small canvas bags.
The chamber on the east side contains cur.
rency, silver coin and gold in bars. The cur
rency is in packages each of which bears a
label showing its amount. In one the closets
are packages of $1,000 notes, weighing
scarcely pound apiece, which are stamped
81, 100000. .... III
The gold bars, which have been melted at
the ASSAY Office and are to be sent to the Phil
adelphia mint, are generally worth 5000
apiece. Most of these are black and discol-
ored. the copper in the alloy coming to the
surface when the metal cools. One very
small bar is shown, however, being the last
of the assay, which is u bright, glistening |
yellow. 1t is marked $636.02 and ie also
stamped with the figures 997, showing that It
lacks only three one-thousandths of absolute
purity. -
hno hHAn