The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1873-09-03
AFamy Paper, Devoted to Science Art Inquiry, Industry

! Seu' W hNsStSIuNC treasurer lllllnOuSG
IN two instulWcn.s, one by mail and
me by express. This was to prevent
! it's possible use in the event Of its
falling into unworthy hands. The
,ar containing the treasure was guard.
cd by nine armed men. AS an addi-
lional security the express company
was held responsible to tho govern.
ment for tho safety of tho gold. On
its arrival hero it was carried in ex-
press wagons to the pine street en-.
trance Of tho treasury, where the
chests, which weighed between six
and seven hundred pounds each, were
placed on trucks and rolled into the
coin division. The bags were empticd
and tho contents counted by weighing.
By this mode the absence Of single
piece would be instantly detected, as
the exact weight $4,000 in gold is
registered. About $l 900, ,0OO of the
treasure is fresh from tho mint, and
this it.was ,pscssary merely to weigh.
Tho remainder, having been in circu.
lation, is to be examined piece by
piece to sec that every one is gcnu-
inc. The experts began this labor
yesterday and will be occupied in it
for q week.
ENORMOUS rILEs OF GOLD.
The New York Sun says: Mr..
Ashley, the chief CT the coin division,
says that go largo an amount IF gold
is rarely received in the sub treasury
at one tine. 1t was sent hero by
the treasury department because New
York is the only city where the gov
crnment needs to keep largo qulnti.
ties OF gold for m ercsntilo purposes.
At the close of business Yesterday
there was balance of gold coin in
tho sub.treasury of $4S,522,6AS 70,
or about one hundred. tons of gold.
This is an unusually heavy supply.
One reason for it is the light shipping
demand, only Sll 700 having tcen
delivered for shipment since January
|. That is less than half the amount
in the corresponding period last
year.
Twenty Tons OF COED IN OARS.
In addition to this the sub-trcasury
CONTAINS about $4,000, 900 in gold
bars, 100000 in silver, and about
$32,O00,0O0 in currency. Thore arc
two treasure chambers on different
sides Of tho main noor ii the SUBJ
treasury. Each has walls of massive
stone eight feet thick, built in two
parallel sections. The intermediate
space is filled with boxes of chilled
ircn packed with balls Of the same
material about. en- inch in diameter.
These will turn the most powerful
dlill ever employed by burglars. The
floor is covered with iron plates, ana
rests on. solid masonry, which extends
thirty feet below the surface Of the
sidewalks. The five iron door are
secured by several heavy locks.
These doors weigh about two and
half tons each. The chambers arc
divided into iron compartments. In
the west side chamber the gold is DC.
posted, each compartment Containing
S500,00C when filed. The gold is
packed in suali canvas ..Lags.. The
chamber on tue east side contains the
currency, silver coin and gold in bars.
The currency is in packages cf ST.
600 notes. These packages weigh
scarcely pound each, yet they arc
stamped 81, 100000: Tho geld bars
arc generally worth $4,000 each,
after having been melted in the assay
cthcc, ;. preparatory to being coined
into money in the Philadelphia mint.
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