Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-09-11
Gold by the Ton.


be required to settle the Senatorial contest"
Gold by the Ton.
The sum of 100000 in gold coin ar
rived yesterday at the SubTreasury 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 ordi-
nary manner, in kegs OF $4,000 each, it
is customary to consider $5O0,00 equal to
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
abrasion had been partly carried into eff
feet, the Assistant Treasurer at Boston
notified the Treasury Department that he
had more gold than he 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
Departments carrying out the same pol
icy in regard to San Francisco, this be
ing the only city where the Government
needs to keep gold in large quantities for
mercantile purposes.
The S2,0O0,000 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 god, which consists entirely of
double eagles, was in stout canvas bags,
one hundred in number, each containing
10000 Every bag bore seal affixed by
the Assistant Treasurer at San Francisco,
and each Of the chests had three cOmbina-
ton locks which the Assistant Treasurer
secured. The explanation of the comb-
nations was sent to Assistant Treasurer
Hlllhouse, of this city, in two installments,
one by mail and one by express, 50 that
if either fell into wrong hands it would
afford no information.
The treasure was brought overland
from San Francisco by the Adams Elk
press Company, which was responsible to
the Government 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 III express wagons 10
the Sub-Ireasury, where 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
contents of each counted by weighing.
The exact weight Of $4,000 in gold coin
being known, the absence Of a single
piece would be instantly detected About
$1,WO,0OO of the amount was fresh from
the mint, and this it was necessary merely
to weigh. The rest having been in circu-
lation, must be examined piece by piece
to see that every one is genuine. Two
coin experts began this labor Yesterday,
and will probably be occupied in it for a
week
SO large an amount of gold is rarely
received at the Sub-Treasury, at one time
Mr. Ashley says that it now contains a
little more than $30,000000 in gold coin,
which is an unusually heavy supply.
One reason for this is the light shipping
demand, only ST. 900 having been deiv-
cred for shipment since the 1st 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 s15,
0O0,O00 more, and the imports $50 900 900
less than a year ago.
In addition to this, the subtreasury now
contains about $4,000, 900 in gold bars.
$1,000 in silver, and $2S,OOO,OOO in cur
rency.
There are two treasure 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 a manner to resist
the utmost efforts which might be made
by burglars. 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 balls OF the same material, about an
inch in diameter. These, it is believed
would turn the most powerful drill which
could be employed The floor of each
chamber is covered with iron plates, and
rests upon a foundation of solid masonry,
which extends for thirty feet below the
level OF the adjacent sidewalks The iron
doors OF each are five in number, weigh
ing 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, show
ing that its contents have been counted
by him at a certain time, and the closet
has not since been opened. In the cham
Der on the west side OF the building,
which is wholly devoted to gold coin, each
closet contains 100000 when filled. The
gold is packed away in small canvas bags.
The chamber on the east side contains
currency, silver coin, ants gold in bars
The currency is in packages, each of
which bears q label showing its amount.
In one Of the closets are packages OF
$1,000 notes, weighing scarcely a pound
apiece, which are stamped $1,000, 600
The gold bars which have been melted
at the Assay Office and are to be sent
to the Philadelphia mint, are gen
erally worth $4,000 apiece. Most Of these
are black and discolored, the copper in
the alloy coming to the SUI face when the
metal coins One very small bar is shown,
however, being the last of the assay, which
Is bright, gllttering yellow. 1t is mark
ed S63602, and is also stamped with the
ngures 997, showing that it lacks only
three one-thousandths of absolute purity
~. I. Eoeniag Post.
-Sevenly-tive towns in Massachusetts
show decrease in population during the
ten years preceding the last census, and
81 towns have npnuI 0f loco tba,