Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-08-13
A Look into the Bank Of England.

A Look into the Bank Of England.
Special arrangements were made at
tho Bank Of England in anticipation
of visit from tho Shah, but be was
too tired out on tho appointed day to
20 there. Had he gone, says the Lon
don Ne,rs, he would have found all the
Bank officials at their daily duties,
every man sitting, so to speak, at the
receipt Of custom and the iron rule
by which doors are kept day and night
we'll barred would have been in force.
At ring of the boil, however, tho
doors OF the bank noto printing offices
would have flown open, and six ma
chimes would havo been seen in full
work. Each machine, with good
deal Of necessary clatter, turns out q
800 notes an hour, a clover selfrcgis-
tering apparatus prevents any chance
Of stray note falling let US say,
through the machinery, or blowing
accidentally up chimney. English
notes, were, as we passed through half
an hour before the Shah's expected
visit, being thrown off as if they were
mere playbills, and also number of
India currency or rupee notes. In
another chamber there were pile upon
pile Of crisp, delicious bank notes of all
varieties to be seen, and even handled,
but not carried away. Ten machines
we're in operation, and a sudden en-
trance into tho cashiers room adjoin-
ing somewhat resembled, to the ear,
tho difference between a smithy and q
cloister. The polite, well dressed
gentlemen who occupied the room
were forming bundles of 500 notes each
and neatly tying them up with green
ribbon, each bundle worth G2 2,500.--
Through their hands there passes an
average Of $4,000 notes day--fiftics,
twentics, tens and fives-with the ex-
ception of the last day of tho week
the early closing movement reduces
tho number to $4,000. r.s 5s,l
Returning down the stairs, the Shah
and the few persons who were to
have accompanied him, would have
next visited the gold-weighing room,
all musical with the chink, chink, of
ncver-endihg sovereigns. m
The work of the machines by which
the sovereigns arc weighed, twelve in
number, are delicate as lady's watch;
should q coin bc tho Tooth, part of o
grain below the standard, the machine
tips it over into receptacle different
from that in which tho true gold is
shot. Twenty-eight sovereigns min
ute are disposed Of by each machine, or
100, 900 day. 1t seemed-so nicely
adjusted was this wonderful machine,
as if it paused moment TO think, and
trembled as 1t rejected the unworthy
coin from its honcster fellows. This
mass Of treasure, called indiffercntly
"dross" or filthy lucro," was TO be
seen by scuttlesful, shovellod about as
tho farmers man shovels horse beans.
a riOi', giitterIng, tclnpting neap Uf
10000 sovereigns lay on the carefully
Gagged table, and we were, Of course,
not surprised to be informed that with
in our reach there were nearly 400,-
600 Of these bits of shining gold, so
hard to earn, 80 easy TO spcnd. A
bushel or so Of half sovcreigns were,
after what had gono before, quite be.
meath notice, but they looked pretty,
and winked appcalingly, as we gave
them casual glance. Sometimes as
many as 10000 light coins were de-
tectod in day. The pay-hall is a
public room, but leading out Of it is a
chamber particularly private, and bear
ing the namo of the Treasury. 1t is
dark and cool-too rich, in fact, to
have its repose rufilod by common
storms or vulgar passions. There arc
in it 1876 massive safes crammed with
wealth the treasury is in fact, ri.
gantic reservoir, at present contain
ing thirty-fvo millions Of money. One
safe holds "garbled sixpences;" an
other is inll Of threepenny bits one
is sacred to old sovereigns; its neigh
Dor takes care of the now The SUI
perintcndent of this department show
cd us two parcels of notes which q
child might toss into the air; they
represented 81 100000 in thousand
pound notes. Tho doors Of another
safe were opened, and We stood silont
before seventy bags Of gl 1000 each,
each weighing Glib. 1t was morciful-
,y arranged that after this tho Shah
should be taken into the open air, tho
route next lying through the gardens,
once city cburchyard, into the gov
ernment debt offioes and across the
bullion yard to the bullion room
Around the sides Of this prison-Iike
vault stood trucks laden with gold
bars worth fl 900 each, one truck load
being to bc purchased by not farth-
ing less than 100000. Besides these
there were triGing bags of gold coin,
running up the total amount to G3,-
900, 900, to say nothing of row of
bags put like naughty children into a
corner, because thoy held $4,000 Of
gold sovercigns.