Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-03-24
Fixing Up Burned Money.

1t will be remembered that recently
8 northern express car was burned
near Washington. The government
alone had s., $50, 900 in it. and the pri-
vate property amounted to nearly half
as much, including iewelry-enough to
fill seven safes.
Up in one of the sunny, well lighted
rooms of the United States Treasury
department at Washington, four ladies
from the Treasurer's Office are at work
on these charred treasures, and their
process is one OF the most interesting
features of the service. All the safes
we're transferred from the cars to the
Treasury, and q committee were Sc
lected from those most expert at such
work. First the private safes were
opened, and in these were found about
800. 900 worth of diamonds, hundred
watches, old gold and silver coins, and
alas for the course of true love-a
package of love letters and tress of
pretty brown hair. Picking out the
valuables was comparatively easy work,
for though many of the stones had
fallen from their settings it was not
hard to find them. The gold was
blackened.
The money in the government safes
is so chsrred that at q breath it crum-
bles and yet it is expected that four
fifths of it will be deciphered. Each
little shrivelled piece is detached with
q thin knife and laid on rough blotting
paper. There the ladies' examine it
with magnifying glasses, and after de-
ciphering as much as possible they
paste it, face up, on a strip of thin
paper and so, bit by it, a whole note
is pierced out. 1t is such trying exer-
else for the eyes that those engaged in
it can work only three hours at time
and on bright days. The trust reposed
in them is great, for the money is de-
livered directly to them, and remit
tances made on their reports without
further questioning. After the terrible
fire of October, 1871. Chicago sent two
hundred and three cases of burnt money,
aggregating, at owners valuation,
Sl64, 997, ,9S. 1t came in sheets, in
bundles, in tiny packages, rumpled and
crushed as careless hands had pushed
them into side pockets or purses. Each
little parcel was swathed in cotton as
carefully as if it were the most precious
jewelry, and as the black, brittle pack
ages we're unrolled, it seemed really
impossible that anything could be made
of such cinders. Yet out of that Sl64,- =
997, SO, Sl26, 54l ,33 was redeemed and
returned to the owners of banks. Bos-
ton profited by Chicago's experience,
and packed her burnt money SO care
fully that nearly all of it was redeemed.
Eighty-three cases, containing SSS, ,Sl2,-
80, came from Boston, and SSS, 900. 80
were returned to her, besides a number
of policies, notes, bills and other vslu-
able papers. The most sKillful person
on this committee is lady who has had
much experience in such work. Once
she deciphered SlS5, 900 out of $500, 900
that had been in the hold of burned
ship for three years, and Adams Express
Company, which was responsible for
the amount, gave her 500 in acknewl-
edgement of her services. Another
time she and her associates worked
faithfully and long over some bonds a
crazy cashier saw fit to throw into the
fire. The bank asked for only Sl00, 900
but the ladies' picked out Sl45,0 900 !;
whereupon the directors, with reckless
extravaganza, presented the committee
with S20-about four dollars apiece !