The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-02-12

men and women, some at desks, some by
tills-every body busy but the strongest
impression is Of money-money in piles
and packages and safes, money being
taken to pieces or fastened together,
money being counted and cancelled, mon.
ey good, bad and Indifferent
Money, money everywhere,
But not cent to spend.
Our progress now is to the proving
room, at the head Of which is young
lady, for five years previous clerk in the
Treasures Bureau, whose judicious ad-
ministration is one of the rare contradic.
tons to the general and just prejudice
against such appointments. Twenty.
three ladies are subject to her control,
and about $500, 900 passes daily through
her hands. For six months she has pre-
sided over this intricate and delicate bust
ness, not only to the entire satisfaction Of
her superiors, but her subordinates also.
It is probably the only case in depart
mental history where everybody is pleas
ed. The duty Of the proving room is ex-
pressed IN the name. In it the correct.
ness of every package is tested by
thorough examination ofnumber. amount,
denomination, and bank. Then the notos,
strapped up in green, are ready for de.
livery to the Comptroller of the United
States.
Besides governing the whole, the Su-
perintendent attends in his room to the
correspondence and bookkeeping of the
division, which is necessarily very exten.
sivc. Whenever $500 or over of any
banks notes have been redeemed, that
bank is notified to reimburse the Ave per
cent. fund. Rcmittances are by draft
and the drafts Of one day on New York
alone amount often to 100000. For
each draft certificate Of deposit is issued
and forwarded to the bank. Every letter
sent is copied, numbered, initiated and
filed. The Treasurer's regular duties
leave but little time for fresh work, so
that the burde,4 of organizing and arrang.
ing fell largely on Mr.. Graves. This gen.
tleman was for some years chief clerk OF
the Treasurer's Bureau and atterward a
member of the Civil Service Commission.
Possibly the greatest praise Of his latest
accomplishment would be to say so
smoothly does the machinery of the agen-
cy run that by its results only can we
guess Its existence.
GATES THAT ARE NOT AJAR.
The chief deposit of the money that
evidently accumulatcs with tho Agent is a
vault in the second story, accessible only
by little gallery running around the
marble cash room. The vanlt is fifteen
feet square, made Of alternate layers, the
whole about six inches thick. of steel and
franklinite, New Jersey ore, so far i'm.
pregnable to drills. Two ponderous iron
doors and an iron grating guard tho mar
row entrance. Two combination locks
are on each door, Pillard's and Isham' s
on the outer, Miller's and Sargent &
Greenleaf's on the inner.
''rBE QUEER
Que branch Of this work deserves more
extensive notice than could be allowed it
in its proper place. the Receiving Teller's
room, namely, detection of counterfeits,
pieced and mutilated notes. Every count.
or is expected to look for them, but their
detection devolves especially on the first
counters, who are pecuniarily responsible
for any subsequently found in bundles
bearing their initials. Some are exceed
ingly hard to decide upon, but good
cou inter- rarely misses. All she finds pre-
returned to the senders, b, anded "coun.
terfeit. The, SIS on Traders National
Bank Of Chicago are the best and most
plentiful. All the SOS are poor, but the
engraving on the $500's of tho Ohio Ma.
tional Bank Of Cincinnati is better than
the orig inal. A good story runs of Nc
Culloch and note. He never could be
trapped into \ positive opinion, but one
day clerk, who thought he could corner
him, took him upa note and asked him if
it was good or bad. The cautious old
gentleman examined it through his spec.
tacles. "You want me to say whether
this note is good or bad!'
"Yes, sir, !" said the paper little clerk.
"Well," said the Secretary, with his
customary deliberation, II should say it
was middling.''
Pasted notes are made of strips of diff.
ferent notes, each successive strip trife
smaller, so that out of five notes six can
be made. They are more dangerous than
counter1eits, and the truest test is to
measure them carefully with graduated
ruler, the pasted notes being necessarily
smaller thaR the genuine. Sometimes
the face reads absurdly ; rs, First Na-
t'ona! Bank OF Bangor, Holyoke, Mass.,''
or "of Providence. N. j. or IS third, 4
patchwork of New York and Missouri
note:
$ "First National Bank. - =
s>s,..<,'.,'t.1,> City of 'Seph, e, -: :.
q. u State Of 'ouri." =. f.. =:
One note on = Jacksonville, H., bank
had $50 face and $40 back, the com.
bined blunder Of the bank note company
who misprinted. and the Treaaurv clerks