Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-03-05
Fixing up Burned Money.

1t will be remembered that few weeks
ago northern express car was burned
near Washington. The government
alone had s5,750,000 in it, and the pri-
vate property amounted to nearly half
as much, including jewelry- enough to
fill seven safes.
Up in one of the sunny, well-lighted
roomso of the United States Treasury De-
partment 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
were transferred from the cars to the
treasury, and committee were selected
from those most expert at such work.
First the private safes were opened, and
in these were found about 100000
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 charred that at breath it crumbles
and yet it is expected that four-ffths of
it will be deciphered Each little shriv-
elled piece is detached with thin knife
and laid ON rough blotting paper. There
the ladies examine it with magnifying
glasses, and after deciphering as much
as possible they paste it, face up, on a
strip of thin paper; and SO, bit by bit,
whole note was pieced out. 1t is such
trying exercise 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 delivered directly to them, and re.
mittances made on their report without
further questioning After the terrible
fire of October, 1871, Chicago sent two
hundred cases of burnt money, aggregat-
ing, at owners valuation, $164,997 98.
1t came in sheets, in bundles, in tiny
packages, rumpled and crushed as care
less hands had pushed them into side
pockets or purses. Each little parcel
was swathed in cotton as carefully as il
it were the most precious jewelry, and as
the black, brittle packages were unroll
ed, it seemed really impossible that any
thing could be made of such cinders
Yet out of that s164 ,99798, S126, ,541,,
SO was redeemed and returned TO the
owners or banks. Boston profitted by
Chicago's experience, and packed her
burnt money SO carefully that nearly all
of it was redeemed. Eighty-three cases
containing SS8,912.90, came from Bos
ton, and sSS, ,290.S0 were returned to hel
besides a number OF policies, notes, bills
and other valuable papers. The most
skillful person on this committee is a lady
who has had much experience in such
work. Once she deciphered S185,00C
out of 100000 that had been in the
hold of a burned ship for three years
| and Adams Fynress ComDany which
was responsible for the amount, gave hel
$500 in acknowledgment of her services
Another time she and her associate.
worked faithfully and long over some
bonds a crazy cashier saw fit throw int
the fire. The bank asked for only 800,
900, but the ladies picked out S145, 900
whereupon the directors, with reckless
extravaganza, presented the COMMITTEES
with S20-about four dollars apiece