The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-03-03
c:.arred rress.ren.


II viii be remembered, says a
Washington letter writer, that about
four or five weeks ago a northern ex-
press car was burned near Washing
ton. The Government alone had
s.. 600 in it and the private prop
erty amounted to nearly half as
much, including jewelry-enough 70
ill seven safes.
Tn In one Of the sunny, we'll
r;cbted rooms of the Treasury De-
ns-,meut. four ladies from the Treas
prer's Office are at work on the char
red treasures, and their process Is one
of the most interesting features oil
the service. All the safes were trans
ferred from the airs to the treasury
and a committee were selected from
those most expert at such WORK
First the private safes were oPeneu'
and in these were found aboutSlVV',
oO0 xortb Of diamonds, a hundred
watches. old gold and silver coins,
ond-alasl for the course OF true
iove-a package of love letters and a
tress of pretty brown hair. Picking
ont the yaluables was comparatively
easv work, for though many OF the
stones had fallen from their settings,
il was not hard to find them. Inc
gold was blackened. q,
Jewels and watches were returned
to the express company The letters
were not read. though they presented
a great temptation to some members
Of the committee. They and the
curly lock were sent together to the
Dead Letter Office, where they will
he burned. Perhaps it was all foI
the best; they may have been return.
ed in the heat Of a lovers quarrel
which now will have time to cool.
The mon in the Government
safes is so charred that at a breath
it crumbles; and yet it is expected
thar four-hfths Of it will be decipher
ed. Each little shriveled piece is de
tacbed with a thin knife and laid OF
rough blotting paper. There the la
dies examine it with magnifying
glasses. and after d~ecipherlDg as
much as possible they paste 1t, lace
up. on a strip Of thin paper; ana So
Bit by bit. a whole note is pleced out.
1t is such trying exercise for the eyes
that those engaged in it can WORK
only three hours at a time q on
bright DAYS. The trust reposed II
them is great, for the money is de-
livered directly to them, and remit
tances made on their reports without
further questioning. After the terri
bic fire of October, 1871, Chicago
sent 2O3 cases Of burnt money, ag'
~greeating, at owners valuation
SI64,997 90. 1t came IN sheets, II
bundles, in tiny packages, rumpled
and crushed as careless hands bad
pushed them into side pockets CT
purses. Each little parcel was swath'
ed In cotton as carefully as if it were
the most precious jewelry, and as
the black, brittle packages were un'
rolled it seemed really impossible
that ANYTHING could be made Of such
cinders. Yet out of that Sl64, 997 9e
SI26.54I 80 was redeemed and re-
turned to the owners or banks. Bos-
ton profted by Chicago's experience,
and packed her burnt money so care
fully that nearly all oft was redeem
ed. Eighty-three cases, containing
$sS,Sl2 80, came from Boston, and
SS8. 200 80 were returned to her, be.
sides a number of policies, notes,
bills and other valuable papers. The
most skillful person Oh this committee
is a lady who has had much expert
ence in such work. Once she deci-
phered $l85, 900 out of $500, 600 that
had been in the hold of a burned
ship for three years, and Adams Elk
press Company, which was response
BILE for the amount, gave her $500 in
acknowledgment for her services.
Another time she and her associates
worked faithfully and long " some
bonds a crazy cashier saw fit to throw
into the fire. The bank asked for
only 500, 600, but the ladies picked
out $l45, 900, whereupon the direc.
tors, with reckless extravaganza, pre-.
seated the committee with twenty
dollars-about four dollars apiece.