The true northerner., 1875-03-05
RESTORING BURNT MONEY.
An Interesting Process-Expert Manipuia-
tors of Burnt Currency.

tors of Burnt Currency.
Washington Cor. New York Evening Post.l "
1t will be remembered that about four
or five weeks ago Northern express car
was burned near Washington. The gov
ernment alone had s., $50, 900 in it, and
the private property amounted to nearly
half MS much, including jewelry-enough
to fill seven safes.
Up in one of the sunny, well-lighted
rooms of the Treasury Department four
ladies from the Treasrrer'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 a committee were selected
from those most expert at such work.
First the private safes were opened, and
in these were found about 300, 900 worth
of diamonds, n 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 compare
lively easy work, for though many of the
stones had fallen from their setting it was
not hard to find them. The gold was
blackened.
Jewels and watches were returned to
the express company. The letters were
not read, though they presented great
temptation to some members of the com
mittee. They and the curly lock were
sent together to the Dead Letter Office,
where they will be burned. Perhaps it
was all for the best they may have been
returned in the heat of lovers quarrel,
which now will have time to cool.
The money in the government safes is
so charred that at a breath it crIlmbles;
and yet it is expected that four-fifths of
it will be deciphered. Each little
shrivelled piece is detached with thin
knife and laid on rough blotting paper.
There the ladies examine it with magni-
flying glasses, and after deciphering as
much as possible they paste it, face up,
on a strip of thin paper and SO, bit by
bit, a whole note is pieced out. 1t is such
trying exercise for the eyes that those
engaged in it can work only three hours
at a time and on bright days. The trust
reposed in them is great, for the money
is delivered 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, $164,-
997.9S. 1t came in sheets, in bundles,
III 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 packages were unrolled,
il seemed really impossible that anything
could be made of such cinders Yet ont
of that $164, 997.9S, 1926, 54l .33 was re-
deemed and returned to the owners or
banks. Boston profited by Chicagos
experience, and packed her burnt money
SO carefully that nearly all of it was re-
deemed. Eighty-three cases, containing
1888, ,290.80 were returned to her, beside
a number of policies, notes, bills and
other valuable papers. The most skill
! full person on this committee is a lady
who has had much experience in such
work. Once she deciphered $185, 900
out of 100000 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 acknowledgment 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
100000, but the ladies picked out S145,-
600; whereupon the directors, with reclz-
less extravaganza, presented the commit
Tee with $2O-about 81 apiec?