The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-26
Restoring Burnt Money.
An Interesting PrOcess-Expert Manipu-
Iators of Burnt Currency.

| An Interesting PrOcess-Expert manipu.
Iators of Burnt Currency.
! It will be remembered that about
four or five weeks ago a northern ex
press car was burned near Washington
The government alone had $5, $50, ,00C
in it, and the private property amounted
to nearly half as much, including jew.
elry-enough to fill seven safes.
| Up in one of the sunny, well-lghted
rooms of the treasury department -four
| ladies from the treasurer's Office are at
work on these charred treasures, and
their process is one of the most inter-
esting 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, 600 worth of diamonds, hundred
watches, old gold and silver coins, and
alas for the course of true love-a
package of love letters and a tress of
pretty brown hair. Picking out the
valuables was comparatively 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 10 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 breath it crum
bles and yet it is expected that four
fifrhs of it will be deciphered. Each
little shrivelled piece is detached with
a 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 bit, 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 II time
and on bright days. The trust reposed
in them is great, for the money is de-
ivered directly to them, and remit
tances made on their report without
further questioning. After the terrible
fire of October, 1871, Chicago sent two
hundred and three cases of burnt money,
aggregating, at the owners valuation,
$164, 997. SO. It came in sheets, in bun
dies, 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
iewelry, and as the black, brittle pack
ages were unrolled. it seemed really
impossible that anything could be made
of such cinders, Yet out of that $780,
$685. 1926; 541. .33 was redeemed and
returned to the owners or banks. BOs-
ton profted by Chicago's experience,
and packed her burnt money so care
fully that nearly all of it was redeemed.
Eighty-three cases, containing $685.
290 80 were returned to her, beside
number of policies, notes, bills, and
other valuable papers. The most skill
tul person on this committee is lady
who has had much experience in such
work. Once she deciphered $185, 900
out of 100000 that had been in the
hold of a burned ship for three years,
and Adams Express Company, which
was responsible for the amount, gave
her $500 in acknowledgment of her SER
vices. Another time she and her asso-
ciates worked faithfully and long over
some bonds crazy cashier saw fit to
throw into the fire. The bank asked
for only 500, 900, but the ladies picked
out $l45, 900 whereupon the directors,
with reckless extravaganza, presented
the committee with $20-about four dol
lars apiece. Washington Letter.