The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1876-03-16
THE SILVER GLUT.
Treasurer who is Overwhelmed with

New York Commercial Advertiser.

new 1 blk OOIiuleICldl AuN6ttlS6E
Uncle Sans strong box on the corner
of Wall and Nassau streets, in what is
known as the sub-treasury, is well
crammed with ''flthy IucTe," which
some profess to despise, while others
worship, and which all find very conye-
nient to have. At no time has the
present assistant treasurer, Mr.. George
Ashley, had in his possession less than
500, 100000. The amount thus con-
fided to his trust is so large that it is not
in the power of the official to give ade-
quate bonds for its security. If disposed
to be dishonest he might ruin all his
sureties, and the government suffer a
loss of untold millions. In this single
instance, at least, it is necessary to rely
upon the integrity of an individual.
| Learning through Mr.. Lindermann, di-
rector of the United States mint, that
! the treasurer in New York had reported
himself overwhelmed with coin, so that
he could receive no more, our reporter
sought an invitation to view the I'M
wOnted sight.
1t was first needfIl to be admitted
through a couple of iron gates to the
rear of the counters where coin is
handled, counted and weighed. Several
clerks were engaged in various processes.
At one side, half concealed in a thick
wall, is the entrance to the vaults. Five
doors must be passed, one of them
weighing 5000 pounds, and secured by
double locks, each independent of the
other. At last, guided by the treasurer,
the Utmost receptacle is reached and
there, as within a tomb, single Jet OF
gas lights up the accumulated treasure
On all sides from floor to ceiling are lit
tie iron closets filled with gold bricks
bags of silver, or packages of treasury
notes, while the entire central space from
the rear wall towards the threshold il
slowed solid with bags of silver, laid IL
regular tiers from the marble thing be
) meath almost as high as a man can reach
Here, on the ground, remarked thu
officer, are $4,000, 900 in silver, and il
the treasury $1,000, 900. Then opening
a little iron door, where there was re
cess about two feet square, the interiO
was seen to be filled with golden bricks
apparently no more than could be takeI
? off in a wheelbarrOw at a single load, bu
l the officer remarked, "here are two ton
of gold, worth over 81 ,0O0,0 ;" adding
} that each brick or bar was worth $1,000
= and weighed thirty-five pounds. To az
1 pearance one of them might easily hav
5 been concealed in a cOat-tail pocket, 0
e carried off in a hat, but the experimen
+ would not have proved a success. Thes
: handsome bricks of such a deep satfrO
7 hue, any one of which would have a
most bought a stone front or splendi
g farm, were once British sovereigns, sci
a to the United States in 1873, durin
:; times of high monetary excitemen
q Another turn of the key, or what ma
a be described as another rub eff Aladdin
,1y,I
Is rest, no less than $50, 900, 900 being Wis
r, BILE at single glance in treasury note
n " Here" said Uncle Sans faithfI
% guardian, care a couple OfmilliOn dollars
"a at the same time handing his visitor
L diminutive package neatly bound with
e paper strap, each note bearing the fguT
q 81 600" 1t is needless to say that tt
package was returned, though there Is
r certain degree of pleasure of being pc
lie sessed of 100000 if only for a m
as ment. Next we stepped into what mig
n be called the gold vault proper, whe
re there stood exposed to view nothing bl
S a little keg, scarcely larger than child
lie TOW drum, but it contained $50, 900
lie gold, and weighed the same as a barrel
n -four. The little closets on all sides we
+ at the same time seen crammed wi
y gold.
L Word comes from California that OF
III of the mining companies intends to to
m ward to the centennial exhibition
rs single mass of silver valned at $4,000
y, 600. The treasury officials, who seem
70 regard this story as a ''rOOrback," ha'
he made a curious calculation, viz:
to mass of silver of the value named wOu
OF make solid block ten feet long, ten te
lie wide, and eight and one-tenth feet hig
containing SO cubic feet. A cnbic 70
of fine silver is worth in old AmeTici
dollars about $4,000, and weighs Z:
90 pounds avoirdupOis. Ergo, cube Of Il
as size spoken of by the California mine
y would weigh SIS, 919 pounds, or abO
y 294I tons. As ten tons make an Ordina
~ carload, it will be perceived that t
. proposition does not look very feasib
y, - A New York banker suggests that t
- idea is simply to make a sale of $4,000
- 600 in silver for United States bonds, f
Is although the &" Virginia Consolidated
a. is admitted to be rich concern, it Is n
lS believed the company wOnld permit 81
y 100000 to lay around very long.