The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-06-24
TONS OF DOLLARS.
Vast Piles Of Silver in the New
York Sub-Treasury.


New York Post: In view Of the
complaint of Assistant Treasurer
Hillhouse, in his recent letter to
Secretary Sherman, concerning the
great and increasing accumulation
of silver at the sub-treasury in this
city, some additional facts were oh
tanned to-day Oy a reporter of the
Evening Post Mr.. Britton, the
cashier, and MIR. Ashley the chief
of the coin division, exhibited the
huge vault for the storage OF silver,
which has been constructed in the
basement of the sub treasury. In
the various compartments of this
vault, which is forty seven feet long,
twenty seven feet wide and twelve
feet high, inside measurement, there
are now slowed away about $780,
10000 silver, amounting in weight
to about 6I24 tons. The $65,I25,
600 in gold now at the sub-treasury
weighs about 1864 tons, and in bulk
the proportion of gold to silver is
but as 1 to %. OF the vast mass
of silver there are about $47, 900 in
half dimes, $l,004,000 in dimes.
$3,2SS,000 in quarters, $3.50, 900
in halves, and $l2,477, 900 in stand
ard dollars. No trade dollars are
received, but the "buzzard" stand
ard dollars continue u pour in and
TO pile up, without being of use, APP
pa-ently, to any one. They are
packed in canvas bags containing
81 900 each and weighing between
So and 90 pounds, which are ran Q q
in the vaults row upon row and are
constaatly nearing both .he roof sui
passage way. In order 20 prevent
confusion it is necessary, OF cour c.
to keep each denomination OF com
separate, and this fact assists so
limit the available space for tho
dollars. The capacity OF the vauli
has not yet been reached by ans
means and will not be when many
millio6s more have been received,
but there are many serious objec
tions to examining the compart
ments as full as possible. Win
the carefulness in packing which Is
practiced, there may not be much
danger of bursting the iron lattlc
work partitions by the lateral pres
sure of the coin; nut the packing
OF the bags in so many tiers tends
to make it very difficult TO count
the deposits corree;ly at the regu
lar inspections. A rebandling OF
the bags on every occasion OF
counting is, of course, out of the
question when the weight and bulk
involved are SO enormous.
Small silver coins are continually
flowing into the sub treasury tor
redemption. the Manhattan railway
alone sometimes presenting as much
as $4,000 worth at a time. They
are redeemed by silver certificates,
which are easily disposed Of
through banks to importers, as they
are receivable for customs dues,
and 80 the certificates quickly come
back to the sub treasury through
the custom-house. The great in
crease of silver IN the sub-treasury
is due. however, TO the law requir-
ing the coinage of $2,00O,0O0 a
month in silver dollars. The Gov
eminent repositories at San Fran
cisco, Cincinnati and Chicago were
all filed early in March. There was
but kttle additional room in the de-
positories of Washington, Boston,
Philadelphia and st. Louis, their
available capacity being only for
about $2,000,O00 more. In conse
quence nearly all of the newly-coin-
ed silver is sent to this city, and, as
but comparatively little of it is paid
out, it is not strange that the ofh
GERS of the sub-treasury are begin
ming to question what the result will
be if Congress permits the stream
10 flow on unchecked.