The daily gazette., 1880-06-02
Locking Up Many Millions.

THE sUB-TREAsURY BUILDING TURNED
INTO AN IMPREGNABLE FORTRESS
NEARLY $209, 100000 OF srLvERcoIN
sToRRD AWAY. Ef r7 IA
EwYoRK, June Flew people,
perhaps, are aware of the vast amount
of wealth that is continually locked up
in the closelysealed vaults OF the United
States Sub. Treasury at WALL and
Broad streets, or Of the magnitude OF
the business transacted there. The
most important branch Of the United
States Treasury, 1t is made the deposi-
tory Of coin, legal tenders, certificates
and bonds, and on orders,they are trans
mitted to all positions OF the county,
where Sub Treasures are located, prin-
cipally at Chicago, st. Louis, San Frau
cisco and New Orleans. The report
submitted on Saturday shows that dur
ing the mouth of May there was received
$I46, ,294, ,9S6, ,0i, and there was paid out
$43, ,9l9, 9,361.72, leaving balance on
hand of s102 ,375, ,624.29.
OF this amount an balance at the Sub
Treasury, $95 100000 are IN gold aud
silver, and $l3,000,OOO in silver dol
lars.
When the strikes occurred in 1873 IL
was suggested that the Government
should properly protect the receptacles
of wealth so that In no event the build
iDgs could be captured by a mob and
despoiled of their precious contents.
To the casual observer there is no ex-
ternal evidence of the work that has
been done, but from the inside can be
seen a complete arsenal. All the win
dows are donbly grated and steel barred,
and an entilading fire from musketry
can be fired from the pierced steel
shutters, all of which are loophoied. All
the windows are protected by machicou
lins shutters, which are triangular, and
so arranged that when opened they can
be used as battery to completely cover
and sweep the entire thoroughfare be-
meath. Three turrets are being built for
the roof, hexagon in shape. They are
TO be composed Of steel, aud pierced 10
each Of the six sides with loopholts for
musketrv, SO as TO command the lower
part OF the city. The roof is built en-
tirely of stone, and there is not beam
in the entire building, Sut series Of
stone arches from the vaults to the top,
The new vault which has been built
beneath the streets is 4Sx2Sfeet in dimen-
sions aud has a capacity for $40,000,000
new silver dollars. The walls hive
granite thickness Of 7 feet
over Which is plating of laminated iron
and steel IL inches in thickness. The
bottom of the vault is first composed OF
feet Of concrete, the floor proper being
made the same as the walls. There,are no
rifle pits. The building is so strengthened
and arranged that 1t eau be turned into
a complete arsenal and wherever loop
holes could be pierced it has been done,
making it as impregnable as any fortress
in the world.
Closely packed in this new vaul. and
in other equally secured receptacles are
bricks Of shining gold and silver weighing
hundreds of tons, stacks of greenbacks
and bonds, bags of silver dollars and
huge masses of subsidiary coiu-within
few feet Of the street and yet defying
the ingenuity and skill of the most ex
pert and painstaking bank burglars ol
the combined efforts OF an angry
mob to secure them. The officers il
charge feel perfectly secure and wheI
The heavy steel doors and shutters ar,
closed at night they sleep unconcernej
feeling confident that nothing can be re
moved from the vaults until the proper
custodian of the combination shall arrive
:he following day. And thus Uncle Sanl
has provided for the safety of hi,
hundreds of millions of treasure which
are kept in the Subj Treasury building