The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1883-05-09
MILLIONS IN sI0HT.
Uncle SANS Ronrd of Wealth In the san
Francisco Vaults.

Francisco Vauiis.
There's millions in it--millions of solid,
solid gold and silver; not the fgment--so TO
speak--of the thrftless visionary, but the
tangible lucre that makes men opulent, that
makes nations powerful. that moves all that
is movable by human agencies in the uni
verse. There's millions in tin the vault
that underles the snb.treasury building.
The doors are opened the expectant visitor
takes his hand from over his eyes; no peers
in, enters, and Aladdin's cave is changed into
the store.room of a retail grist-mill He
sees nothing but solid mass of little canvas
sacks, piled from floor TO ceiling, homely rs
grocery overstoeSed with bedstuffs. This
IS the principle vault, and each of these little
sacks contains 1000 silver dollars. There
is no gold here. The vault is thirty-six feet
long, seventeen feet wide aud eight Gnd
half feet high, yet il holds only $4,000. 900
OF silver dollars. The gold vaults are about
as prosy, the money being sacked and piled
in the same manner, each sack containing
$40. 900. II is asked, Where does all this
money come from? The answer is that the
sub-treasury- mean, little, inadequate
buildings tue receptacle for the entire
revenue of the government from the Pacific
Coast west of tho Rocky Mountains from
British Columbia to Mexico.
The business Of last year amounted in
round numbers to $3s, 000,0 Naturally
Il may be asked, why Is all this money
boarded instead of being out in circulation
Paradoxical as il may seem, a great deal of
it is in circulation. To all intents and pur.
poses it is passing from hand to hand every
day, doing its part in the great game of fl.
uancial shuttlecock and battledoor. 1t is
represented by silver and gold eertiacates--
! form much more convenient for business
purposes, while the coin itself is stored in
the vaults, away from the depreciating
elects of abrasion aud from loss by other
cnuses A majority of the twenty. dollar
gold pieces in circulation have lost so much
by abrasion that they fall below the stand
ard weight. There are in Sub-Treasury over
seven thousand half-dollars that have be-
come deprecated simply by ordinary abra.
sion while in circulation. This depreciation
sometimes amounts to as much ms twenty
seven dollars ON II thousand Gold being a
softer metal suffers more from the same
treatment. Hence, for this reason, and also
because they save time und trouble in hand,
ling aud are more convenient to carry, gold
certificates are fast growing in favor Be.
sides there is an advantage to the govern.
ment IN issuing silver aud gold certificates
In receiving So many millions of dollars II
Hight be supposed that an occasional spur
ions coin or note would find its way across
the counter. So great is this danger that
every piece and every note has to pass under
the scrutiny of mn expert. People do not
realize tue quantity of counterfeit silver dol.
lars that are in circuation. Not day
passes that more or less are not offered Mt
The sub-treasury. The Assistant Treasurer.
speaking of this subject, said: lyon
would be surprised at the ingenuity that is
display ed in debasing the different govern.
ment coins. One of the neatest methods
employed by those who engage III this spe-
eies of CRIME is what is known as the split.
ting process. This is done by splitting the
coin edgewise (probably by means OF Hno
mw) digging ont the inside, filling the
'avity with metal as nearly rs possible the
weight of the gold taken out aud soldering
the Two discs together again in such a man
ner that il will pass without suspicion
among those who are not expert In detecting
Wanda nf fbic LIND olx, thiu "a, athnd
OF tampeiing with coin ia so difficult in Its
successful accomplishment that II is seldom
resorted to, and coins thus debased are not
common. An expert at the business can
take five dollars worth Of gold out of
single twenty. dollar piece. A short time
ago 800 note was presented at the count
err The receiving teller Immediately upon
taking it into his hand stamped the word
counterfeit" on its face and handed il
baek. The proceeding startled the person
who presented it, and he asked the teller,
with an air of indignation, why he did it.
because the law compels me TO do it,"
the teller replied.
The man insisted TINT the note was good,
"but," said he, al it is not good ] could
have taken il back TO the person got il
from"
"You can do that still,' said the teller,
"and if he demonstrates that il il II good
note, you have only to come here and gel
your money" Tho man did not come back
Spurious silver coins are detected more by
their weight and general appearance than by
anything else. Said the Assistant 1reasur-
sr, speaking of this "They have got ns
on the ring of the metal. They can make
their base metal TO ring ms well M ours"
The detection of spurious gold coin is pure
ly mechanically ringing, acids, weight,
the eye, etc. Experience is everything"
sad Mr. spauldlng "A base coin has
never been passed on us, but we have stop
ped lots OF them on the way To become
expert in detecting the base coins men have
got To make it business, atndy."-4 San
Francisco Call