The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-06-14
Counting a Billion Dollars

I U0unting Billion DOLLARS
The largo amount Of money at the
Treasury Department eonfounds the Inn
agination. Senator Joe Brown said last
winter to friend who had spoken flip
PANTY Of million dollars:
Young man, million dollars Is
great deal of money"
What, then, must thousand millions
be? Counted dollars by dollars, even
at the rate of 5000 d minute, day and
night, without stopping, it would take
ten years to count it
Fortunately for the sore fingers of the
lady counters, the money IL not all, or
mainly, in ono dollar bills; and again,
in this work, as in others, many hands
make light work.
The total volume of money falls into
three main divisions. There is first what
is called the cash in the treasury. This
was in round numbers, on the 1st of this
month, S306, ,000,0 900. There is next the
surplus reserve fund, that is, tho supply
of treasury notes received from the
Bureau of Printing and Engraving, and
held to furnish banks and sub-treasuries
on demand. This money lies ready for
delivery in the custody of the treasury,
but is not included in the assets of the
office. 1t is estimated that there are be-
tween $500, ,000, 900 and $500, 900, 900 of
this money locked in the treasury vaults.
Finally, there arc the bonds held by the
treasury to secure the circulation of the
national banks to an amount of $780,
100000. Altogether, therefore, there is
plump billion of money to be handled.
The method of working is simple.
in Ivy
piles in the vaults, with the amount of
each pile stated. The band is removed
and the money given to a counter, who,
with deft fingers finds the sum and re-
ports the result. A strict watch is kept
to prevent bills slipping up sleeves or
under aprons. If the report of the coun-
ter agrees with the record the band Is
put back and an entry made, and it
would greatly astonish the committee,
no doubt, if a difference were to be
found and to be proven on second and
more careful count. Probably not one
such incident will disturb the monot-
ony OF the examination, as the systeTu
of checks in use renders false count
in q package delivered to the treasury
almost an impossibility, and no one
hints that the vaults have been tamper-
cd with.
1t will be comparatively easy and
pleasant to count the smooth, clean
packages of bills, but when it comes to
the broken piles of multilated returned
currency the committee will have a dis
agreeable time of it. The custom of
the treasury is not to destroy returned
notes of national bank until they
amount to $500 or multiples thereof, and
mutilated bills are sorted and preserved
until this unit of destruction is reach
cd. Hence, as there are about $1,000
national banks, each having its little
pile of greasy and torn bills, this feature
of the count will be tedious and dis
agreeable job.
Another Job which the committee
dread is the counting of the specie. The
clerks are not accustomed to handling
coin, and work slowly and awkwardly
A few Chinese shroffs might well be en-
gagged to attend to this part of the busi-
ness. They would clink the dollars off
in short metre, but the clerks make slow
and clumsy work of it. In many cases.
however, the process can be expedited
by {; recourse to the scales. A $5, 900
bag of double eagles will be counted for
instance, then tied up and put in one
arm of the scales, and the contents of
another SIS, 900 bag of double eagles will
be turned into the plate on the other
arm, and the sack and cord thrown on
the yellow heap. If the two weights
balance it will be presumed that the loss
from friction is the same in both, and
the figures of value will be accepted rs
proven. The chief bother will come
from the enormous horde of silver dol
lars and subsidiary coin.
OF course much of the $500, 600, 600
which appears on the books as cash in
the treasury will be simply credits re-
turned from various sub-treasuries and
other repositories. Theso reports will
be accepted for the time at least, rs ac-
curate, ard probably no count will be
demanded by the incoming Treasurer.
The surplus reserve fund will be tack
led after the cash is verified. This will
simply involve count of the packages
as delivered into the custody of the
Treasurer by the Bureau of Printing
and Engraving. Finally, there will be
such an exaggeration of the bonds de-
posted by the bank as shall satisfy Mr..
Wyman, the new Treasurer, and his
| bondsmen.-N. Y. Su,1.