Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-03-29

Boxes FILLED WITH THE PRECIOUS
METAL.
Trucks loaded with well-dressed men
rolled up West street at intervals yester-
day morning, and disappeared on the COW
cred pier of the Cunard Steamship Com
pany at the foot of Clarkson street. SAYS
the New York Sun. Besides the men the
trucks carried small kegs and iron-bound
boxes. which were loaded on the pier
alongside of the steamship Servia. which
sailed in the afternoon The men care
fully carried the kegs and boxes to the
after part of the vessel where they were
locked in an iron chamber. The kegs
and boxes held 81, 15O, 900 worth of gold.
which was going to Europe. On the
steamship Baltic $780, 900 in gold was
shipped.
The gold was in the form of bars and
double eagles. and was the largest amount
shipped on single day Tor several years.
The gold bars were obtained in exchange
for gold certificates at the Assay office,
and the double eagles came from the vaults
of the sub-treasury. where gold certlh-
Gates were deposited in their stead. The
double eagles were delivered in canvass
bags, each holding $4,000. The bars
which are worth anywhere between $4,000
and $4,000 each. were packed in sawdust
in wooden boxes. They were carried on
trucks to the offices of the firms that had
bought them, and were boxed and barreled
and carried off to the steamship piers un-
der heavy guard.
The little kegs and iron-bound boxes
stored in the treasury room" on the
Servia were 40 all told, and were counted
bv the purser and all the officers before
the large iron door was closed and locked:
The purser has the money in his special
care The storing of so much wealth IN
the Servia created no particular stir.
at is not unusual for US to receive on
board large amounts of gold" said a
clerk at the wharf. I'VE carry more or
less on every trip"
What precautions are taken against
robbery ?"
..In the first place, the treasure-room is
of iron, and is as strong as any bank safe.
1t has complicated locks, ,andno cracksmen.
no matter how clever they were, could
get into it inside of week"
1T is especially guarded during the
trip p"
Eyes, it is thoroughly looked after.
The purser and offers thoroughly inspect
it three times day, and three times at
night"
.Was the Servia's treasure chamber
ever broken into ?''
"Never; and no one ever tried to break
into it. Anyway, if thieves did get in,
they could not very we'll carry away the
gold, for it is too heavy. The gold in
these 40 kegs and boxes weighs close to
25,000 pounds
A weather-beaten man with a dropping
eyeid who had been listening. tapped the
reporter on the shoulder as he was leav-
ing the wharf.
Young man." said he, "ever heerd of
Capt Kidd? Well, his plunder warn't a
rope yarn to six-inch hawser alongside
this here wealth in the Servia. Eff Kidd
was around these days them millions
wouldn't never get across the pond. Wot
pity for him he's dead
The superintendent of an importing
house which is constantly sending out
large amounts of gold said yestesday that
the house insures it. The firm get the
money from the sub-treasury or assay
office, prepare it for shipping and then
lodge it in the vessel. Then their trouble
ends.
'Do you send any one along to watch
it on the way ?'
mo; it would do no good. The money
is perfectly safe IN the vessel, and in the
extremely improbably event of a piratical
attack our man might get killed."
"Why do you send out gold?''
because it is impossible to buy COM
mprcal bills. There are not any in the
market"