Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-09-26
WALLS OF STEEL AND IRON.
's'Nc IsoHgh xtnd of Experience ~
Burglar WoJild be hikeiy 10
Have iu Entering Uncle
SHns,s vaults,

no more OF Il strong box than is the Gen
eral Postoflicc the Interior Department
Or the Capitol building, and the attention
of the visitors going through the building
is not attracted by any extraordinary
precautions. They are allowed 20 roam
about the halls. Nobody watches them
OF asks any questions. In one room they
may see man signing bonds that are
stacked up in front OF him, representing
probably thousands OF dollars. In an
! other they may see some one putting his
name to little slips of paper. hundreds OF
which lay unon his desk. These may be
warrants or drafts for large sums OF
money, but the visitor doesn't know UNI
less he examines them, and even then
ten chances to one he wouldn't under
stand them. As n matter of fact, none of
these would be of value to anybody get
ting possession of them by chance or dis
honesty. At most they could only furnish
q basis for forgery, as they are in an in
complete form or are drawn upon some
particular place, TO be paid to Il specified
! person.
| THE MYSTERY OF THE THING.
One of the greatest safeguards OF the
| Department, though, of course, not the
one most relied upon, is the fact that II
thief wouldn't know what to steal, where
| to find it or what to do with it il he
should happen to get it. To II stranger
all the workings of the department are
mysterious, and they lose sight of the
strong box in contemplating the business
establishment-th clerks ut work on
correspondence, and thousand and one
other routine matters. At the north end
OF the building is the only place where
there are any indications of the presence
of great sums OF money. Thsre are To-
Gated the Treasurcr's Office, the cash
room, the counting rooms and the great
vaults. There is collected nearly two
hundred million dollars in silver gold !,
or paper currency, such as would be good
for use ut once in the commercial world,
besides indefinite thousands of old notes
that have been cancelled and are on their
way to destruction, and in the neighbor-
hood of four hundred million dollars in
registered bonds, which are left as Sc
curity for the national bank circulation,
and are OF no value except to the
banks in whose names they are
registered, or to the United States.
But visitor passing to that part OF the
building is not stopped by any grim
yisaged guard, but is allowed the same
privilege to walk through the corridors rs
he had where there was nothing
more valuable than appointments or de-
csions. He is even allowed to walk out
on q balcony above the cash room and
look ut the men handling the money that
is taken out of the vaults for use during
the day. While walking aroung this
balcony admiring the marble pancled
walls they are at one time very near Il
vault that is loaded down with wealth.
They may even lean with their backs
against it, but they don't know it. More
than this, it is not difficult for the visitor
to get II pass that will admit him into the
very vaults themselves, and he can stand
in the immense iron and steel rooms, sur
rounded by piles OF money, which, ii il
fall on him, would crush him to death
Or the visitor may be allowed to go into
beautiful little vault and be permitted
to hold II package Of two or three mil
lions in his hands for moment. Besides
all this there is huge vault in the soutl
end OF the building, known as the Reg
listers vault, which at times has many
millions in unsigned bonds in it.
TIE STRENGTH OF THE VAULTS.
1t must not be presumed from the fac
that bolts and bars and guards are no
visible that no precautions are takeI
against robbery. 1t is the consciousness
of perfect safety that makes them so easy
The vaults are about the strongest ant
best that the ingenuity of man could con
trive, and they are very carefully guarded
They are made of chilled iron and steel
and are rs near being impenetrable n
safes can be made, Their double stee
doors are locked with time locks in tn,
night. In the day time these are opened
and the entrance closed with Il steel graf
ing, near which the custodian stands will
his key. 1t might seem very easy T.
knock this man down, take his key iron
him and bag the wealth, but it wouldn'
be nj all easy. You would have TO pas
through II great many iron gratings
where large number of responsible EN-
ptoyes are assembled, TO get ut him
You would so in company with some OIL
cial and there would not be more thar
two or three OF you go in ut u time, wher
there would be hall II dozen good men T.
deal with you ii you didn't act right.
you succeeded in getting away with nj
these, you wouldn't have time to get on
before the whole Treasury watch woul
be on hand to receive you. Ii you ha
"pals" in the corridors ready TO Join yu
, in u fight with these, and you killed Then
: all. oil, eDistrict police force would hay
time TO get there before you could do il
and il you were very hard to whip, u i'll
OF soldiers and gatling gun might b
brought to bear on you, by way OF re
cruits.
In this way the money, and bonds ar
safe during the day. In the night tn
can't be opened again till morning, an
all the rlnrks and onipinla nrn awnv n