Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-08-08
CITY AND DISTRICT.
DIsCoTRAGING TO BURGLARS.
How nese 0aol's TREASURES are &uoru'
ed From ThieSisg HANDS.


THE n1ILIoSs OF MONEY IN THE TREASURY
fAcLTs-wALLs oS STEEL AND IRoN-HoW
A. BURGLAR WOULD FARE IL He TRIED TO
GkT IN, SC
There has been much said from time to time
abost robbfng the Treasury. This does not re-
fer 10 any act OF professional thieves. As far ~
ssn be learned, there has never been an attempt
made 10 surglari7e the Treasury. There has been
some sneak thIeying, defalcation on the part OF
dishonest employees, and the ike. but 1t is not
Known that there has ever been an attempt
made to pick the locks or break open the safes
10 get at the great wealth stored there. The
Treasury vaults have been Oftsner assailed with
false claims than with false Keys.
TO outside appearances the Treasury is no
MORE of a strong box than II the General Post
ohics. the Interior department or the CapltoI
building. and the attention OF the visitor going
through the building Is not attracted by any
extraordinary precautions. They are allowed
20 roam about the halls. Nobody watches
them or asks any questions In one room they
may see man signing bonds that are stacked
sands of dollars. In another they may see
some one putting his name to little slips OF
paper, hundreds of which lay about his desk
These may be warrants or drafts for large sums
Of money, but the visitor doesn't know unless
he examines them and even then ten chances
10 Oas he wouldn't understand them. As a
matter of fact Irone Of these would be of value
10 anybody getting possession OF them by
chance or dishonesty. At most they could only
complete fern or are drawn upon some par
tis.lar place, to be paid to a specified person.
The MYSTERY OF THE THING.
One of the greatest safeguards Of the depart
InsEt though, of course, not the one most re-
lied spon, is the fact that q thief wouldn't
Know what to steal, where to find 1t or what to-
do with il II he should happen to get Ii. To
stranger all the workings Of the department
are mysterious, and they lose sight OF the
strong box in contemplating the business es-
taelishnsnt-the clerks at work on CORE
sPondencs. and thousand and one osher
routine matters. At the north END OF the
building !. the only place where there are any
indication. of the presence of great sums OF
money. There are located the treaSurers Of
fee, 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 tor use at once
in the commercial world, besides indefinite
thousands OF old notes that have been Cancelled
neighborhood OF four hundred million dollars
in registered bonds. which are lett as security
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.
kut a visitor passing to that part OF the
building j. not stopped by any grim
yisiged guard, but j. allowed the same
privilege 10 walk through the corridors as he
had where there was nothing more valuable
than appointments or decisions. He is even
allowed to walk out on a balcony above the
cash room and look at the men handling the
money that is taken out OF the vaults for use
during the day While walking around this
balcony admiring the marble panelled walls
they are at one time very near a vault that is
loaded down with wealth. They may even
lean with their backs against 1t, but they don't
knov IL. More than this, IL is not difficult for
the visitor to get d pass that will admit him
stand in the immense iron and steel rooms.
surrounded by piles OF money which, ii il fall ON
him, would crush him to death. or the WISH
tor may tS allowed TO go into a beautiful little
vaUlI and be permitted TO hold a package of
two or three millions in his hand Tor "a mo
Inent. Besides al this. there is a huge vault in
the south end OF the building, known as the
Registers vault. which al times has many mil
Lions IN unsigned bonds in it.
THE STRENGTH OF THE VAULTS.
II must not be presumed from the fact that
bolts and bars and guards are not visible that
no precautions are taken against robbery. 1t
Is the CONSEQUENCES of perfect safety that
makes them so sasy- The vaults are about the
strongest and bes. that the ingenuity of man
epu'd eoHtrivs, and tiey are very carefully
guarded They are made oi chilled iron and
s.Ssl- and are as near being impenetrable
s.sies be made. Their double steel doors
are locked With IInls locks Ia The night liz the
G-y time SneSe opened and the entrance
ssOssd with a stesi grating. near which the Gus
pldian stand. with GiS keS. 1t might seem very
easy 10 knock this man down. luke his key
from him, and bag the wealth, but 1t wouldn't
ts a Al! easy. lou would have topass through
Sfsat many iron gralinss, where Il large mum
Der oi fesEonloIe employees are assembled, 10
get a. him. You would 60 in company with
zine oaieial, and there would not more than
Two or three oil you go in at - time. while there
NoIla DC "a hall dozen good men to deal with
ysu you didn't act ri .ht. If you succeeded
IN getting away with all these, you wouldn't
haze time - get out before the whole Treasury
watch would he on hand TO receive you. II you
bad pal. IN the corridors ready to join you
IN a aght with these, and you killed them all
81. he Dis;rtcS police force would have time to
g.t there before you could do it, and if you were
veTy hard 10 whip file OF soldiers and .at-
tliag sgn might bs brought to bear on you, by
Ia this way the money and bonds are safe
during ths day In the night the vaults are
licked Up with time locks that can't be opened
again until morning. anC ali the clerks and Of
Icials are away, the building being left to a
forcs u watchusn. who patrol the corridors
as poiicsmen do the street. Of the city. There
l. c~rsiAnt!y some one ~ each door and the
Test WALK about the corridors, no one being left,
however. in constant guard over the vaults.
Their strength Is supposed To be enough
plenty OF time for the whole force OF
watehmen, and If need be, such aid as they
might call in - reach the scene OF the attack
and dr+ysswa the aSsaiiants. OF course the
vaults wound not be ImpenetEsiDie if u burglar
were given enough time, but a whole night long
Of undist1r6ed work would scarcely suffice for
'ns most expert 10 get in
OBSTACLES IN The WAY OF TUSNKLING.
A gang OF burglars might get house across
he way, and tunnel under the street and mp
andsr She vaults, bat they would have a very
big undertaking They would have to dig
under the foundation or the building which is
four or nve fest thick, and nobody knows lust
how Gssp under ground. and when they went
against about foot and half or two feet Of
solid csmsni, as hard rOck. II they 90,
through this, and struck The bottom of the
Vault, they would come IN contact with about
nine inches OF chilled Steel and iron plates
which could not be drilled They would then
either have To strip this, which it would take
days TO do, or blow II up with dynamite. Could
al Ibis be successfully done, they would find
themselves IN the Immense silver vault which
contains nothing bat silver dollars. az which
they could not carry away enough 10 pay the
actual expenses of their work. The Stock OF
silver there would not benefit 4 burglar This
vault Is a large iron room. whose cold walls and
SILVER lining would chill u burglars blood. Il Is
tfty-four feet eight inches long thirty feet eight
inches wide and nine feet i've Inches high. be
sides this, there about six vaults In that
vicinity. but not IA be reached by mining. In
one of Ihsss Il about S15u OOO, 900 In currency.
such a. burglars Ini < ut pack away in their car
Pet bags and carry of. This is about the only
vaolt that II worth their trouble; but they don't
know just where IL is. and il they did they
would lind IL the most difficult to get into, as
tnsy would have TO cut through Two powerful
safes before they reached its walls which are as
hard xs the hardest
a Modest Legal Veteran.
Washington Cores pondencs Nashville Commercial
Probably forty-hve years ago there lived at