Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-05-28
COUNTING TIE corn.
The Silver Vault of the Treasury at
Washington.

Washington
| A visit to the great silver vault of the
| treasury is not without interest, although
| there is nothing to be seen except numer-
| GUS small bags filled with silver coins, and
| a half dozen men moving them from one
| cell to. another. The vault is reached by
way of the cash-room of the TREASURY,
and the elevator used to convey money TO
the vaults for storage, and the express
office for shipment. Upon reaching the
lower floor few steps BRING the visitor
to the entrance to the vault, the great
doors of which stand wide open during
| the progress of the count. There are
| two of these doors, about four feet apart,
forming what may be likencd unto yesti-
bule.
Both are fortified with two or three
double combination locks. Upon the
outer door is the most perfect pattern of
| chronometer lock, which works automnl-
ically. II loosens the fastenings Mt $50
i'll the morning and makes them right
again ut 1870 in the afternoon. The in
terror of the vault very much resembles
a largo police station ''cooler." 1t is
about 10 feet high. A passage way three
feet wide runs its entire length. Upon
either side are small apartments, perhaps
eight feet by 10,separated by open lattice
work of iron bars two inches wide AMI
three-quarters of an inch thick. In these
| rooms, which look so much like the cells
of the cooler, the bags of money are
corded up. Each sack of strong, white
canvas contains 900 silver dollars, and
weighs, to be exact, SO pounds, three
ounces. Each bears the stamp, in clip
teal form, with the words: ~. y.
Treasury, 1000 Dollars, Washington,
ID. O."
The visit was made while the recent
count WINS in active progress. Eight or III
sturdy men, some white and some black,
| were Juggling away mt the sacks, which were
| being passed from one of the cells to the
| scale in the corridor, and from there
/ | carried to another room on the opposite
side and slowed away. The mir is close
= heated by dozen gas burners. The men
:, are III their shirt sleeves, and pcrspirI
freely MS they pass rapidly to and lro
rreighted with their precious burdens. IL
I them there is no romance or sentiment
: about the handling of NIL these millions
= In fact it is hard, solid work, SiXt,
: pounds is not great load for man t.
lift once or twice. but when he does
:, right along for hours Mt u time, carrying
one of these sacks every hnlf minute
y So il is likely to test the integrity Of III
" spinal column. 1t isn't any lighter be
: cause it is money. The sacks nre just u
!, heavy MS though they We're hods full Q
brick or mortar.
In making the count it WINS th
., -, plan Mt first to dump all the sneks-
I, TINT is, to empty the contents of enc
Il into hopper ON the scale, for the doubl
- purpose OF verifying the weight and {
A' milking sure That cich sack actually COZ
- tains silver dollars and not somethin
m else This process would make the wor
-, thrcofuld greater. Each suck is secured
y tied and the closed mouth scaled wit
a, wax, and bears II ting With IL
81 name of the person who counted
NV and the dnte of aeuling. To break n
90 these seals. unite, empty, refill, retie M
~ rescul ., 900 of these sacks would be
~ great job. So, after having II few opened
lor MIR. Jordan concluded TINT ii was N
IN ~! necessary; TINT he would he satisfied vii
~ one now and then. The sharp "chinl
W. of the coins Ms tho sacks ARE tossed nbo,
~ is considered good prima fncie oyidcn
nv ms to the contents
nu As one looks MT those grent heaps
nv coin he may almost imagine that he h
w found the treasures of Captain Kid
~, Perhaps lie is reminded of the Peruyi;
',s Prince whose subjects pnid the price
~ his ransom to Pizarro hy filling n roo
or with gold and silver, to crafty theava
ont of the Spanish conuucror. So fur as G.
"! be judged, the money is in very 81
plnce. The floor of the vault consists
M ~. alternate plates of steel and chilled ire
nv, with nm aggregate thickness of five or /
i i1 inches. Below this is u solid mass fo
Au ~ feet wide, of cementcd concrete, almt
as hard us iron itself. The interior
J., the walls nre also lined with the steel n
,oi iron plates. Tho money seems very like
lioi to remain there until it finds it way {
WIS by the regular channels. The situati
offers very little encouragement to
~ enterprise of burglars and cracksm,
ihis The capacity of this vault is $50, 4
az in silver dollars. It now contains but o.
'ii' fifth of this amount.
, of