The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1885-03-06

are two Of them exactly alike, 1s feet
long l2 feet wide and ~ feet high.
They are approached through vesti-
bules 10 feet long and 8 feet wide. At
the entrance to each vestibule are two
chilled-steel doors provided with time
locks, two doors of the same character
being placed between the end of the
vestibule and the opening to the vaults
| proper.
These invulnerable storehouses we're
built in 1868. Their floors consisting
of tempered steel, rest upon thirty feet
of solid masonry their walls and
roofs are composed of two sets of steel
plates, three-eights of an inch thick.
Between these inner and outer steel
walls is a space of four inches, which
is filled up with round iron balls. A
burglar, even though he should have
abundant time for operations, would
on driving his drill through the outer
steel wall, encounter a spherical mass
of iron which, when pierced, would
make room for innumerable other iron
balls, rendering his progress towards
vast wealth stale and Improbable.
Each of these gold vaults is provided
with l20 iron chests set into the walls.
One hundred and five of these chests
have q storehouse capacity each for
100000 in gold. Fifteen of them
being able to accommodate S1,000,000
in gold each. A little vault on the
main floor is devoted to the safe-keep-
ing of pennies. These much-abused
coins are as carefully wrapped up as
their golden ard silvery cousins and
there is to-day 100000 worth of them
in this repository
Immediately over the coin depart
meut is the coupon interest room under
the superiDtendence of Mr.. p III.
Bound. 1t is in this room that checks
are drawn for those fortunate individ-
uals VINO with the simple assistance of
a pair of shears are able 10 provide
bread for their suffering families. Mr..
Cresus Jones tears coupon from his
per cent bond. Mr. Bound receives
it with smile and hands him what is
known as memorandum check for the
amount due. Mr.. Jones presents it on
the lower floor and gets his money.
Across the hall from the coupon de-
partment is a room full of busy clerks,
wherein the accounts of all the disburs-
ing officers of the Government are
written up and balanced. Mr.. George
w. Yates has charge of this depart
ment, assisted by twelve clerks. and it
is pretty commentary upon the de-
gree of efficiency to which system can
be carried that Mr. Yates in thirty sec
onds can lay his hand on any draft,
check or memorandum given by any
Government disbursing officer upon
the Sub-Treasury within the past TWEEN
ty years.
In the top story of the fine old gran
ite building there is an armory. Re-
peating rifles, Gatling guns, Colts re-
volver, hand grenades, with many
rounds of powder and ball, fill fire
proof room which is presided over bya
good looking young man whose chief
grievance with life seems to be that as
yet no bloodthirsty and avaricious mob
has attacked this particular one of Un-
Gle Sans treasures. 1t is the opinion
of this gentleman that not even the
Seventh Regiment backed by the gal
liant Sixty ninth, were they so unlawful
ly disposed, could take the treasure
from the hands Of the clerical force
employed therein. To the bewildered
reporter he pointed ont strange case
m nts with mock shutters which in
case of necessity, could be pushed be-
yond their frames out beyond the walls
of the building, providing famous
perches for valiant rifemen. The roof
of the treasury which is composed of
solid stone block, is provided with
iron turrets from which Calling guns,
hand grenades and repeating rifles
could be used with great efficiency.
1t is probably not generally known,
but it is nevertheless fact, that an
immense number of dirty and other
wise dilapidated bills is destroyed
monthly in the New York Treasury.
That is, holes are bored through them,
and in this punctured condition they
are shipped to Washington for destruc-
ton. On an average three millions of
legal tender, one million two hundred
thousand of silver certificates, six hun
dred thousand of national bills and five
hundred thousand of good bills are in
this way put ont of existence every
month
The largest bill manufactured by the
Government is of the denomination of
$4,000. As there are perhaps few
readers of this paper who have never
seen bill of this description, it may
properly be explained that in the cor
ner is the picture of Andrew Jackson,
and that it is no larger or more beauti-
ful in any respect than the dollar
which one freely spends upon an ac-
cidental meeting with several thirsty
friends.