The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-12-31

ing doaDle-eagles. His deposit
amounted to but little over $4,000, but
it was noticeable that the teller took
tray to effect the transfer from counter
to shelf.
New coin isvery difficult to handle"
he explained after passing over a GER
tificate of deposit; sit is slippery, and
$4,000 makes a good handful. If you
attempt to stack it up like coin that has
been worn the chances are that it will
slide off and make muss on the floor.
Consequently, in order to avoid break
ing the rule against turning my back,
use tray to make the transfer
The conversation then turned on bank
robberies, and in search of possible
useful information the reporter asked
what standard of coin would be the
most desirable to steal. The expert
studied for moment, and then replied
that inpoint of weight there would be
| no difference. ''As regards bulk, how
ever, $5 pieces would prove the most
valuable Doodle, especially if the
money was to be packed in square
boxn
''How do you make that outP"
swell, the question is somewhat
puzzling one to answer, but lean easily
| demonstrate it. The ratio of both the
diameter and thickness of five and
twenties is as eight is to FIVE"
With this the expert strung eight half
| eagles out in row, and il was found
to be exactly as long as row of five
twenties. The two rows were then
stacked up and the tops were found to
be on level to hairs breadth. This
| illustrated the fact that the smallest
cubic space that would be exactly
| filled by both coins would hold 5x5x5 in
| twenties and 8x8x8 in fives, or 125 twen-
ties and 512 fives. One hundred and
twenty-five twenties equal So, 800, of
course, while 512 fives amount to g.
$50. This difference of $50 the teller
was unable to explain, and he stated
that it had puzzled a good many ex-
perts. The interstices between the
twenties were much larger it was adj
mitted, but there were so many more
spaces between a cubic body, of fives
that there should not be any difference
when the ratio of the coins is so per-
feet. After puzzling over the matter
for some time the teller was about re-
storing the coin to the trays, when his
quick eye fell on a well-worn five bear
| ing the date of 1880.
''Here's a relic, he exclaimed, as he
tossed it over. eff the old standard OF
coinage was in force now, the differ
ence in favor of the fves would be easily
explained. This was made in the days
when the Government used to swindle
4 itself out of over o dollars worth OF
| gold in every four $5 pieces that were
turned out by the mint
The reporter examined the veteran
bit of metal, and then asked for an ex-
PLANTATION.
! "Well," said the teller" .sa $40
piece contains SIC grains of gold, 90C
fine, and always has, to the best of my
knowledge. The first S. pieces were
coined in the year 1895, and the law
compelled them to contain 1876 grains
of gold, 916a fine. 1t takes four fives
to make twenty, and four times 135
grains is equal to $40 grains, or "a
grains more than 800 piece. Add the
extra fineness to this and you have
more than the 253 grains that it takes
to make one gold dollar. 1t was the
same way with tens at that time; they
contained 270 grains each, or $40 grains
to the twenty. 1t evidently took the
Secretary of the Treasury thirty-nine
i. years to get onto this leakage, for il
was not until 1884 that the weight ot
ffves was reduced to 129 grains, and
that of tens to 258 grains. There is z
premium of 81 on fives antedatine
1884, and if they arenot too badly worn
they are worth it in extra bullion.
4 The subject of bank robberies was
here resumed at the point where it had
been broken off by the teller's mathe
matical problem on the rotation of five
to twenties. He expressed the belize
that the Pacific Coast banks were more
free from raids than their eastern con
freres, on account of the prevalence o.
coin here in preference to paper money
There a clever sneak could toss
million dollars into his hat and still
have room to get it on; but here il hi
stole $4,000 he could not carry it with
out its being seen, and the high-toneG
bank thief viii not take such desperat,
chances as he would be compelled tt
run with coin in his possession. Their,
are very few notes in circulation herr
now.n
"What viii $4,000 in coin weighP'
ssYou can easily figure that for your
self. There are our trays that are bull
to hold 800, ,000in twenties. They weigl
1,075 ounces each, or rather the coli
does, which equals 67.3 pounds. Tel
thousand dollars weighs just half that
and even 333 pounds of coin would b.
a pretty good load for a man to stow
out of sight on his person. I Away
J had great admiration for Bret Harte
j until I read one of his yarns, where
, was able to contradict him. One chap
ter in it was devoted to the robbery 0
II the stage to Red Dog and tn
Il driver was the hero. When the rob
bers brought him to a halt he fred tn
coach lamps at them, and then jumpet
on to one of the stage horses with tn
J treasure-box, and after a race of 81,
! miles beat them into the nearest sta
ton. The treasure-box, SO Bret Hart
said, contained $4,000 in gold dust
! Now if you can find man that cal
! ride horse bareback over mountail
road, and hold a box weighing i6
I v,a,sr.6e and 4baS bardsoa,onoI hoo