The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1885-11-11
Che 9aily 9 ,lletin.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. IL, 1885.
UNCLE SANS VAULTS.

time to time about robbing the
Treasury. This does not refer to
any act of professional thieves. AS
far as can be learned there has
never been an attempt made to
burglarize the Treasury. There has
been some sneak-thieving, defalca-
ton on the part of dishonest en-
ployees, and the like, but it is not
known that there has ever been an
attempt made to pick the locks or
break open the safes to get at the
great wealth stored there. The
Treasury vaults have been oftener
assailed with false claims than with
false keys.
To outside appearances the Trea-
sury is no more of strong box than
is the General Post Office, the Int
rior Department or the Capitol
building, and the attention of the
visitor going through the buildings
is not attracted by any extraordi-
nary precautions. They are allowed
to roam about the halls. Nobody
watches them or asks any questions.
In one room they may see a man
signing bonds that are stacked up
in front of him, representing pro-
badly thousands of dollars. In
another they may see some one
putting his name to little slips of
paper, hundreds of which lay upon
his desk. These may be warrants
or drafts for large sums of moneN,
but the visitor doesn't know unless
he examines them, and even then
ten chances to one he wouldn't I'M
derstand them. AS q matter of fact,
none of these would be Of value to
anybody getting possession of them
by chance or dishonesty. At most
they could only furnish basis for
forgery, as they are in an incom-
plete form or are drawn upon some
particular place, to be paid to a
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 thief wouldn' know what
to steal, where to find it or what to
do with it if he should happen to
get it. To stranger all the work
ings of the Department are myster-
ious, and they lose sight of the
strong box in contemplating the
business establishment-the clerks
at work on correspondence, and
thousand and one other routine mat
tiers. At the north end of the build
ing is the only place where there are
any indications of the presence of
great sums of money. There are
located the Treasurer's office, the
cash room, the counting room and
the great vaults. There is collected
nearly two hundred million dollars
silver, gold or paper currency, such
as would be good for use at once in
the commercial world, besides indie
finite thousands of old notes that
have been cancelled and are on their
way to destruction, and in the neigh
borhood of four hundred million
dollars in registered bonds, which
are left 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. But a visitor passing to
that part of the building is not
stopped by any grim-visaged guard,
but is allowed the same privilege to
walk through the corridors as he had
where there was nothing more valua-
BILE than appointments or decisions.
He is even allowed to walk out on
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 paneled walls they are at one
time very near 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,
tits not difficult for the visitor to
get pass that will admit him into
the very vaults themselves, and he
can stand in the immense iron and
steel rooms, surrounded by piles of
money, which, if it fall on him,
would crush him to death. Or the
visitor may be allowed to 60 into
beautiful little vault and be per-
mitted to hold package of two or
three millions in his hand for
moment. Besides all this there is a
huge vault in the south end of the
building, known as the Registers
vault, which at times has many mil
lions in unsigned bonds in it.
THE STRENGTH OF THE VAULTS.
1t must not be presumed from the
fact that bolts and bars and guards
ara nOt visible that M nraoantions